AlO-Uncaster Farming, Saturday, December 7, 1996
OPINION
Recommit Production To
A Growing Food Supply
The World Food Summit convened in Rome in mid-November
to review a three-year research effort called 2020 Vision for
Food, Agriculture, and the Environment. Sponsored by the
Washington, D.C.-based Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI),
the report is quoted in a news release as saying that there has been
tremendous gains in agriculture over the past* 30 years. Crop
yields have risen and food prices have fallen. But the world has
become complacent, and investments in agriculture and food sec
urity are inadequate.
The result of this “backing-off’ on production agriculture’s
push for maximum yields from the choice breadbaskets of the
world due to political, social, and religious prejudices have stag
nated the high farm potential to feed the poor countries. This is a
tragic situation, particularly when we have the scientific tools to
improve the lives of the hungry and poor.
IFPRI research shows that if the right measures are pursued,
we can avert severe food crises in the most vulnerable regions and
keep crop yields apace of the population growth worldwide. But
we need the political and social will to take the necessary actions
to prevent hunger.
At this time of year when the value of human life is re
emphasized during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, let’s
recommit production agriculture and the corresponding food dis
tribution channels to a new effoit to bring “good will to all men”
in the form of a growing food supply that includes both the have
and the have-not nations of the world.
Forum On Goat Production, Mary
land Patuxent 4-H Center,
Upper Marlboro, Md., 9 a.m.-4
Winter Agronomy, Seed Booking
and Pesticide Update Work
shop, Fayette and Washington
counties, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Lehigh County Holstein annual
meeting. Bake Oven Inn, Ger
mansville, 7:30 p.m.
Pa. Producers Research and Deve
lopment Commission, Hoff
man Building, Quarryville,
7:30 p.m..
Crop Planning and Pesticide Cre
dit Workshop, Fayette County
Fairgrounds, Grange Building,
Uniontown, 9 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
Also Greene County Fair
ids, Building 14, W'
About Chain Saws, Solanco
High School.
ADADC Dist. 21 meeting, Tim
berwolf Restaurant, Darien
N.Y., noon.
Lancaster DHIA’s banquet and
annual meeting. Good 'N Plen
ty Restaurant, Smoketown,
11:30 a.m.
Crop Planning and Pesticide Cre
dit Workshop, Washington
County Fairgrounds, Youth
Buildii ' Washir PA, 9
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
al meeting, Eden Resort Inn and
Conference Center, Lancaster,
9:30 a.m.
Lancaster County: The Next Los
Angeles? Part E, Town Meet
ing, Farm and Home Center, 7
p.m.-9 p.m.
Commercial Vegetable and Berry
Growers Seminar, Days Inn,
Comfortable and Productive Tie
Stall Bams, Leola Family
Restaurant, Lancaster, 8:30
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. Lccsport, also Jan. 9
To Attend
Town Meeting
The second town meeting on
Lancaster County —The Next Los
Angles will be held on Thursday,
Dec. 12 at the Farm and Home
Center in Lancaster.
The meeting will start at 7 p.m.
The focus will be on property
rights.
John Becker, Penn State agri
cultural attorney, will be discuss
ing the history and concept of
property rights. Stan Lembeck,
Penn State, will discuss the zoning
hearing process and how a person
should prepare for a zoning
hearing.
Ron Bailey, Lancaster County
Planning Commission, will follow
with a presentation on “Planning
Vs. Takings." Roger Rohrer, far
mer, will discuss “Just Compensa
tion for Public Use of Private Prop
erty.” I will end the evening with a
talk on the “Structure of Lancaster
County Farms In the 21st
Century."
This should be a very important
meeting discussing new ideas and
concepts to be considered in deve
loping public policy.
In order to keep Lancaster
County from becoming another
Los Angles, we need to develop
innovative concepts to preserve
our heritage and maintain the sus
tainability of Lancaster County
agriculture.
To Look At
Dairy Feeding
Practices
The composition of milk is
affected in part by what a cow eats
and how she is fed, according to
Glenn Shirk, extension dairy
agent
The (me component that is most
easily affected by a cow’s ration is
the fat content of her milk. Some
other components that ate affected
are protein and milk urea nitrogen.
To comply with consumer diet
preferences, dairy farmers have
been breeding and feeding cows to
produce milk with lower fat con
tent and higher protein content.
Late this summer when fat sup
plies became tight and butter
prices escalated, farmers began
feeding cows so they would
increase the fat content of milk. In
today’s competitive economic
environment, farmers need to be
constantly looking at the pricing
structure and making necessary
adjustments.
Consult with your nutritionist
and veterinarian when considering
making feeding changes in order to
avoid serious diet and health
problems.
To Take
A Break
Glenn Shirk, extension dairy
agent, reminds us that dairy farm
ing is a very grueling business.
The dairy herd needs attention
twice daily, 365 days a year. There
are no planned breaks, not even for
Sundays or holidays.
It is very beneficial for farmers
to have the opportunity to break
away from the daily rigors of farm
chores. Ways to do this includes
trips or family vacation, take care
of family emergencies, or devote
time, to other pressing business
matters.
BY LAwS^^^SmOUSE
Wt SHIMS
SPI
GOD’S SPECIALTY
December 8, 1996
GOD’S SPECIALTY
December 8, 1996
Background Scripture:
Luke 1:26-56
Devotional Reading: '
Luke 1:4-56
Youth camp at Perkasie, Penn
sylvania, was a long time ago, but
I nevertheless remember many of
the old camp songs. One of my fa
vorites goes like this:
Got any rivers you think are un
crossaMe? Got any mountains you
can't tunnel through? God spe
cializes in things thought impossi
ble. He'll do for you what no other
power can do.
It is our thinking, not God, that
is limited. We think that some
things are beyond His power. Oh,
we may not say it that way that
there are. things that God can’t do
but we act like it all the same.
Sometimes our prayers reflect
this. There are times when I leave
God off the hook, so to speak, giv
ing him an out if the request I’m
making seems too difficult or
complicated for the Creator of the
universe. Generally. I find, not
that people ask too much of God,
but not enough. And the reason
they don’t ask enough is that they
don’t really trust God to be able to
deliver.
This is what we find in Luke 1.
First, Zechariah and Elizabeth,
than Mary and Joseph. “In the
sixth month the angel Gabriel was
sent from God to a city of Galilee
named Nazareth, to a virgin be
trothed to a man whose name was
Joseph ... and the virgin’s name
was Mary” (26,27). Gabriel
who certainly was one busy angel
those days came saying; “Hail,
O favored one, the Lord is with
you!” And just a» Zechariah was
troubled by Gabriel, Luke tells us,
“But she was greatly troubled at
the saying ...”
WHY BE TROUBLED?
Why was Mary troubled? Ga
briel told her she was ‘favored”
and that “the Lord is with you.”
Why should that trouble her? Was
it not because, although Mary did
not know what God wanted of her,
she knew that whatever it was, it
would change her life and
many of us don’t want our lives
changed.
I can’t help thinking of some of
To do this you need a trained
relief milker or trained farm sitter.
A good way to train relief workers
is to have them work for you per
iodically before they arc needed.
This will give them the opportuni
ty to learn what is expected of
them.
Before you leave the farm, let
them know your schedule and how
you may be reached in case of an
Also, provide a list of
telephone numbers of key support
people such as the veterinarian,
plumber, milking equipment peo
ple, helpful neighbor, etc.
All of this should help you have
peace of mind, so you can truly
enjoy your well deserved break
from the demands of the farm.
Feather Prof.’s Footnote: "In
the middle of difficulty lies
opportunity. *
the responses Gabriel might get if
he came to us today. “No thanks.
Lord, I just want a normal life!”
Don’t we all! “What will it pay?
What arc the perks? How about re
tirement benefits? Can I write a
book about it?”
But the angel said to Maiy, “Do
not be afraid, Mary, for you have
found favor with God” (1:31). As
Gabriel had comforted Zechariah,
so he now comforts Mary. What
does this favor mean? “And be
hold. you will conceive in your
womb and bear a son, and you
shall call his name Jesus” (1:31).
Gabriel goes on to assure that this
child will be called “Son of the
Most High.”
GOD’S ‘FAVOR’
Mary does not reject this pro
phetic utterance, but she still does
want to know, “How can this be,
since I have no husband?” It is
natural for us to question how
something can happen when it
doesn’t seem possible. “I have no
husband” is a reasonable human
response, but Gabriel takes her be
yond mete reason: just as the Holy
Spirit had made barren Elizabeth
conceive, so “The Holy Spirit will
come upon you ...” Humanity
has its limitations; God’s Holy
Spirit does not
The key is found in Luke 1:37,
“For with God nothing will be im
possible.” For that is God’s spe
cialty. To be sure, it usually re
quires our cooperation. Gabriel
had not given her a contract or ex
plained die fine print. She is going
to have to make her decision on
the basis of trust And so. unlike
Zechariah, Mary overcomes her
troubled doubts and commits her
self: “Behold, I am the handmaid
of the Lord; let it be to me accord
ing to your word” (1:38).
When Mary went to visit Eliza
beth in a little town outside of
Jerusalem, the unborn John leaps
within Elizabeth’s womb and she
says to Mary, “Blessed is she who
believed that there would be a ful
fillment of what was spoken to her
by the Lord” (1:46).
God’s specialty is what you and
I call “impossible.” Our specialty
must be to believe and trust in his
promises.
God specializes in things
thought impossible. He’ll do for
you what no other power can do.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Bphrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Bphrata, PA 17522
-by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stelnman Enterprise
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newawanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1996 by Lancaster Farming