■»! ww OPINION FFA, Agriculture, And America National FFA Week is observed each year during the week of George Washington’s birthday to recognize his leadership and commitment to American agriculture. The FFA’s 444,497 mem bers in 7,264 chapters across the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands organize events and activities to fos ter awareness of ag education and support for FFA. This year National FFA Week is February 17-24. We believe FFA members who lead chapter meetings may one day preside at board meetings or pioneer advances in ag science or genetics. Students who join agricultural education and FFA know they can apply what they learn in class to mote than just the test: they are gaining career and leadership skills to last a lifetime. It’s the hands-on experience under the dedicated supervision of agriculture teachers and parents that make the difference in the lives of these young people. “Students are taking note,” said National FFA Advisor Larry D. Case. “Over the last four years, more than 60,000 students from diverse backgrounds were attracted to the program, provid ing them with a strong foundation of knowledge and skills essen tial for success in the science, business, and technology of agri culture and life.” This year’s theme, “FFA —Leadership for a Lifetime,” emphasizes how FFA activities and agriculture classes help stu dents develop the critical skills they need for a diversity of agri cultural careers and beyond. FFA is one of the good things about agriculture—and America. !• t-hniiin 17 Clarion County forest stewardship meeting, extension office, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Lancaster 4-H Benefit Auction, Farm and Home Center. Annual meeting, Stouffer Hotel, Nashville. Tenn., thru meeting, Biglerville High School, 8:30 a.m. Bradford County Dairy Day, SRU School, East Smithfield, 9:30 a.m.-3;30 p.m. New Holland Vegetable Day, Summit Valley Elementary nutrient management, Solanco High School. 7:30 p.m. Farm Financial Management Workshop, Centre County extension, Bellefonte, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Cattle Consistency: Implications For Packers and Producers, Hoss’s Steak and Sea House, West York, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Timber Harvesting; Bradford- Sullivan Forest Landowners Association, Stoll Center, Wys- ox, 7:30 p.m. Pa. DHIA records meeting, Wit mer Fire Hall, 12:30 p.m. National Agricultural Issues Satel lite Conference, Extension Office, Nazareth, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Bucks County pesticide update meeting, Neshaminy Manor Center, 7:30 p.m,-9:30 p.m., also 27, w m w w* * ❖Farm Calendars a.m.-3 p.m. Grazers Conference, Bedford County Fairgrounds, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Delawarc-Maryland Dairy Days, Hartly Fire Hall, Hartly, Del., 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Nutrient Management Law meet ing, Brickerville Fire Corn- State Fairgrounds. Syracuse, N.Y., thru Feb. 24. Two-day satellite nutrition work-, shop, ‘'Current Concepts In Dairy Nutrition,” 10 a.m.-3 p.m., various extension sites, also Feb. 29. Pa. Holstein Convention Sale, Scottish Rite Auditorium, Wil liamsport, 7 p.m. Dairy Nutrition School, Clarion County extension office, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., also Feb. 29. Crop Decision Workshop, Confer ence Center, Penn State Schuy lkill Campus, Schuylkill Haven, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Dairy Day, Calvert Grange Hall, 9:30 a.m. 1996 North American Farmers’ Director Marketing Confer ence, Sheraton Inn/City Center, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.. thru Feb. 24. Annual meeting of the Pa. Dairy Promotion Board, Nittany Lion Inn, State College, 9:30 a.m. Adams County Current Concepts In Dairy Nutrition, extension office, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., also Feb. 29. Pesticide update, Penn Mann High School, 7 p.m. WFJ* 9 * r 9 r » * ~ It has been said there is nothing as constant as change. This is especially true for far mers as they prepare to enter the 21st century. Glenn Shirk, extension dairy agent, states successful farmers have a vision of what they want their business to be like in the future. They set specific goals for different segments of their busi ness and share these goals with their management team. They implement management strategies that will help them meet these goals. They monitor the progress of each segment of their business to see if it is on back with the goals they have set. They are constantly making improvements that will enhance their competitive position in the future. Those that have no vision and fail to make necessary changes risk stagnation and death of their business. To stay in business in the United States, owners must constantly being looking for ways to stay cotnpetitive. There is an old staying in busi ness that states you are either growing or dying. The business structure of fanning is changing again to meet growing demand for agricultural products. Farms must adjust to the changing food distri bution system, consumer demands, and developing world markets. To become mote competitive, farmers may have to: • Expand the size of their busi ness and spend more time on man agement issues and less time on physical labor. • Reduce the capital cost of doing business by leasing land and facilities, by hiring custom opera tors to do some of the work, and by sharing equipment with other farmers. • Hold debt loads to affordable Carroll County, Md. Dairy Nutri tion Workshop Satellite Con ference, Carroll County Com munity College, also Feb. 29. Agriculture and Exporting Infor mation Briefing, Southern Market Center, Lancaster, noon-4:30 p.m. Grassland FFA Alumni Buffet, Garden Spot High School Library Media Center, 11:15 a.m.-l:lS p.m. Commodity Marketing Seminar, Tulpehocken Young Farmer Association. Tulpfihocken High School, 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m. York County Beekeepers meeting, extension office, 7 p.m. Pesticide update, Bucks County, (Turn to Page A3O) To Develop A Vision To' Become More Competitive *'*?*•!*'*■ - , ** "ts and haveguadaqntyaad Hie tnditieaal .approach JK « before taking on new controlling thil destructive pettig to apply a soil insecticide at plttyi ' control ing time to fields which have beql costs while main- in corn for more than one year or» of efficient pro- during the past growing season 1J -wing labor or more beetles were observed ptr corn plant mi and Usually first-year com is nig ’oul- affected by this insect because d* adult female beetle lays her eggi only in com fields. The farm press in Illinois and Indiana have reported problem) with rootworm larvae feeding qq com roots following They report that the adult beetles feed on the silks and tassels of com, then migrate to nearby soy bean fields to lay eggs. Anderson reports that we have not observed this in Pennsylvania except for a few isolated incidents. Thus, our recommendation in Pen nsylvania remains not to beat first year com fields with a soil insecti cide to control com rootworm larvae. Feather Prof’s Footnote: “A leader embraces change and encourages innovation.” tevdi and baregeod «*«»* «■* income base before taking on new debt • Exercise reasonable control over production costs while main taining high levels of efficient pro duction and improving labor efficiency. ' Fanners need to sit down and think about their future in agricul ture. Do you want to be the busi ness owner and develop manage ment skills or a farm worker employed by a farm business to perform farm production skills? There is a bright future for both. To Look At Corn Rootworm Control According to Robert Anderson, extension agronomy agent, every year the com rootworm larvae causes loss of production in some com fields. The larvae which feed on the roots of com during May and June often go unnoticed until the com plant falls over during a storm or at harvest time when com stalks show goose necking. N f BY .SSSuSE 'm CALL ME “BITTER” February 18, 1996 CALL ME “BITTER’ 1 February 18, 1996 Background Scripture: Ruth 1 Devotional Reading: Psalms 199:59-72 In the past when I have read the Book of Ruth, I have been so dazzled by the loving devotion of Ruth that I have tended to over look to depiction of Naomi. And that’s unfortunate for thereis something to learn from Naomi as well as from Ruth. The first impression is quite positive. With her husband and two sons dead, she decides to return to her home in Bethlehem and magnanimously tells her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, that it would be wise for them to return to their family homes, for she could offer nothing in Israel. She might have tried to make them feel guilty enough to go with her, but Naomi unselfishly counsels them wisely. Ruth and Orpah weep and pro test that they will go with her. Apparently there is deep love and appreciation between these three women. Obviously she was more than just a mother-in-law to them for, with the sons dead, there was no more legal binding between them. GOOD ADVICE! Naomi also is admirable because she provides her two daughters-in-law with sensible cousel: stay here in your own homeland with your own families for I can offer you nothing. Naom i’s strange-sounding words about having no more sons to give them is a reference to Deuteronomy 25;5,6: “if a brother die and have no child, his brother shall wed the widow.’’ Even if she remarried and conceived immediately, is would be too long for the two daughters-in-law to wait. The second time around. Orpah heeds Naomi’s wi.se counsel to stay in Moab, .but Rtuh, whose name means “friend,” knows how deeply Naomi has been wounded with the loss of her husband and two sens, so she will in fact con tinue as her friend. Let’s make certain we don’t sell Orpah short here. There was nothing unloving or disloyal about her giving in to Naomi’s advice to stay in Moab with her family. She had already pledged to accompany Naomi- But Naomi’s advice was sound. She was doing the very thing that Naomi was telling her to do. She was obeying her mother in-law. BEYOND COMMON SENSE m But Ruth’s love and lyalty go beyond common sense. Ruth demonstrates a truth that is both ancient and contemporary; Love and true friendship are not irra tional, they simp’y go beyond rea son. In fact, love can move so far beyond common sense that,'is Jesus said, “greater love has no man than this that he lay downjhis life for his friends” (John 15:13). So, Naomi and Ruth go to Beth lehem. And there it is that we leant something elsft about Naom i: she is consumed by bitterness. When her fellow townspeople ask, “Is this Naomi?” (for ten or more years have passed since they last saw her), she replies, “Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara...” (1:20). What a contract between die name she bears and the one she proposes! Naomi means “my joy" or “my pleasant one.” Mara, on the other hand means “bitter.” Naomi’s loss of husband and sons I has left her with a bitterness tow- 1 ard God: “...for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty.” For a time, at least, Naomi is i forgetting the good years in Moab and she is overlooking to loyalty and love of Ruth. And that is how | we manage to hold onto bitter ness: overlooking the love and grace that God has given us. We are the ones who are poisoned when we choose to be called "bitter.” The Althouses will lead a grovf to the Holy Land, Oct. 9 to Nov. 2, 1996. Space limited. For inform* tion, write them at 4412 Shena* I doah Ave., Dallat, TX 75205. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 PQblished Every Saturday Lancaster Farming. l° e> A Stsinmen Enterprise Robert (LCempbea General Managrt CvWattß.Ne'mwenger Managing tew Copyright 1996 by Lancaster Farmtof Epbrata Review Building lE. Main St. Epbrata, PA 17522 —by— h
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers