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OPINION
Freedom To Farm
This week on Thursday we again gathered with family and
friends to be thankful for our blessings in America. These bless
ings are many and could not be totally chronicled in one short edi
torial. But certainly freedom to express opinions and religious
beliefs would be on the list. And so would the bountiful food
supply we enjoyed on our national dinner table.
Along with a good place to rear the family, fanners have tradi
tionally looked at their family farms as part of destiny’s obliga
tion to feed the peoples of the world. Many farmers will tell you it
is their “God-given responsibility.” And modem technology that
came to us from the sciences and from a lot of agricultural
research helps farmers fulfill their destiny.
Today we seem to be backtracking in our belief that human life
is as important as our Christian/Judaic faith would dictate.
Emphasis is being placed on environmentalism to the extreme so
that this is more important than the call to provide food for hungry
people.
But we are thankful for the fanners who have undenaken the
task of feeding us. Not only have they provided us with enough to
feed our nation, the resulting commerce provides jobs for 20 per
cent of the people as well. In addition, the export of agricultural
products is one of the bright spots in the many balance of trade
deficits with other countries.
Let’s continue to give farmers the freedom to farm so we can
remain the great nation we have become. Let’s continue to sup
port them with environmental regulations that allow them to
make a living while they are fulfilling their destiny.
N.Y. Farm Bureau Convention,
Holiday Inn-Genesee Plaza,
Capital Grange Hall, Dover,
Del., thru Dec. 4.
Maryland Small Farm Coopera
tive Kickoff, Jefferson, Md.
1996 Va.-N.C. Shepherds Sympo
sium, VPI, Blacksburg, Va.
New Bolton Center public lec
tures, poisonous plants, respir
atory disease, Kennett Square,
Tulpehockcn Young Fanner Fami
ly Night, Tulpehocken High
School cafeteria, 7:15 p.m.
Ohio Shepherd’s Symposium,
Rama da University Hotel and
Convention Center, Columbus,
Ohio.
Forum On Goat Production, Mary
land Patuxent 4-H Center,
Upper Marlboro, Md., 9 a.m.-4
p.m.
Winter Agronomy, Seed Booking
and Pesticide Update Work
shop, Fayette and Washington
counties, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Lehigh County Holstein annual
Bake Ov" Inn, '
About Chain Saws, Solanco
High- School.
AD ADC Dist. 21 meeting, Tim
bcrwolf Restaurant, Darien
Center, N.Y., noon.
Lancaster DHIA’s banquet and
annual meeting, Good ’N Plen
ty Restaurant, Smoketown,
MACE poultry biosccurity meet-
ing, U. of Del.
Animal Agriculture and the Envi
ronment, Rochester Marriott
Thruway Hotel, Rochester,
N.Y.
New York Dairy Bus Tour, Mercer
County Cooperative Extension,
leaves 6:15 a.m.
Lebanon Farm-City Banquet,
Lebanon Valley Expo Center, 7
Pa. Seedsmen’s Association annu
al meeting, Eden Resort Inn and
Conference Center, Lancaster,
9:30 a.m.
Lancaster County: The Next Los
Angeles? Part H, Town Meet
ing, Farm and Home Center, 7
p.m.-9 p.m.
Commercial Vegetable and Berry
Growers Seminar, Days ton.
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Comfortable and Productive Tie
Stall Barns, Leola Family
Restaurant, Lancaster, 8:30
To Clean
Sprayer
According to Robert Anderson,
extension agronomy agent, your
crop sprayer should be cleaned and
winterized the last time it is used
for the season.
Alfalfa growers may want to
wait until the winter annual weed
control program is done. If those
sprays will be delayed 100 much
longer, protection of the sprayer
parts from freezing is advisable.
A gallon or two of RV antifreeze
will do an excellent job. To clean a
sprayer, mix a sudsy detergent sol
ution using '/ pound of powder or
equivalent amount of liquid deter
gent for each 25 gallons of water.
Run this solution through the
sprayer, washing all internal parts.
If a hormone-type herbicide such
as 2,4-D, Banvel, etc. was used,
add one quart of ammonia or
'A pound of activated charcoal for
each 25 gallons of water.
After cleaning the sprayer, it
needs to be protected from freez
ing. Run RV type antifreeze solu
tion in the sprayer. Automotive
types of antifreeze will do the job
but may cause environmental
problems if spilled or when the
sprayer is used pext spring.
Remember to protect the envi
ronment by properly disposing of
sprayer wash water.
To Prevent
BVD Infections
Glenn Shirk, extension dairy
agent, reports one disease of con
cern to dairy fanners is bovine vir
us diarrhea (BVD).
Rachel Carson State Office
Building, Harrisburg, 10 a.m.
LanChester Pork Producers Pork
Forum, Weaver’s Market,
meeting on improving crop pro
fitability, Berks County Ag
Center, Lcesport, also Jan. 9
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♦ Farm Forum ♦
Editor,
Yes, milk is essential but
minimum retail milk prices are not
(Nov. 2, 19% editorial “People
Must Decide If Milk Is Essen
tial”). Pennsylvania exports about
40 percent of its milk (concern
about enough milk does not apply
here). A free market for retail milk
prices exists in 47 other states (in
cluding all the top milk producing
states except Pennsylvania).
(Turn to Page A 37)
BVD is a complex disease that is
contagious and produces a variety
of symptoms. These include death,
abortions, and reproductive
problems.
Infected cows may appear nor
mal but have depressed immune
systems. They may not recover
well from other diseases, respond
well to treatments, and may be
poor performers. Some of these
infected, normal-appearing cattle
ate shedders of infectious organ
isms. They are a threat to the health
of other cows in the herd.
Maintaining a closed herd and
practicing good biosecurity to
minimize exposure risks ate very
important If you do purchase
cattle, protect the resident herd and
incoming cattle from each other.
To Vaccinate
For BVD
One of the best ways to protect
the herd from BVD is with a well
designed and properly imple
mented vaccination program. You
may use a modified live or killed
TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL
December 1, 1996
TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL
December 1, 1996
Background Scripture:
Luke 1:5-25, 57-80
Devotional Reading:
Luke 1:18-24
Angels ate “in” tight now, as
far as the publishing market is
concerned. A few years ago when
the first angels books began to ap
pear in the stores. I would never
have dreamed there would be so
many different titles and this
much public interest Nor would I
have thought that the current
popular CBS television series,
"Touched By An Angel," would
be so popular. Lots of people seem
very open to these heavenly “Mes
sengers" from God.
The story of the birth of Jesus
begins when Zechariah is touched
by an angel while he is serving his
turn as priest in the temple. We do
not know much about Zechariah,
except that his priesthood is in the
division of Abijah and he is mar
ried to Elizabeth, a woman from
the priestly family of Aaron. So,
they both came from priestly
families and they both were right
eous, living exemplary lives.
But righteousness was not
enough. Something was greatly
missing from their lives; “But they
had no child, because Elizabeth
was barren, and both were ad
vanced in years” (1:7). In biblical
times, barrenness was regarded as
a divine reproach and sterility was
always blamed on the woman!
Zechariah and Elizabeth apparent
ly had become used to living with
the pain of reproach. (What is it
that you have had to become used
to in your life?)
HE WAS TROUBLED
Maybe that is why Zechariah,
instead of rejoicing, “Was trou
bled when he saw him, and fear
fell upon him” (1:12). Despite
years of praying. Zechariah seems
unprepared to believe that his
prayer will be answered, but the
angel’s message is very clear: (1)
don’t be afraid; (2) your prayer
has been heard (in fact, Zechar
iah’s name means “the Lord has
remembered”); and (3) Elizabeth
virus vaccine. Consult your veter
inarian for advice.
It is important to follow the
recommendations precisely. Be
sure to administer the two shots
when recommended. If you do not
do this, you are simply wasting
money on vaccines that are doing
you no good. Worse yet, you live
with the false security that the herd
is protected, when in fact it is not.
Thus, the herd is a sitting duck for
infection.
If you buy cattle, use a well
planned vaccination program
before commingling the cattle. Do
not trust the vaccines the pur
chased cattle reportedly received
unless you know for sure how they
were administrated. They could
have been administrated improper
ly. If you are not sure, consult your
veterinarian about the merits of
vaccinating them again.
Feather Prof.'s Footnote:
“Reflect upon your present bless
ings, of which everyone has plenty;
not on your past misfortunes of
which all people have some."
will bear a son.
But Zechariah is hesitant: “How
shall I know this? For I am an old
man, and my wife is advanced in
years” (1:18). Don’t be too hard
on Zechariah for his disbelief. I’m
glad he was honest enough to ex
press his sincere doubts. How
positively would you respond if
this was happening to you?
We can’t help wondering why
had God waited so long to respond
to their prayers? The answer, I be
lieve, is that now their prayer and
God’s purpose finally intersected.
They wanted a child and God
needed someone to “turn the
hearts of the fathers to the chil
dren, and the disobedient to the
wisdom of the just, to make ready
for the Lord a people prepared”
(1:14-17).
CLOSE TO GOD
The angel identifies himself: “I
am Gabriel, who stands in the pre
sence of God; and I was sent to
speak to you. and to bring you this
good news.” Gabriel is close to
God and he shows us that those
who are closest to God know that
the message of God is always
“good news.” Those who make
the gospel “bad news” must not be
very close to God.
But Zechariah, though he was
highly bom, a priest and had lived
a righteous life, was not convinced
and Gabriel tells him; “And be
hold, you will be silent and unable
to speak until the day that these
things come to pass, because you
did not believe my words . ..”
(1:20). Can you imagine a worse
penalty for a clergyman than be
ing told he could not speak!
But the story ends well. On the
eighth day after the child’s birth,
the people come for his circum
cision and assume that he shall be
named after his father, Zechariah.
But Elizabeth says, “Not so; he
shall be called John” (“God is gra
cious”). Ignoring her, they inquire
of Zechariah and on a tablet he
writes: "His name is John.” Im
mediately, he regains his power of
speech!
Zechariah’s doubting spirit has
been replaced by the Holy Spirit.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
-by-
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Steinman Enterprise
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newawanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1996 by Lancaster Farming