AlO-Larttasfer Farming, Saturday, June 8,1996 IlgjMtwfawMw OPINION Good Reviews For Milk * We often chide the national news media for their disparaging reports of farming, especially our dairy industry. So, when a national publication with circulation in the millions admits the bad news about this food group has been blown out of proportion and gives a positive slant to the beneficial nutritional value of milk, we think we should applaud their article. We do! In the Sunday, May 12,1996, issue of Parade Magazine that is inserted in Sunday newspapers across the nation Densie Webb gives an encouraging report for the dairy industry under the head line “Don’t Drop Dairy From Your Diet.” ‘Take a closer look,” Webb writes, “and you’ll find that the bad news about dairy either has been blown out of proportion or is completely untrue.” Then after quoting several authorities about the need for the nutritional value in milk and combatting the negative fat issue with the recommendation to use low-fat or skim milk, Webb recommends some ways to get more calcium-rich products in your diet without adding fat. Among these suggestions: replace diet soda with low-fat milk as your beverage of choice when you grab a fast lunch; when you take a break, make it a milk break with a little coffee in your milk instead of the other way around. Right on! We all know milk is one of the best sources of calcium in the diet. Dr. David McCarron, chief of the Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Clinical Pharmacology at Oregon Health Sci ences University in Portland says milk not only helps prevent the bone-destroying disease osteoporosis but also may prevent high blood pressure, ward off colon cancer, alleviate symptoms of PMS, control cholesterol, and even help your body manage stress. Thank you Parade Magazine for publishing this factual article about milk. You have been of great service to your readers and we want you to know the dairy industry commends you for the report. Bedford County dairy princess pageant, N.B.C. High School Auditorium, Laysburg, 7:30 p.m. Wayne County dairy princess pageant, Belmont Fire Hall, Pleasant Mount Lebanon County dairy princess pageant Lebanon County Voc- Open Novice, Thorncraft Equestrian Center, Malvern. Brandywine Carriage Driving Show, Willowdale, Kennett Square, 8:30 a.m. Antique Tractor and Equipment Collector’s Show, Oley Fair (jroum&Oajnj-SDjn^^^^ Poultry Management and Health Seminar, Kreider’s Restaurant, Manheim, noon. Northampton/Lehigh county dairy princess pageant, Slockertown Memorial Hall, Stockertown, 7:30 p.m. Pasture Walk, Roman Stoltzfoos meeting, current research pro jects, Hibshman Homestead Research Farm, 7:30 p.m. Pequea-Mill Creek Project Field Day, begifts at Gideon Fisher Farm, Intercourse, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. FFA State Activities Week, Uni versitv Park, thru June 13^ ❖ Farm Calendar* Wednesday. Jmu‘ 12 Iliursdav, .lune 13 AFGC Annual Conference, Delta Pacific Hotel, Vancouver, Canada. Open Spaces Alternative Land scapes Workshop, Swarthmore College, 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m. Lancaster County Poultry Associ ation Annual Golf Tournament, Foxchasc Golf Course, Ste (Turn to Pago A 29) Editor: With the passing of Fred Re bum who served the community well as a school board treasurer and president, a Mason, a member of Grange and active in his church, we have lost a friend. Fred Rebum gave more to the community than most Many of us have watched his farm change this year. We have objected to the many trees that were sacrificed on the farm. Most of us are unaware that Fred donated his development rights to the county. His is the first farm in Chester County to do so. A major concern in agriculture is the development of pest resis tance to chemicals. There is a growing concern weeds may join the list of pests that have developed resistance to cer tain chemicals. How do weeds develop resis tance? Weed scientists believe weeds are like people. They have a wide range of genetic variation in their populations. This means any weed population has the potential to have one or weeds that will not be affected by a particular herbicide. When the same herbicide is used over a period of time, the weeds which are susceptible are killed and the resistant ones are not Eventually resistant weeds polli nate resistant weeds and the seed produced is resistant. It is much easier to prevent the development of resistance than it is to cope with it. Resistance man agement strategies include: • Crop rotation. • Product rotation, especially ones that have different modes of action. • Use tank mixes er sequential applications of products with dif ferent modes of action. • Use mechanical control. No weed is resistant to cultivation. Controlling insect pests on plants have evolved from mechan ical removal to spraying the plant with an insecticide to allowing the plant to control its own insect pests. The most destructive insect pest of alfalfa in Pennsylvania is the potato leafhopper. Plant breeders with several seed-producing com panies have been able to breed Lancaster County has had many farmers recognize the importance of preserving farm land. Agriculture may not seem im portant to the people who have grown up watching the farms gradually give way to houses. With the finest farmland in the world, it seems immoral to me, to continue in this vein. Lancaster County is the number one non-ir rigated agriculture county in the US. Chester County fits in well in to the top category. Where will we To Prevent Weed Resistance To Look At New Alfalfa Varieties (Turn to Pago AM) alfalfa plants which are resistant to this insect. The first two resistant varieties to be marketed in 1997 are Arrest from Northrup King and S34LH from Pioneer. Several other seed companies including Cenex/ Land O’Lakes, DeKalb, Mycogen, Cargill, Agway, American's Alfal fa. and Agtipro expect to have varieties available soon. All the companies developed their resistance working with germ plasma released from Purdue and Kansas State about 10 years ago. Varieties will have tiny glandular hairs on the external plant parts. hi total, it took more than 30 years of research to develop the genetic material from a weed found in North Africa by USDA ARS scientists. Many university and USDA researchers believe the amount of resistance is substantial. However, they do report differences in var ieties that have been tested. You will want to study variety trails in your area for effectiveness before selecting one of these new varieties for your farm. To Look At Rain Damage To Hay Rainfall during harvest reduces o JHHMHi ',,^,' BY LAWRENCE W. ALTHOUSE HC 133131L1S Sff ARE YOU SERIOUS, JESUS? June 9,1996 ARE YOU SERIOUS, JESUS? June 9, 1996 Background Scripture: I Timothy 6;2b-21 Devotional Reading: I Timothy 6:14-20 Many years ago I saw a British motion picture. Heavens Above!, in which the late Peter Sellers played the part of a naive Angli can priest who took seriously and literally Jesus’ teaching about money. Without meaning to do so, the rector alienated just about everyone in his parish with his ad monitions to share material goods with those who were needy. What made the film so whimsical for me was that he didn’t exaggerate or bend the words of Jesus in any way; he simply accepted these teachings at face value. BELIEVING IN MONEY To be sure, we do share a por tion of it what was the last statistic I saw on church giving: the majority of Christians giving less than one percent of their in come for charitable and benevol ent causes! We all know that level of sharing is not what Jesus ex pects of us, but we resist taking him seriously because material wealth is what most of us really believe is the root of happiness. We believe in God, but we believe even more in money and what it can buy. If this doesn’t apply to you, well good for you! But it applies to me, even though I profess that God is much more important than money. It is not what I say about money, but how I feel about it and what I do about it If I really be lieved that God alone is the source of all that I need for abundant life, I would be more generous with what I have. And I strongly sus pect that I am not alone in that condition. both yield and the quality of the hay, according to research at the University of Kentucky. Rain leaches nutrients from the plant and reduces the number of leaves in the bale. Grass hay is less affected than legume hay. As the amount of rain increases, the amount of loss increases. Results from a study in Ken tucky comparing data from S 4 harvests showed yield losses in alfalfa harvested for silage average 17 percent with no rain and 22 per cent with rain. The extent of hay loss due to rain increased as the moisture content in the alfalfa decreased. The digestibility of the hay declined by more than 10 percent because of rain. In an attempt to avoid the negative effects of rain on hay quality, harvest was delayed to avoid getting the hay rained on. The delay in cutting, on average, proved unsuccessful because the advancing maturity of the alfalfa was rapidly reducing the digesti bility. Based on this research, we may need to rethink the effect of rain on quality, considering the alternatives. Feather Prof.'s Footnote: "Checking out small details now will eliminate big problems later." The problem, of course, is not with money itself, but as the writer of I Timothy says, “the love of money is the root of all evil” (6:10), and if it is not the love of money itself, it is the love of what money can buy—or at least what we think it can buy. Despite our disclaimers, all of us believe and have faith in money and material things. We often turn to money, not God, when we need help. God’s greatest adversary in our world is and has always been ma terialism. And that’s why we have a hard time taking seriously Jesus and the writer of I Timothy when they speak to us of material wealth. GODLINESS: THE REWARD Some people try to insure hap piness by behaving in a godly manner. They use godliness as a strategy to assure themselves of God’s salvation. But the writer of I Timothy tells us that they have it all wrong; godliness doesn’t buy us happiness, godliness is happi ness. “There is great gain in godli ness with contentment” (6:6). Godliness is its own reward. What we are looking for in following the almighty dollar is precisely what we experience when we live godly lives. Godliness makes us feel good, full and complete. So what is godliness? The writ er puts it simply for us; “They are to do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous, thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed” (4 :18,19). If we want “life indeed” we need to take Jesus seriously. The Althouses will lead a group to the Holy Land, Oct. 9 to Nov. 2, 1996. Space is limited. For infor mation, write them at 4412 Shen andoah Ave., Dallas, TX 75205. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building lE. Main St Ephrata, PA 17522 —by— Lancaster Fanning, Inc. AStelnmanEnltiprita Rabat Q.CampMl Oanaral Mmagtr EWitt H Niwtwinoir MmsQlnß Ettttif Copyright 1096 by Laneatlar Faming