AIQ-Lanc—ter Farming, Saturday, February 8, 1997
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OPINION
Plan To Use
Pesticides Properly
Look! The calendar says February. Those who don’t know the
heart of fanners would say it is early to be thinking about spring
farm work. But farmers arc already “itchy” for the ground to thaw
and the first blades of grass to appear.
So now is also the time to think about potential off-target
movement or drift when you apply pesticides. This can create risk
for nearby people and wildlife, damage non-target crops, and
potentially pollute surface and ground water resources. Accord
ing to the American Crop Protection Association, an organization
of ag chemical companies, farmers and ranchers should be aware
of the principal factors that can affect drift, including droplet size
and application pattern, equipment adjustments, and weather
conditions during application. Another key factor is sound judg
ment. Simply planning for the possibility of off-target movement
of pesticides is a key step in reducing spray drift.
Being sensitive to the unique environment of your farm is a key
component of the planning needed prior to and during pesticide
application. Consider leaving an unsprayed strip or buffer zone
around water supplies, sinkholes, abandoned wells, wetlands,
downwind neighbors or sensitive crops. If you must spray these
areas, be sure to do so when conditions are favorable.
We believe farmers can serve both the environment and their
calling to feed the world by planning to use pesticides properly in
their upcoming spring applications.
Pa. Game Bird Conference, Penn
State, thru Feb. 11.
4-H Day with the Lady Lions, The
Biyce Jordan Center, Univcrsi
_tvParjc2n i m i ___^^__
Soybean Workshop, Lantern
Lodge, Myerstown, 9 a.m.-3
p.m.
Farm Records Made Easy Work
shop, Session 2, York County
extension office, 10a.m.-3p.m.
Poultry Management and Health
Seminar, Kreider’s Restaurant,
Manheim, noon.
Southern Maryland Agricultural
Breakfast, Jaycee’s Communi
ty Center, Waldorf, Maryland,
8 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
Frederick Co. Walk-A-Bout, Paul
Coblentz and Sons, 10
a.m.-Noon.
Soybean Workshop, Bucks/
Montgomery Counties, Nesha
miny Manor Center, Doyles
town, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
New York State Vegetable Con
ference and Trade Show, Points
Hotel Sheraton, Liverpool,
N.Y.
Silage: Field to Fcedbunk, Her
shey Lodge and Convention
Center, thru Feb. 13.
Pa. Allied and Industrial Nursery
Conference, Hershey Lodge
and Convention Center, thru
Feb. 12.
Commercial Tree Fruit Growers’
Meeting, Brynwood Inn and
Banquet Center, Lewisbutg, 9
a.m.4 p.m.
Somerset County Breeders’ Insti
tute, Somerset County Vo-Tech
School, Somerset, 10 a.m.
Lancaster County Crops and Soils
Day program, Farm and Home
Center, Lancaster, 8:30 a.m.
County.
Southeast Fruit Meeting, Pineview
Acres, Pottsvillc.
Regional Vegetable Growers’
Meeting (Walnut Bottom Fire
house)(Leinbach’s Auction),
Shippensburg.
Pa. Pork Producers’ Junior Speak
ing Contest, Lebanon Ag
Center.
Keystone Pork Expo, Lebanon
Valley Expo Center, Lebanon
Fairgrounds.
York/Lancaster Fruit Growers’
meeting, Rutter’s Family
Restaurant, York, 8:30
(Turn to Page A3O)
Editor,
Government’s treatment of the
American dairy fanner is a traves
ty of justice. The government and
our elected officials treat the far
mer as an indentured servant.
ITtey expect the farmer, through
his or her toil and efforts with the
dairy cows, to provide cheap food
for the American consumer while
the processors reap all the profits.
Our government, starting with
the President, should look in Web
ster’s dictionary. “Independence”
follows the word “Indenture” and
the one definition given is “an
income sufficiant for a liveli
hood." This is all the farmer is
asking, when in fact he deserves
more.
To Make
Cows Comfortable
According to Glenn Shirk,
extension dairy agent, cow com
fort helps pave the way for high
milk production.
Comfort starts with providing
cows with adequate shelter. It does
not need to be warm. It does need
to protect cows from inclement
weather and from cold drafts.
It needs to provide cows with
fresh air and a clean, dry place to
lie down. They need to feel secure
and can get up and down with ease
and without the risk of injury.
Heifers that have never been
tied will have a hard time adjusting
to being tied and learning how to
use stalls properly. Acclimate
diem to stalls well before calving
time to minimize stress at calving.
The last thing you want to do is
throw a heifer off feed at this cru
cial time in her life or subject her to
injury because she did not know
how to lie down or get up in a stall
without a struggle.
To Make Cow
Stalls Comfortable
Glenn Shirk, extension dairy
agent, reports that to improve cow
comfort, many (turners are putting
soft rubber mats or mattresses
filled with chopped rubber in their
stalls.
This provides cows with a softer
bed. It also offers them more trac
tion so they can get up with less
struggle and with less risk of
injury.
A thin layer of bedding should
also be used with the rubber mats
and mattresses. It helps to absorb
moisture and reduces the risk of
hock injuries and mastitis.
Placing a bedding retainer bar at
the back ledge of the stall and
♦ Farm Forum ❖
The government knows what’s
going on while most of the Ameri
can consumers do not Although
some consumers say they would
pay mote for dairy products, this
does not correlate with the farmer
getting more money for his raw
product
The farmer is not looking for a
handout It is the government who
is looking for the free ride. They
expect the fanners to feed the
American population and not get
paid a fair price for their product
1 believe the President or any
elected official and the American
consumer understands the time,
effort and expense it takes to
maintain a simple domestic pet
(Turn to Pag* A3t)
maintaining a thick layer of bed
ding in the stall can accomplish the
same thing.
To Select
Corn Hybrids
Most com growers will be under
pressure to make their com hybrid
selections for the upcoming crop
ping season during die next several
weeks. Overall, the amount of seed
that will be available should be
adequate. However, some of the
newer releases and the better sell
ing hybrids may be a little short in
supply.
Dr. Greg Roth, Penn State
extension agronomist, has made
several suggestions to help farmers
select the best varieties available
for use on their farm. He suggests
spending time looking at perfor
mance studies of varieties sold in
BY LAWRENCE W ALEHOUSE
sn/
THE FACE OF AN ANGEL
February 9, 1997
THE FACE OF AN ANGEL
February 9, 1997
Background Scripture:
Acts 6:1 through 8:3
Devotional Reading:
Matthew 5:43-48
“The Hellenists murmured
against the Hebrew.. And I am
glad that they did!
Because, up to this point, the
earliest Christians were sounding
a little too good to be true. Acts
6:1-6, however, clearly establish
es them as human beings as well
as Christians.
The “Hellenists” were probably
Jewish followers of Jesus who
spoke Greek and participated in
Greek culture. The “Hebrews”
were probably Aramaic-speaking
Jewish followers of Jesus who
were resistant to Greek customs.
Both groups were part of the
Christian community in Jerusa
lem. The first factions in the
church but not the last
The Greek-speaking Christians
felt that their own widows were
not getting their fair share of the
distribution. That means that those
who did the distribution were Ara
maic-speaking Christians. So “the
Hellenists murmured against the
Hebrews . . .”
That’s the way trouble usually
starts in congregations today.
Someone feels short-changed in
some way and begins to “mur
mur.” Note that Acts doesn’t indi
cate who is at fault here, or if any
one is at fault. Maybe the Hebrews
•were short-changing the Hellenist
widows, or maybe it only seemed
that way. Maybe it was true, but
unintentional. Whatever the facts,
Acts concentrates on what is done
to resolve this conflict. They com
promise, choosing some Hellenist
deacons to serve with the He
brews.
ONE WHO SERVES
It is interesting that these men
are chosen to “serve tables” so that
the apostles can “devote ourselves
to prayer and the ministry of the
word” (6:4). Because, no sooner
are they chosen and commission
ed, than one of them, Stephen,
gets into trouble, not through ser
ving tables, but in preaching and
teaching in one of Jerusalem’s
synagogues. The apostles seem to
have a good solution some will
pray and preach, others will serve
tables but it doesn’t quite work
your area.
Penn State and many other uni
versities conduct performance stu
dies each year and publish the
results. (The results were included
in the Com Talk section in the Jan.
25 edition of this newspaper.) Not
all varieties are in the study each
year, including many of the good
varieties.
Dr. Roth cautions against using
on-farm, nonreplicated strip trials
as the only information in making
a selection. If strip plot data is
available ton several locations
and has some of the varieties used
at university test sites, the data is
more valuable in making an
informed decision. It is a good idea
to look at data for at least three
years.
Feather Prof.'s Footnote: "Do
more than listen. Understand."
out that way. Hiose who serve ta
bles may also have the opportuni
ty to preach. Jesus himself said,
“For which is the greater, one who
sits at table, or one who serves?
But I am among you as one who
serves” (Lk. 22:27).
As a deacon, instead of an apos
tle, Stephen may have seemed to
have been of lower rank in the
Christian community. But of all
these disciples, none shines
brighter literally or figuratively
than Stephen. He may have
been recruited to wait on tables,
but he was also a powerful witness
for Christ. He is described as be
ing “full of grace and power” and
it is said of his detractors that
“they could not withstand the wis
dom and Spirit with which he
spoke.”
SECRET INSTIGATION
And how did his detractors re
act? As troublemakers usually re
act: “Then they secretly instigated
men, who said, ‘We have heard
him speak blasphemous worgs
against Moses and God’” (6:11).
When you run out of reason, go
behind someone’s back and sland
er them a popular tactic then
and still today.
But, Stephen, is a shining ex
ample. Those who dragged him
before the Sanhedrin almost liter
ally saw him “shine.” And gazing
at him, all who sat in the council
saw that his face was like the face
of an angel” (6: IS). Not his words
alone, but his demeanor reminded
them of Jesus Christ. And, when
they had condemned him to death,
Stephen still continued to shine:
“But he, full of the Holy Spirit,
gazed into heaven and saw the
glory of God, and Jesus standing
at the right hand of God” (7:55).
The light they saw in him was the
reflected light of God in Christ.
In Stephen’s shoes, I probably
would have looked no further than
the faces of my accusers and re
flected the anger and bitterness 1
saw there. But Stephen “gazed in
to heaven” and reflected, not the
darkness of the crowd, but the
eternal light of Jesus Christ. And
thus He was enabled to pray: “Lord
Jesus receive my spirit. .. Lord,
do not hold this sin against them”
(7:59,60).
By the power of Jesus Christ, a
human face mine and yours
can shine like the face of an angel.
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 Generel Manager
Everett R. Newtwanger Meneging Editor
Copyright 1996 by Lancaster Farming