AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 22, 1996
OPINION
Dr.
Alter Seems Good Choice
Some ways for two people to hold aims together to maintain a
solid connection are better than others.
The best ways allow the link to be strong when it’s stressed.
It’s much more than a handshake grip.
Penn State University seems to have found one of the best
ways of maintaining its arm-link with the rest of the Pennsylvania
community in naming Dr. Theodore R. Alter to serve as interim
dean of its College of Agricultural Sciences.
While the university is to continue its national search for a per
manent dean, we are confident that Dr. Alter will be doing more
than maintaining control of college spending until a new admini
strator comes along to get programs moving.
Alter succeeds James Starting as interim dean, who actually
extended retirement plans to help the college until a permanent
dean could be selected.
Starling’s tenure since January has been much appreciated.
Effective July 1. he is moving on, however, and with the agenda
of change promised by University Dean James Spanier—
especially with the outlook of expanding the reach of extension
into other colleges within the university and with changes in
programming promised for many of its satellite campuses—Alter
seems well qualified and prepared to lead.
He has a solid background in serving and administering a spec
trum of Penn State Extension programs and his academic spe
cialization in economics and rural sociology would seem to give
him the outlook and scope of understanding that the college and
the community needs.
Colleges are more than places to prepare for a specific job in an
established industry—they are places where the ideas that drive
tomorrow’s established industries are bom, and the places where
minds are opened and hope is nurtured.
Aker’s expected term of one year, or until a new dean is identi
fied through the national search, is perhaps one of the most
critical.
While the state’s lawmakers are currently dealing with issues
that will affect Penn State’s future and how it changes—
including a budget—Alter seems a solid choice to allow the col
lege and the university to maintain its interlocking grasp of mutu
al support with the Pennsylvania community through this antici
pated walk together into the future.
National Holstein Convention,
Fort Worth, Texas, thru June
25.
Perry County dairy princess
pageant. Perry County
Cooperative Extension, 8 p.m.
SUN Area dairy princess pageant,
Susquehanna Valley Mall,
Selinsgrove, 7 p.m.
Hickory Ridge Antique Farm
Show, Horace Potter residence,
Milford, Del., thru June 23.
Clearfield County dairy princess
pageant. Civic Center,
Cjuwensvill&^^^^^^
Portable milking system demon
stration, Dan Delp dairy farm,
IVhiteford^Mdj^^jjn^^^
4-H Ambassador Conference,
Penn State, thru June 26.
Holstein Association USA Annual
Convention, Radisson Plaza
Hotel Fort Worth, Fort Worth,
Texas, thru June 25.
1996 Guernsey National Conven
tion Sale, Baltimore, Md.
Southern Alleghenies 4-H Camp,
Camp Blue Diamond, Peters
burg, thru June 27.
Intensive Grazing on Pa. Dairy
Farm Tour, Tom Williams
Farm, Middletown, 10
»' "V it.'*'''.
' ’ *, ~ -
- - *
❖ Farm Calendar*
Schnecksville, thru June 29.
Mercer County dairy princess
pageant, Leslie L. Firth Ed.
Center, Mercer, 7 p.m.
Lancaster County FFA Hog Show,
Manheim Farm Show grounds,
DEP Ag Advisors board meeting.
Rachel Carson State Office
Building, Harrisburg, 10 a.m.
Frederick County, Md. Pasture
Walk, John and Julie Mayer,
Taneytown, Md., 10a.m.-noon.
Intensive Grazing Field Day, J.
Harold Fritz Farm, Bridgeport,
9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
1996 PCC/PSU Summer Institute,
Shippensburg University,
awards luncheon, 12:30 p.m.
EPA meeting on federal standards
to protect farm workers, Bigler
Pasture Walk, Daniel Stoltzfus
Farm, Bird In Hand, 10 a.m.-2
p.m.
Soil Health and Renewability
Seminar, Bloomsburg Univer
sity, Bloomsburg, 9:15
a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Jefferson County Holstein twilight
meeting. South Oak Farm, Rey
noldsville, 8 p.m.
IPM meeting, Kevin Potter Farm,
Wyalusing, 9 a.m.-noon.
Weed Science Field Day, Wye
Research and Education Cen-
According to Glenn Shirk,
extension dairy agent, a number of
toxic plants grow naturally in our
pastures, woodlands, and
wastelands.
Others we plant as ornamentals.
Fortunately, animals have the
good sense to avoid many of these
slants.
As we approach the hot, dry
Jays of summer, pasture growth
slows down and feed becomes
more scarce. This may force ani
mals to consume some of these
toxic plants in an effort to satisfy
their hunger.
The following practices may
help reduce the risk of poisoning;
• Never allow pastured animals
to become hungry. If necessary,
sffer them some hay or silage to
supplement the feed they receive
from pastures.
• Fence animals away from wild
;herry trees. Pick up broken wild
;herry limbs immediately. Wilted
wild cherry leaves are very toxic to
animals.
• Do not throw clippings from
shrubs and flowers into the pas
ture. Many of .these clippings,
especially yews, are very toxic.
• Do not graze Sudan grass or
sorghum/sudan hybrids until they
are about 18 inches tall or when
they have been stressed by
drought, hail, frost, etc. Under
these conditions, prussic acid
levels may be dangerously high.
w-
' * ■%&
~ *i> *
For effective animal control,
wire spacing is more important
than fence height, reports Chester
Hughes, extension livestock agent
More animals go through and
under fences than over them. Prop
er wire spacing makes your fences
more effective.
Regardless of how many wires
your fence has. always position
one wire at the shoulder height of
the animal to be controlled. This is
the “nose wire” that your animals
see and touch when they approach
the fence.
Other fence wires should be
spaced according to the type of
animal: .10 to 12 inches apart for
cattle and horses and 6 to 8 inches
apart for sheep and goats. The bot
tom wires should be closer
together than the top wires.
Fences taller than 48 inches are
not really necessary. In many
countries, livestock fences are sel-
ter, Queenstown, 8:30
Water Quality Stewardship Field
Day, Crooked Acres Dairy,
New Hope, 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Round Bale Haylage Field Day,
Sam Fry Farm, Pennsdale, 10
(Turn to Pago A2O)
To Beware Of
Poisonous Plants
To Space
Fence Wires
Properly
dom over 42 inches tall. Electric
fences may even be lower, 36
inches for cattle and horses and 30
inches for sheep and goats. Shorter
fences also allow closer wire
spacing.
To Look For
Corn Borer Damage
Dr. Timothy Elkner, extension
horticultural agent, reports that
com borer moths have appeared in
local blacklight traps.
Now that moths have appeared,
females are likely laying egg mas
ses. During this first flight, they are
more likely to lay eggs pn taller
corn plantings which are
approaching tasseling stage than
on younger stalks.
About a week after the first
moths appear, you will begin to see
the characteristic “shot hole” dam
age from larval feeding. This feed
ing damage may be used as a
threshold in your decisions con
cerning sprays for com borer.
SMART, BUT UNWISE
June 23,1996
Background Scripture:
James 1:5-8, 3:l-5a, 13-18
Devotional Reading:
Job 28:12-18, 23-28
Many, many years ago. some
one said to me of something I en
thusiastically proposed, “Oh, I
agree it’s a smart course of action,
but is it wise?”
Up until then. I’m not sure that I
distinguished one from the other. I
had assumed that “smart” and
“wise” were pretty much the same
thing.* But, upon reflection, I re
alize that I had experienced a
number of obviously smart people
who were not, in the long run,
very wise.
The word “smart” originated as
a German word— schmerz —that
meant “painful.” This can be
traced back to a common Indo-
European word that became
smerdnos “terrible” in
Greek and mordere “bit” in
Latin. The word entered the En
glish language in the 11th century
and meant “stinging, painful” al
though today it is used mostly to
mean either “clever” or “neat"
UNLIMITED STUPIDITY
Often cleverness carries the
connotation of arrogance. It is in
telligence with pride that some
times lives up to its origins and
brings us pain. We can be too
smart for our own good. The late
German Chancellor Konrad
Adenauer said, “The good Lord
set definite limits on man’s wis
dom, but set no limits on his stu
pidity and that’s not fair!”
There is no stupidity like smart
ness, because it seduces us into
thinking too highly of our own in
telligence. To put it simply: there
are lots of people who profess to
have all the answers, but who are
actually arrogantly stupid. Wis
dom makes us humble, not proud.
That’s why James counsels,
“Let not many of you become
teachers, my brethren, for you
know that we who teach shall be
judged with greater strictness”
(3:1). It is an awesome responsi
bility to assume the role of teacher
or preacher. Why? James says,
“For we all make many mistakes
...” (3:2). Note: he says “all.”
Not “some of us,” “those other
guys,” but “all.” So why is it that
so many teachers and preachers
The guidelines we use state that
if IS to 30 percent of the plants
have shot hole damage, a spray for
com borer is justified. This spray
probably does not specifically
affect larvae occurring in the ears
at harvest; rather, it prevents early
damage to the rest of the plant.
The spray is most effective
when directed downward into the
whorl. This is where the larvae are
most likely to be feeding.
Careful and consistent scouting
of sweet com fields will help deter
mine exactly when control mea
sures for borers are necessary. By
comparing scouting information
with trap catch data from your
area, an accurate estimation of the
com borer population may be
made. When the population is low,
you may skip sprays and save both
time and money.
Feather Prof.'s Footnote:
"With enough determination,
goals never before thought possi
ble may be achieved."
(OK and writers) speak with
the aura of those who are never
wrong?
James warns us: “So the tongue
is a little member and boasts of
great things. How great a forest is
set ablaze by a small fire!” (3;S).
Personal conviction of certainty
does not make something true. We
may be like the judge who one day
confessed, “This court is often in
error, but never in doubt.” Actual
ly, he or she who would teach
others must sometimes doubt in
their own wisdom.
DOUBLE-MINDED
Christians then must seek to be
wise, not smart And James says;
“if any of you lacks wisdom, let
him ask God ... and it will be
given him” (1;S). I have a feeling
that James’ advice is largely un
used. For how can you earnestly
ask for what you already thinkyou
have? Actually, when we think
we’re already pretty smart, we end
up praying that God will make
others wise-translation; agree with
us. The double-minded person
may pray for wisdom, but fail to
receive it because he already
thinks he has it
So, with all these people who
claim to have “the truth,” how do
we know who to believe? James
gives us an interesting rule of
thumb? "Who is wise and under
standing among you? By his good
life let him show his works in the
meekness of wisdom" (3:13). Not
by our clever words, our arresting
style, the volume or pitch of our
voices, nor the proof-texts we can
assemble to make our point, but
by the “good life” of Christlike
good works that we perform “in
the meekness of wisdom.”
When in doubt as to what is or
is not wisdom, the words of James
are instructive: “But the wisdom
from above is first pure, than
peaceable, gentle, open to reason,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without uncertainty or insincerity.
And the harvest of righteousness
is sown in peace by those who
make peace” (3:17,18).
If it doesn’t make peace, it isn’t
wisdom.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
EphrmU Review Building
lE. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
-*v
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stthmtn BMipriaa
Copyright 1996 by Laneaatar Faming