AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 13, 1996 OPINION Matthew, David , Heath And John, Congratulations As reported last week, die Pennsylvania senior Holstein dairy bowl team won the national contest at the Holstein Association USA, Inc., convention in Fort Worth, Texas. The four-member team included Matthew and David Day, Heath Ocker, and John Creek. We are always gratified when our youth excel. And this is quite a feat. In competition with the best from 20 other states, this team won handily, scoring by a fairly wide margin even in the finals over the team from Wisconsin. You could say practice makes perfect. Last year at the national convention, hosted by the Pennsylvania Holstein Association in Pittsbourgh, this team came in second. But the real story is maybe not the national honors as great as they are. Like any contest of knowledge and skill, years of hard work went into the win. This team has been working together for six years. With this hard work came an education. Sometimes they learned to come in second. At such times they learned to depend on each other. They learned discipline and self control. They gave us the pleasure of watching as they grew from boys to men. In addition, they learned a lot about the dairy industry that will be valuable in whatever job resumes they may offer in the future. But to us, the greatest part of the story is their good attitude. When we did the interview last week, they first wanted to thank their coach Arm Day who happens to be Matthew and David’s mother. And in a letter to supporters that all the members signed, they said that none of these awards would have been possible without all the wonderful support of friends in the dairy industry. Matthew, David, Heath, and John, we give you our best wishes. And by the way, congratulations! Effective Pastures: Tour and Field Day, Hickory Hill Farm, Dela ware State University Research Farm, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 20. Show Series, KA Equestrian Cen ter, Cochranville, 8:30 a.m. Tulpehocken Adult Young Farmer picnic, Wilbur and Arlene Her- Armstrong County Junior Holstein Show, Crooked Creek Horse Park, Ford City, thru July 16. Effective Pastures: A Tour, Dela ware State University, 10 4-H Leadership Conference, Mil lersville University, thru July 19. Armstrong County Junior Holstein Show, Crooked Creek Horse Park, Ford City, 9 a.m. Lakeview Farm Pasture Walk, Jeff B. Sloltzfus Farm, Oxford, 10 a.m.-noon. Southeast District Dairy Show, Lebanon Fairgrounds. Leola Produce Auction twilight meeting, Leola, 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Fruit Grower’s Twilight meeting. Green’s Fruit Farm, Elysburg, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Solanco Young Farmers meeting, Dwayne Peifer’s dairy bam, 7:30 p.m. w f Farm Calendar* s *. __ Jefferson County Holstein Show, Fairgrounds, Brookville, 9 a.m. Lycoming County Holstein Show, Fairgrounds, Hughesville, 10 a.m. Somerset County Holstein Show, Fairgrounds, Meyersdalc, 6 p.m. Dairy Facilities and Management Tour, begins at Lebanon Coun ty Ag Center. 9:45 a.m.-3:15 p.m. Maryland Extension Open Forum Twilight meeting, Larriland tions for Agriculture tenth annual tour of ag and forest facilities and picnic, Edko Farms, Kosa Family, Ulysses, 1 p.m. (Turn to Page A3l) Editor, For as long as most dairy far mers can remember, they have always heard, you can’t raise milk prices because there is too much milk. When a lot of cows lie down and chew their cuds soon after eating, they are telling you that a lot of things are right, according to Glenn Shirk, extension dairy agent They have a comfortable rest area that entices them to lie down. The result is they expend less ener gy and more nutrient-laden blood passes through the udder and milk production increases. Their rumen is functioning well, which indicates that digestion and milk production are efficient. When a lot of cows stand up to chew their cud or stand partly in their stall, or lie in alleys or lie backwards in their stalls, they are telling you they would like to have a more comfortable place to rest It is a clue to you; • To check bedding depth and softness of cow beds. • To check the length and width of stalls. • To check the amount of lunge room cows have for their heads when they get up. • To check the positions of neck rails, cow trainers, tie rails, length of tie chains, curb heights, etc. w Cows cannot talk but they can communicate to us by various forms of body language. Glenn Shirk, extension dairy agent, reminds us the better we are at reading their body language and responding to it, the more effective we will be as herd managers. When we walk into a group of cows, do they walk up to you and can you walk amongst them with out them getting excited or getting up from their stalls and scurrying to get away from you? If so, these cattle probably have received good care and treatment Cows like these arc relaxed and generally produce better. Do cows get up easily without hesitation and discomfort? Can they easily get to and operate waterers without getting shocked? Do cows stand back and wait their time before eat ing and drinking? If so, this may be happening for a number of reasons. They may be / { v V / y ♦ Farm Forum ❖ Yet, every time some farm orga nizations develop and promote milk supply-management prog rams, these same people cry out against the proposal, saying, you To Check Cows’ Behavior To- Read Cows’ Body Language '■> *•’ » - . (Turn to Page A 29) first calf heifers who are at the bot tom of the peck order. It may be beneficial to manage them as a separate group even if they are receiving the same ration. Other reasons include insuffi cient bunk space and watering areas or inadequate water flow. Leant to read cows’ body lan guage. Cater to them and they will reward you well. To Know Reasons For Cow Behavior Glenn Shirk, extension dairy agent offers the following ideas based on your cows’ behavior. If cows are reluctant to walk to feeding and watering areas because of poor footing, it may be necessary to groove concrete alleys. Also remove small, sharp objects from their walkways. Do cows consume more feed DON'T FORGET TO REMEMBER July 14, 1996 DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER July 14, 1996 Background Scripture: Psalms 105 Devotional Reading: Psalms 106:1-12 In Psalms 104, the Psalmist looked at the wonders of God’s world and, when he contemplated all of these, he felt led to praise God. The Psalmist in Psalms 105 also is led to praise God because of his contemplation. But his time, that to which he gives his deepest thoughts \s not in nature, but in history. In my life span I have witnessed the anxiety of the Great Depres sion, the struggle of World War n. the fearful fight against Commun ism, and now that Communism is no longer our great enemy, it would seem we have turned against ourselves. I’ve often thought about all those changes I've seen in my 66 years and won dered just how it was that a whole world moved from crisis to resolu tion, from another crisis and an other resolution, and so forth. The popular interpretation is that various individuals have been responsible for moving the rest of us from one struggle to another. Roosevelt, Churchill, Hitler, Tru man, Stalin, Ghandi, Gorbachev and so many others. Certainly each of these people played key roles in the history of our times. But, behind these people and their movements, is there not some thing else that shapes our history? A SINGLE THREAD In Psalms 105 the Psalmist does a quick survey of the major outline of the history of Israel. From the time of the Patriarch Abraham, through the conquest of the Prom ised Land he looks for a single thread that connects all these var ied events and people. In each of these acts of powerful people, the Psalmist sees the hand of God working in human history and moving both creatures and crea tion in the direction of his will. It is God who is in charge of history, not his children. So when he con templates the history of his peo ple, the Psalmist is moved to praise and thank the Lord for his mighty acts. from one end of the bunk than another? If so, it may be beneficial to create another access lane to the bunk or to the other side of the bunk to reduce the distance cows have to walk. This also helps cows to feel less trapped in dead-end alleys. Do cows congregate in favorite spots? If so, try to determine what it is that attracts them to these areas. Then try to duplicate those conditions in the areas you want the cows to use. It might mean pro viding better ventilation, more air circulation, mote light in the feed ing and rest areas, or moving the feeding and watering areas closer to the rest area. Feather Prof.'s Footnote: “Like ripples from a single drop of water, a positive attitude spreads to everyone." Actually, the Old Testament never devotes much space or time to ideas about God. What the Old Testament recounts in detail are the events in which God has been seen to be acting. God is revealed to the people of Israel, not in creeds or doctrines, but in his sav ing and redeeming acts. So the people of Israel were concerned, not so much with what God is as they were with what God does. And the key to this perspective is remembering. The Psalmist re members and he challenges the people to remember with him what God has done; “Remember the wonderful works that he has done, his miracles and the judg ments he uttered. . .”(105:5). Fur thermore they are to help others to remember . .make known his deeds among the peoples!... tell of his wonderful works!” LORD OF HISTORY Isn’t that what being a disciple of Jesus Christ is all about be ing aware of what he has done for you and witnessing to it? Why do we not search the annals of history and our own lives to find that same single thread? God acting through the acts of his children, moving history both personal and corporate to that purpose he has ordained. People may bring on the crises but God moves us through them. He is the Lord of history. In a sense, history is His Story. God also remembers: “He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded for a thousand generations” (v.B). And: “For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant” (v. 42). So there is not on ly purpose in history, but also faithfulness. While they were still landless nomads in the desert, he made his promise to make them a great nation. It took a long time for that promise to be fulfilled, but it was the people not God, who de layed. Someone has said that the Christian with an experience will always be closer to God than the one with a doctrine. What we all need to do is to contemplate our own experiences in order to find that same thin strand of Provi dence. Let us never forget to re member the mighty, saving acts of God. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 ' Published Every Ssturdsy Ephrete Review Building 1 B. Main St. Ephrete. PA 17522 -by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Steinman Enterprise Robert G. Campbell General Manager Everett R. Newawanger Managing Editor Copyright 1996 by Lancaster Farming
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers