Farmlnfl, Saturday, Fabreary 10,1990
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OPINION
Another Case Of
Our Unfriendly EPA
“Fanners have great fear for the safety of their products,
livestock and the health of their families, because the federal
government has reneged on its commitment,” according to
Keith W. Eckel, president of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
(PFB). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
promised not to hold any test burning of its incinerator in Clin
ton County until after certain tests were made and evaluated.
Apparently EPA decided to go on without completion of the
tests. Purpose of the incinerator is to decontamirate the soil at
the Drake Chemical Site in Lock Haven, designated by the
EPA for cleanup as a superfund site.
Farmers living near the incinerator are concerned that emis
sions from the incinerator might be worse than the horrible
chemicals buried at the site. EPA assured farmers and other
residents that they would make further tests to be certain the
cleanup would not create health risks for local residents.
Those tests, begun last fall, are apparently completed. EPA
scheduled a meeting Thursday, Feb. 1, with the farmers and
state officials to discuss the test results. However, EPA abrupt
ly canceled the meeting and scheduled test bums. Is the EPA
trying to hide something? Or is this EPA’s way of saying we
don’t want your input?
Two members of Governor Ridge’s administration asked for
the test bum to be halted until the test results are discussed with
the local fanners. James M. Seif and Charles C. Brosius, secre
taries of PA Environmental Protection and Agriculture Depart
ment, respectively, wrote a joint letter to EPA regional admi
nister, W. Michael McCabe.
State Senator J. Doyle Corman, 34th District, is leading the
battle for the tests and sharing the results with the local farm
community. We need to reestablish a working dialogue with
EPA and the farmers with the test results, before the test bum
should continue.
Awards and Buyer Apprecia
tion Banquet, Dcvcreux Soldi
Lion Inn, University Park, thru
Manheim, noon.
New York Farm Bureau’s Stale
Legislative Days. Albany, thru
Feb. 13.
Penn West Farm Credit Forum and
Trade Show. Sheraton, Warren
dale, and on Feb. 13, Altoona
Ramada Inn.
York County Pesticide recertifica
tion meeting. Red Lion Young
Farmers, Red Lion High
School, 8 p.m.
Nutrient Management Public
Information meeting, Ship
pensbuig Senior High School.
Shippensburg, 6:30 p.m.-9:30
pjn.
Nutrient Management Public
Blue Ball
Day. Fann and Home Center.
Northeast Regional Fruit Meeting,
Ramada Inn, Churchville, 9
a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Ephrata Area Young Farmers,
Family Time Restaurant, pesd-
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❖ Farm Calendars
cide update meeting, 6:30-9:30
p.m.
Central Jersey Field Crops meet
ing, Monmouth, NJ., County
Extension Office, Freehold, 9
ajn.-12 p.m.
Maryland Apple School, Western
Maryland Research and Educa
tion Center, Keedysville, Md.
Beef Herd Managcmentand Mark
eting in the ’9o’s and Beyond,
Part n. Holiday Dm, Belle Ver
non. Pa.
(Turn to Pago A 27)
Editor:
-1 would just like to thank you
for such a terrific newspaper at
such a bargain price. Lancaster
Fanning contains items of interest
to everyone from farmers to
businessmen to housewives to
children and costs about one-third
the price of your average Sunday
news, which for the most part is
just a re-hash of last week’s news,
while at least 95% of the articles
in L.F. are exclusive or exception-
International trade or exporting
is becoming the new area of exper
tise farmers will need to develop.
Jim Sumner, USA Poultry and
Egg Export Council, reports that
exports have become die single
most important factor driving the
poultry industry’s expansion in
recent years.
He states that nearly every poul
try plant in the U.S. is involved in
exporting. It was not that long ago
dial the total number of exporting
companies could be counted on
your fingers.
Jeff Oates, U.S. Meat Export
Federation, reported we are just
beginning to tap the potential in the
export arena. The reason for this
growth include a growing world
population, recent trade agree
ments with other countries, and
rising incomes in developing
countries.
Governor Ridge in his budget
has asked for ssoo,ooofor agricul
ture promotion to increase domes
tic and foreign markets. However,
to be successful in exporting, we
need to leant about different cul
tures, produce high quality pro
ducts, and be a dependable
supplier.
■MX
Now is the time to learn about
international trade and develop
ways to become a participant
directly or indirectly through
cooperatives and joint ventures.
The national trend is for farms to
get larger. Two economists at Ohio
State recently completed a study
looking at the size of dairy farms
and how large they will need to be
in the future to maintain the same
living standard for the farm family.
ally informative. Keep up the
good work.
P.S.—One suggestion, occa
sionally you put Joyce Bupp’s
column (On Being a Farm Wife
and Other Hazards) on the page
with recipes on the reverse side. I
like to save both for separate
“scrapbooks,” otherwise I have
nothing but Kudo’s (or dittos for
Rush fans) for LJP.
To Learn
About
International
Trade
To Look At
Farm Size
Donald K. Love
A long-time reader
Somerset
Hie study, done by Dr. Gary
Schnitkuy and Dr. Jim Poison, cal
culated net income per cow from
the Cornell University Dairy Farm
Record Summaries. The study
found that after adjusting for infla
tion. the real income per cow has
had a downward trend of $2B per
cow per year.
Based on this study, tanners
must increase the number of cows
on their Cum by approximately 60
percent every 10 years to maintain
the same life-style.
The results from this study
assumes that dairy frmners have
increased per cow potential
time. Recommendations from the
study include increasing the profi
tability of the cows by adjusting
feeding programs, improving pro
duction through genetics, improve
management, and adopting newer
technology before getting larger.
In addition, the authors point out
that die increased scope of busi
ness brings with it increasing spe
cialization of middle management
with upper management more
removed from the physical labor of
the farm.
BY LAWRbNCE W. AI.THOUSE
"dBOIUK
Sff
-THE SECOND WORD»
Febnuuy 11,1996
“THE SECOND WORD"
February 11, 1996
Background Scripture:
Jonah 3 through 4
Devotional Reading;
Genesis 18:20-33
‘Then the word of the Lord
came to Jonah the second time..."
Having responded to Jonah’s
prayer and rescued him, God
speaks to him a second time. And
Jonah quickly finds that God’s
second word to him is identical to
his first “Arise, go to Nineveh,
that great city, and proclaim to it
the message that I tell you” (3:2).
God still called him to the same
task as before.
God is no less persistent with
us. He comes to us again and
again and very often his message
to us is the same because we have
not heeded his call. Sometimes it
has taken a second, third and
sometimes fourth word from God
until I pay attention to what he
wants me to do.
I believe it was Emmett Fox
who told about a religious teacher
who proposed an “Advanced
Course in Spiritual Growth.” One
prospective student asked him
what was in the advanced course
that was not in the basic course.
“Nothing,” replied the teacher. “In
the advanced course you just prac
tice the principles you learned in
the basic course.”
BASIC/ADVANCED
Christian discipleship is like
that. The only difference between
basic and advanced discipleship is
to put into practice what we
already know. So the Lord’s sec
ond word to us is to live the princi
ples to which he first called us.
Jonah knew the facts: Nineveh
was a wicked city that needed to
be called to repentance. Now he
needed to put those facts to work.
Some questions of Christian
practice are quite complex. But
there's a lot to Christian disciple
ship that is as clear as it can be.
Our problem is often, not that we
don’t understand, but that we do
understand and don’t want to do
what God asks.
To Know
DA Produces
Safe Food
Recent testing by the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA)
has determined that our produce
supply is safe, according to Dr.
Timothy Elkner, extension horti
cultural agent
The FDA report indicates that in
1994 just 0.3 percent of domestic
fruit and 2.1 percent of domestic
vegetables tested showed residues
in violation of Environmental Pro
tection Agency tolerance levels.
The study found that violation
rates were higher for imported pro
duce with 3.6 percent of fruit and
4.4 percent of vegetables contain
ing higher levels of pesticide
residues than permitted. The
results of this fresh produce study
show that U.S. farmers do strive to
produce safe produce for domestic
consumers. But we must continue
to read and follow the label on
every pesticide we use and work to
even lower these percentages.
Feather Prof.’s Footnote: "A
leader sees failure as a lesson, not
a defeat, and marches on."
Make no mistake about it:
Jonah fully understood what God
wanted and what might happen.
The part of the job that he liked
was die opportunity to tell the peo
ple of Nineveh: “Yet forty days
and Nineveh shall be over
thrown!" (3:4). We’d probably all
like that part What he didn’t like
was the possibility that someone
might heed his message, repent
and escape the punishment.
“WHO KNOWS”
And that’s what happened! The
king of Nineveh was fast to catch
on. He took Jonah’s prophecy to
heart and told his people ro repent:
“Who knows, God may yet repent
and turn from his fierce anger, so
that we perish not?” (3:9). As
Jonah in die belly of the fish was
able to acknowledge that he
needed God’s help, so, faced by
disaster, the king of Nineveh was
wise enough to know that it was
time for repentence.
Jonah also knew and that was
why he was so upset; “I pray thee.
Lord, is not this what I said when I
was yet in my country? That is
why I made haste to flee to Tarsh
ish; for I knew that thou art a gra
cious God and merciful, slow to
anger, and abounding in steadfast
10ve...” (4:2). So, here’s the pic
ture: the people repent, God for
gives, and Jonah fumes!
But, instead of flunking Jonah,
God tries once more to reach him.
“And the Lord God appointed a
plant, and made it come up over
Jonah, that is might be a shade
over his head.” Then he used a
worm to destroy the plant and that
really made Jonah angry. In the
midst of his anger, God comes and
wants to know; If Jonah could pity
a plant, why could he not pity a
whole city of repentant people?
And what of us? Would we
rather rejoice or sulk over
Nineveh?
The Althouses will lead a group
to the Holy Land, Oct. 9 to Nov. 2,
1996. Space limited. For informa
tion, write them at 4412 Shenan
doah Ave., Dallas, TX 75205.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Budding
lE. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
ASHlnamnEturpriu
HohartaCampMl Oanaral Manager
BWWMR.NMWWMSW Manaefcig Editor
Copyright 1996 by Uncut* Farming