tier Farming, baiuraay, April i», IIKJHKMI HI i m&md OPINION Secretary Brosius Set The Standard As Charles Brosius winds down his term as Pennsylvania’s agricultural secretary, we want to commend him for his efforts on behalf of farmers in state government. We have had many great ag secretaries in the past and this is not to take away from any thing they have accomplished. But Charles Brosius is one of the most respected, intelligent, and able administration officials we have ever had the pleasure to know or work with. While other departments in state government seem to lack the work ethic far mers so espouse, Manager Brosius had PDA working toward the expressed goals of making government user friendly and creating an atmosphere in Pennsylvania where farmers could farm, and agribusiness could do business. Secretary Brosius paid little attention to what the party politics were in his staff members. His only concern was that they be knowledgeable, experienced, and competent in their work. That’s why a number of very key people in PDA today are from the opposite party. And he did not hire more people than he needed just to give people political payoffs. This shed such a good light on Pennsylvania’s agricultural community. And on the governor who selected him in the first place. An accomplished business man in real life, Brosius brought this business acumen to state government. His work to secure export opportunities for agribusiness in Pennsylvania is notewor thy. When dealing with foreign governments or trade delega tions, the personal touch is what really gives these visitors the confidence that they “have a friend in Pennsylvania” and an hon est opportunity to do business here. Brosius gave our state gov ernment that personal face so needed in these dealings. We could fill a whole page of accomplishments that lesser men could not have done in eight years. Brosius accomplished so much in just two years. In all the talk and counter talk in the last several weeks on this issue, maybe the best summary statement came from Italo Cappa bianca (D-Erie), the Democratic chairman of the House Agricul ture and Rural Affairs Committee in a letter to Gov. Ridge. “Those of us who have come to know and work with Secretary Brosius have found him to be one of the more forthright, honor able, and qualified members of your administration,” Cappabian ca wrote. “ He has represented our No. 1 industry with distinc tion, leading the Department of agriculture in a progressive and non-partisan way.” We thank you Secretary Brosius for your efforts on behalf of the ag community in state government. You have set the standard by which all future ag secretaries will be judged. Especially the next one. Editor, As America’s family dairy farmers face a Holocaust-like liquidation, a few facts need to be aired. 1) Kraft and the major coopera tives manipulated the Nation Cheese Exchange, setting the offi cial price at $1.325/lb. while they are actually receiving $1.489/lb. 2) Land O’ Lakes has signed a contract with Alfa-Laval to supply the cooperative with 200 complete 1000 cow dairies per year for the next five years. 3) The CEO of Foremost Farms, Don Storhoff, has admitted that by increasing cheese produc tion the major cooperatives caused the autumn milk price crash. Such practices are continuing to keep prices depressed, and bankrupting their members. 4) Dairylea has acquired Em pire Livestock and the Erwin Feed Mill. 5) Of the Wisconsin dairies that are liquidating at the rate of 4/day, I WJ Mil rtafc uiiiu _l 'ft t % s/fcr \ v > -*■■■' - -- ❖ Farm Forum ❖ ' ' v A * "V some of the largest are being bought, intact, by persons un known, and the former owners are being hired to run them. The major cooperatives and processors have for years worked together to depress the farm price of milk. This has resulted in the Cumberland Co. Calf Sale Thompson/Walton Farms, Car lisle, 7 p.m. Pa. Spring Sale, Pine Grove. Farm Product Marketing Center, Vanango Co. Extension Office, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Performacc Tested Bull Sale, East- Robert Anderson, Lancaster County extension agronomy agent, reminds us that black cut worms are a very common insect of com. This insect is migratory, moving into Pennsylvania during late March through early June. When it arrives it prefers winter annual weeds such as duckweed, she pherd’s purse, and several mem bers of the mustard family as a feeding and breeding area. Com fields with a high risk of black cutworm damage are fields with heavy populations of these weeds. The adults deposit their eggs on the weeds and the larvae that hatch feed on the weeds until the weeds are destroyed by tillage or herbicides. At that time they move to com plants if they are available and continue to feed on them. Black cutworms can almost be entirely eliminated as a pest by destroying the problem weeds a minimum of 10 days before plant ing. The weeds must be complete ly desiccated or brown, leaving no feed source for that period of time. Otherwise, scout the field at two to three-day intervals from emergence until com is 12 inches tall and spray with an insecticide when black cutworm is found. liquidation of many family dairy farms, leaving the remaining in weak financial positions. Often, a farm’s major creditor is the very cooperative that is destroying them. As a result those coopera tives have now become so bold that they have revealed their plans. The cooperatives will use the profits generated by the difference between the official and real price of cheese to acquire the remaining milk production facilities (dairy farms). Co-ops will own the farms, feed mills, livestock auc tion houses and plants. Once they have a vertical monopoly they will reap huge profits. They will mani pulate the supply of milk and raise * y em Ohio Resource Develop- ment Center. Lancaster County Therapeutic Riding Program Benefit Auc tion, A 1 Starr Community Building, Willow Street, 10 To Evaluate Fields For Black Cutworms (Turn to Page A3O) (Turn to Pag* A3O) To Control Seed Corn Maggot Seed com maggot is a pest that feeds on decaying organic matter such as manure, plowed-down crop residue, and other similar materials, according Robert Anderson, Lancaster County extension agronomy agent The adult flies are attracted to fields with decaying organic mat ter to lay their eggs. The larvae that hitches feed on the oiganic matter plus any germinating seeds. The problem is often made worse dur ing cool, wet weather when germi nation and growth of the com see dling is slow. To control the seed com maggot in fields with high oiganic residue, use a seed treatment containing diazinon or a soil insecticide at planting. The seed treatment is a much cheaper treatment if the field is not a risk for other insect pests controlled by the soil insecticide. To Control Armyworm Armyworms overwinter in Pen nsylvania as partially grown larvae FOLLOW THE LEADER April 20, 1997 Background Scripture: Revelation 2:18-29 Devotional Reading: Romans 2:1-11 When I was young—and knew everything I denounced a lot of things about which I knew little or nothing. Brought up a Protestant I “knew” that holy water, confes sion and praying to the saints was not only wrong, but dangerous. Nurtured by a denomination that was socially quite conservative at least then I also was told that dancing, playing cards, and mov ies were works of the Devil. I can be excused, perhaps, be cause I was so young and impres sionable. I basically was accepting what someone else told me as the Gospel truth. Today, although I still don’t use holy water, practice confession or pray to the saints, I no longer condemn these practices for I have learned that they can be very meaningful to some who do. I sometimes dance, play cards and go to the movies, because I have personally learned that these things by themselves are not evil. Much of that depends upon me. So, I have a hard time with the Revelation of John in the letter to the church at Thyratira: “I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess ...” (2:20). I confess that I do not know of any church that is praiseworthy for works, love, service, faith and patience, but is too tolerant Most of my ex perience in the church has wit nessed too little, rather than too much tolerance. BEGUILING MY SERVANTS But maybe the problem here is with the word “tolerate.” Is the writer commending tolerance or is he condemning moral insensitivi ty? There is a difference and, if we read further in this chaper, we find that the concern with this Jezebel is a real one: she “is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacri ficed to idols” (2:20). This is not a matter of prejudice against some one because her ways are different under plant trash and in clumps of] grass and as pupae in the soil, said Robert Anderson, Lancaster County extension agronomy agent. The adult moth emerges from early May to early June, laying eggs on the leaves of grasses including winter small grains. This insect is a threat when com is planted in fields which had winter small grains as cover crops or harvested as silage or planted in old hay fields or pastures. This is especially true if thecrop is planted no-dll. Sometimes the armyworm will migrate from a small grain field to an adjoining com field and cause problems. When planting com into fields with a high potential for army worm, consider using a broad spectrum soil insecticide. These will also control white grubs, wireworms, black cutworms, sod webworm, seed com maggot, and stalk borer. Feather Prof’s Footnote: "In life, what sometimes appears to be the end is really a new beginning." or they do not understand her and therefore are intolerant. What we have here is an indifference to evil consequences to what she is teach ing. How easily someone can lead us down the path to Hell! How quickly we follow the leader whose certainty overcomes our own reasoning! We are so gullible and we jump at the chance for someone to think for us. All some one has to say is “I got this horn God. ..” and we are ready to fol low them without question, parti cularly if, like Jezebel, they ate sure of themselves and/or charis matic. The “faith” to which we are called is not to put our belief in a leader who claims to know the mind of God. The trust to which we are called is to be given to God alone, not his intermediaries. We can think for ourselves and God expects us to do so. WHAT WORKS DESERVE The key to the rightness or wrongness of anything is not in the arguments made for or against it, but in the bottom line: “By their fruits you shall know them” whether you end up with “grapes” and “figs” or “thorns” and “this tles” (Matthew 7:16). The activi ties of this “Jezebel” were harm ful, not because they were differ ent, but because they were ending up with “thorns” and “thistles.” The Lord does not judge us su perficially. “And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve” (2:23). Who says “works don’t count?” Works and faith go hand in hand. There is only one leader into whose hands we can ever deposit our lives, our minds and our con sciences. If we’re going to follow the leader, let’s make certain who is really leading. (In October, Rev. & Mrs. Alt house will lead a 14-day tour to Turkey to trace the footsteps of Paul and John. For information, write: 4412 Shenandoah Ave., Dallas. TX 75205.) Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Bphrata 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 C'pyrighi 1997 oy t /meatier Farmixf
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers