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OPINION
Without Agriculture
The People Perish
National Agriculture Week is scheduled for March 17-23. This
is a good time to salute all farm families who provide us with an
abundance of food and fiber products.
Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Ridge made a proclamation to
recognize agriculture and encourage all citizens to remember the
hard woik and dedication “our farmers put forth on our behalf.’’
Everyorie in the nation should know thathe/she has food
because of the farmer. Of course, the impact of agriculture enter
prises go far beyond the food we eat. The economic activity just
in Pennsylvania alone is more than $4O billion annually.
But it is more than just food and economic activity. This year’s
theme is “Growing Better Everyday.. .Generation to Generation.”
This speaks of the family values that are passed along to children
and children’s children through the process of farming in every
day life. “We are continually passing along to our children what
we learned from previous generations,” said Charles Brosius,
Pennsylvania’s secretary of agriculture. ‘To feed each new gen
eration, farm families have learned to adapt to new technologies
just like their consumer counterparts. As a result, one American
fanner now produces enough food for 129 people, 97 here in the
United States, and 32 abroad.”
Agriculture Week is an opportunity to unite the agriculture
industry and promote a better understanding about the important
role it plays in our culture and economy. Without fanning, the
people perish.
Minch 1(» |
Trespass, Liability, and Timber
Theft meeting. Keystone High
School, Knox, 12:30 p.m.-4
p.m.
N.Y. Pasture Association statew
ide annual meeting. Grazing
Conference and Trade Show,
Holiday Inn, Auburn, N.Y.,
8:30 a.m.
Lancaster Saddle Cinches 4-H
Club Model Horse Show, Farm
and Home Center, 9:30 a.m.
Wyoming County Crops meeting.
Pa. Dept, of Ag, Tunkhannock,
7:30 p.m.
Backyard Fruit Growers Associa
tion Apple and Peach Tree
Grafting Workshop, Berks
County Ag Center, noon-4 p.m.
Pa. Emu Farmers’ Association,
Farm Show Complex, Harris
burg, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Bradford County Holstein Club
tour, Clair Thrush and Bob
NauoruTAg^Weekr^
Lancaster County 4-H Woolies
Club reorganizational meeting,
Lancaster Farm and Home Cen
ter, 7 p.m.
Dairylea informational meeting.
Best Western Country Cup
board, Lewisburg, 1 p.m.
MMI informational meeting.
Sunset West Restaurant, Pleas
ant Gap, 1 p.m.
MMI informational meeting,
Association Annual Banquet,
East Berlin Fire Hall, 7 p.m.
Pa. Legislative Breakfast, State
Capitol Building, Harrisburg,
7:30 a.m.-10 a.m.
EAYFA meeting, sprayer calibra
tion, Hibshman Homestead, 7
p.m.
Dairylea informational meeting,
Ramada Inn, Altoona, 7:30
p.m.
Nutrient Management Workshop,
Manure Management, Univer
sity Park, 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m.
MMI informational meeting,
Ramada Inn, Watertown, N.Y.,
1 p.m.
MMI informational meeting,
SUNY College at Morrisville,
Stewart Activities Center, 7:30
p.m.
Young Farmers Leadership Train
ing Conference, Cedar Crest
High School, Lebanon,
er Sale, Westminster.
1996 Winter Vegetable meeting,
Pine View Acres, Pottsville, 9
a.m.-3;30 p.m.
Pesticide core credit meeting,
Montgomery County 4-H Cen
ter, Creamery, 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Young Cooperators Awards Lunc
heon, Willow Valley Resort
and Conference Center, Willow
Street, noon.
Young Farmers Leadership Train
ing Conference, Berlin
Brolhersvalley Elementary
School, Berlin, 1 p.m.-3:30
Lancaster County Conservation
District annual banquet. The
Country Table Restaurant,
Mount Joy, 6:45 p.m.
Pesticide license rcertification
meeting, Northampton County
Extension, Greystone Building,
Nazareth, 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Twin Valley FFA Ag Day Break
fast, ag rooms. Twin Valley
To Get
Equipment Ready
The spring planting season is
just around the comer.
The weather this winter has
been rather mild, and as each day
passes, the average temperature
will increase, according to Robert
Anderson, extension agronomy
agent
The rush to have crops planted
plus the application of pesticides to
control weeds and insect pests will
create a lot of activity on local
farms. Crop yields are directly
related to having the crop planted
on time and controlling the variety
of pests which work to reduce
yields.
It is time to get the various plan
ters. sprayers, and other equipment
out of storage and get them ready
to plant. One of the first that should
be checked is the crop sprayer. It
needs to be able to place the correct
amount of spray material at a uni
form rate.
Calibration of the sprayer is crit
ical in any crop production system.
Overapplication of pesticides not
only costs money but may result in
crop injury or carryover, affecting
next year’s crop.
To Grow
Quality Vegetable
Transplants
Dr. Tim Elkner, extension horti
cultural agent, reminds us that the
production of high quality veget
able transplants will result in better
field establishment and thus more
successful crop production.
The following are some tips to
help you produce healthier trans
plants for this growing season.
First, practice sanitation.
Remove weeds from greenhouses
before you start seeds to remove
possible disease and insect sour
ces. Clean any algae buildups that
are a potential breeding site for
fungus gnats. Be sure to clean and
sterilize transplant trays before
each use.
High School, 6:45 a.m.-8:30
a.m
Adams County Beef Producers
annual spring dinner meeting,
Carbone’s Restaurant, 6:45
Second annual Farmer to Farmer
Workshop, East Berlin Com
munity Center, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
20,000 Acres Preserved Celebra
tion, Franklin and Marshall
College, Lancaster, 7 p.m.-9
p.m.
Creating Opportunities For Com
munity Open Space, Holiday
Inn-Scranton East, Dunmore,
noon-5;15 p.m.
annual banquet, Stewartstown
Fire Hall, 7 p.m.
(Turn to Pago A3l)
use
quality seed results in more even
and reliable germination. Uniform
seedling age simplifies spraying
and fertilization scheduling. Qual
ity seed will also be most likely to
be disease-free.
Finally, consider water and irri
gation. Water quality is very
important in transplant production.
You should have your water tested
annually to be certain that the pH
and EC (salts) are within the
recommended range.
Do not overwater your see
dlings, particularly early in their
development. Excessive water will
reduce toot growth and slow plant
development as well as cause
weak, succulent growth. Allow the
surface to dry to the touch prior to
adding more water.
To Plant
Seed Oats
Every year some growers con
sider using feed oats for seed.
According to Robert Anderson,
extension agronomy agent, this is
C f
-Aw-.
i‘i :x :i'"ssS6Bs
BY LAWRENCE W. ALTHOUSE
'HE
SaißlLß
SP£
IT’S NOT FAIR!
March 17, 1996
IT'S NOT FAIR!
March 17, 1996
Background Scripture:
Matthew 19:27 to 20:16
Devotional Reading:
Matthew 19:20-30
The merit system is the basis for
most everything in our society.
The role of valedictorian goes to
the student with the highest grade
average. The first string slots on
the basketball team are awarded
by the coach to those who he or
she thinks are the best players.
The advancement in the company
is bestowed on the person whom
management thinks is the best
suited for the job. If a person
wants to eat, let him or her be will
ing to work for it
I realize that favoritism, crony
ism, and corruption may some
times defeat the concept of the
merit system, but essentially that’s
how our society is organized.
And, for the most part, I think the
merit system is best in most hu
man affairs. It is what our concept
of fairness is built upon.
But the New Testament tells us
that, when we get to the spiritual
dimension of life, the merit system
gives way to the grace system
and aren’t we fortunate that God
uses grace rather than merit! The
message of the New Testament is
clearly that, if God were on the
merit system, none of us would
experience the kingdom of heav
en.
NEEDING MERCY!
Of course we know all this, but
on a personal level it often seems
patently unfair. We all tend to
“grumble at the householder”
(20:11) from time to time. That’s
what the parable of the vineyard
workers is all about. This is one of
Jesus’most successful parables
because it traps us at the level
where we are most vulnerable:
wanting fairness where what we
really need is mercy. I’m re
minded of the woman who was
sitting to have her portrait painted.
“Mind you,” she said to the artist,
“do me justice.” To which he re
plied, “Madam, what you need is
not justice, but mercy!”
When we look at the parable it
probably not a good idea if seed
oats is available even if the cost is
higher.
Feed oats often contain weed
seeds such as quackgrass, bind
weed, and other hard-to-control
weeds. Yields from feed oats are
usually lower than yields from
seed oats.
Keep in mind that the cost of
seed is usually the smallest vari
able cost the farmer has. If you
must, use homegrown seed if seed
oats are not available. Make sure
that it is cleaned, treated with a
fungicide seed treatment, and has
good germination.
To test germination, wet a few
paper towels and spread some seed
on them. Then roll the towels
around the seed and place in a plas
tic bag in a warm location. In about
one week, count the number of
seeds which geminated compared
to the total seeds.
Feather Prof.’s Footnote: “You.
are only as good as your
competition."
is easy for us to side with workers
particularly those who started
work at 6 a.m. instead of the
householder. One group started at
6 a.m., another at 9 a.m., more at 3
p.m. and some even at S p.m.
but he paid them all the same
wage. It wasn’t fair! Even if we
take into consideration that those
who were hired late in the day
through no fault of their own if
they were paid only fra* the time
they had actually worked,
wouldn’t have enough to take
home to feed their families, it still
isn’t fair!
Is Jesus implying that employ
ers can justify paying their work
ers on something other than their
own merit? No, I think not, for the
“householder” in this parable is
clearly God and God is not on
the merit system (again, thank
Godl), but on the grace system.
Some scholars believe that the
householder is paying all the
workers a magnanimous wage
more than any of them deserve.
All are getting MORE than they
deserve. That is grace, nor merit.
GRACE FOR THE
GRACIOUS
Realizing that we are on the re
ceiving end of God’s grace, not
our merits, we are called to be of
generous and humble spirits. That
we protest, “It’s not fair!” shows
that we really desire grace for our
selves and merit for others. But a
generosity begrudged is a grace
rejected. Just as we must forgive if
we want forgiveness, so we must
be gracious if we expect to receive
grace. The workers in the vineyard
exhibited pretty much the same
behavior as the prodical son’s bro
ther who bitterly complained: “10,
these many years I have served
you, and I never disobeyed your
command; yet you never gave me
a kid, that I might make Merry
with my friends” (Luke 15:29). In
other words, God isn’t fair!
Thank God for that!
The Allhouses 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 Building
lE. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
—ty—
Lancaster Fanning, Inc.
A Statnmm Enterprise
Robert OlCmvM Oonofol Monooor
BfVmILMVVIIIOiQO KVllgny BiMw
Copyright 1996 by Laneaitar Farming