AIQ-Unomf Fanning, Saturday, Hay 31. 1997
A Responsible
World View
The brakes have been set on the population train, essentially by
rising affluence and education. According to Dennis Aveiy, Cen
ter for Global Food Issues, the world’s population is now set to
Tt*ak Ht 5 8.5 billion people about 2035, with a slow, gradual
dedUhd w
But the environmental movement has failed to create sizeable
numbers of vegetarians. In fact, meat and milk consumption is
spreading faster than ever. Thus, to feed that many affluent peo
ple, we will need to triple the output of the world’s farms. The
Center for Global Food Issues recommends we do this through
high-yield conservation by:
1. Tripling the yields on existing farmland through additional
investments in research, technology, and conservation systems;
2. Tripling the water use efficiency in agriculture (which uses
70 percent of thd water we consume) by replacing wasteful flood
irrigation with new systems, better water pricing, and water
conserving fanning systems like conservation tillage;
3. Planting 5 percent of the wild forest area to high-yield tree
plantations that will allow us to harvest ten times the forest pro
ducts in 2050 with no logging pressure on the 95 percent of the
wild forests, and
4. Declaring free trade in farm and forest products so that the
best lands can produce the highest yields and leave the most land
for nature. (This will especially help the tropical forests in
densely-populated Asia.
We must resolve the dilemma between human opportunity and
wildlife conservation in the only way possible—by having both.
We are encouraged that environmentalists and conservation
ists are starting to recognize that the world must get more food
from its existing farmlands in the decades just ahead—most
importantly to preserve wildlands from a major expansion of
low-yield farming. While different interests put emphasis on var
ious research approaches, all are beginning to agree that higher
yields are critically important to conservation, especially when
you take a responsible world view.
liusd.u. .(mu- .*
Fruit Growers Twilight Meeting,
McGinley Orchard, Winfield, 6
Dunn’s Fruit
gold, 6:30 p.m
Pasture Walk and Conservation
Tour, Samuel K. King Farm,
Gordonville, 10 a.m.-noon
' DST:
-arm,
Trees and Utilities Conference,
Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Campus.
Nurtient Management Back
ground Workshop, Computer
Demonstration, Penn State
University, University Park, 10
Farm, noon
Bucks-Montgomery Cooperative
Wool Pool, Delaware Valley
College, Doyles town.
Pa. Equine Council Allegheny
Trail Ride, thru June 8.
Centre/Clinton County Day Camp,
OPINION
Clinton County Fairgrounds, 9
a.m.-3 p.m.
Cambria County Farm Safety Day,
Fairgrounds, Ebensburg, 10
a.m.-3 p.m.
SASDA Annual Meeting, Historic
Inn, Annapolis, Md., thru June
Thomcroft, Malvern.
Specialty Mushroom Workshop,
Nittany Lion Inn, Penn State,
Lion Inn, Penn State, thru June
Curriculum & Discipline Equals
Responsible Children Work
shop, Lebanon County
Extension.
Ephrata Area Young Farmed Cur-
rent Research Projects, Maty
Schantz Farm 606 Springviue
Rd., Ephrata.
FFA Activities Weeks, State Col
lege, thru June 12.
Family Dairy Days, Oregon Dairy
tany Lion Inn, State College,
thru June 13.
Cumberland Cooperative Sheep
To Wool Growers Wool Pool,
Carlilse Fairgrounds, 7
To Control Weeds
In Alfalfa
Robert Anderson, Lancaster
County extension agronomy
agent, states now that the firstcut
ting of alfalfa is in the bam, it is
time to think about insuring a good
second cutting.
Weeds and insects often
decrease the economic and feeding
value of the hay crop. The control
of pests is essential when they will
lower the value of the crop.
Weeds are difficult to control at
this time of the year. When sum
mer annual grasses and broadleaf
weeds have germinated before the
regrowth of alfalfa starts, the her
bicide Gramoxone may be used. If
grass weeds become a problem
after the alfalfa starts to regrow,
another herbicide you may use is
Poast
If desirable perennial grasses
are present, Poast will also kill
them. A careful check Of alfalfa
fields between cuttings will help to
determine if a herbicide is needed'
When weeds do not exist or the
number of weeds is low, money
may be saved by not spraying.
To Control
Leafhoppers
The major insect pest of alfalfa
from now until the end of the sea
son is the potato leafhopper,
according to Robert Anderson,
Lancaster County extension agro
nomy agent
This insect does not over winter
in Pennsylvania. It moves up from
the south on storm fronts.
There have been very few storm
fronts moving through the area
which were capable of bringing the
leafhopper. This, along with the
very cool weather, may delay the
beginning of the leafhopper season
this year.
Leafhoppers are very detrimen
tal to alfalfa. As they feed on the
alfalfa plant, they inject a toxin
which plugs the vascular system of
the plant
Symptoms are a brassy yellow
color of plants and stunted growth.
New sealings are the moat suscep
tible to damage. Mature plants
Heim, Glenmoorc, 7 p.m.
Cooperative New Business Worit
shop. Harvest; Driaje
Restaurant
Lancaster County Holstein Field
Day. Ed Harnish Faftn, Five
Pageant Lighthouse Restaur-
y -np
grounds. 8 a.m.-3 pJBi.
Mercer County Farm ft Home
(Turn t» Pag* All)
which have heavy feeding by leaf
hoppers as regrowth starts arc also
susceptible to damage. If the
regrowth of the alfalfa is under 3
inches, an average of 0.2 or more
leafhoppers per sweep of an insect
net will result in an economic loss
and the field should be sprayed.
Spraying is justified when alfal
fa is 3 to 6 inches tall, with an aver
age of 0.5 leafhoppers per sweep; 6
to 8 inches high, an average of 1.0
leafhoppers per sweep; and 8 to IS
inches high, an average of 2 leaf
hoppers per" sweep.*
Regular monitoring of fields
with an insect net is essential if
sprays are to be applied when
needed.
To Pdiiow
Potato'Late
Blight Information
During the 1997 growing sea
son, die Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture (PDA) will coordi
nate the Pennsylvania Potato Late
Blight Hotline. This service will be
&t LAttfcEN't ‘.V AllMl’bSt
x !sam
WILL THE GIFTED
PLEASE STAND!
June 1,1997
Background Scripture:
I Timothy 4:6-16
Devotional Reading:
Psalm 37:1-11
What would happen if, on any
given Sunday morning during
worship in your church, someone
the Pastor, Lay Leader or any
one else—were to say to the con
gregattonrW/ all t&s*amtmg us
who are gifted by God please
stand up?
What would happen in your
church? Would anyone stand up?
Would the whole congregation
eventually get to their feet? Or
would there be a scattering of peo
ple hoe and there throughout the
congregation who would stand up
somewhat slowly and hesitantly?
You see, I think his challenge
would throw a lot of people
because most of us don’t think of
ourselves as being “gifted by
God.” Oh sure, the preacher may
be. gifted with sermons, prayers or
pastoral care. And there may be
one or two soloists in the choir
whom we recognize as gifted. But
most of us assume there is a lug
dividing line between “die gifted”
and the rest of us. We think we are
ordinary people and the truth is
that, anyone who is made by God
is divinely gifted and certainly not
ordinary.
'BEHIND THE DOOR*
This is not a matter of humility.
It seems as though we think too
little of ourselves to see us as
“gifted.” But there’s more to it
than that, for the fact is that, when
we think of ourselves as having
been “behind the door” when the
gifts were handed out by God, we
demean Him as Creator not just
ourselves. We ignore the gifts he '
has given to each of us as though
our legacy from God is something
of sub-value.
I suspect that we fail to recog
nize the gifts that God places with
in us and our lives because, by
thinking of ourselves as “ordin
ary,” we excuse ourselves from
anything- but a very ordinary level
of living. We persuade ourselves
that we don’t do more for God
because we don’t have that mulch
ability to begin with. Somewhere,
I came across this anonymous
quotation;
pact of the 1-800-PENN-IPM tele
phone information system.
By calling this toll-free number,
famers will' hear a changing,
recorded message about weather
conditions and late blightdetection
in order to help make disease man
agement decisions. £
To help potato growers avoff
crop loss because of late blight,
PDA’s Plant Disease Diagnostic
Laboratory in Harrisburg will pro
vide free testing of symptomatic
plants for farmers whose crop may
be infected with late blight.
To obtain directions for collect
ing and submitting samples, con
tact PDA Plant Pathologist Nancy
Richwine at (717) 787-5609.
Early detection, accurate diag
nosis, and access to timely disease
and weather information play a
key role in successful disease
management.
Feather Prof.’s Footnote:
"Pride is a personal commitment.
It is an atatude which separate
excellence from mediocrity."
It’s not what you’d do with a
million, if riches should e'er be
your lot.
But what are you doing at pre
sent, with the dollar and a quarter
you’ve got?
The anonymous author of that
verse is talking about money, but
what he’s saying can be applied to
those other nonmaterial gifts
which God gives to each of us.
Those potentials that we often fail
to tap and never exhaust The wri
ter of 1 Timothy was speaking, not
of money, but of Timothy’s God
given gifts, when he counsels him:
“Do not neglect the gift you have
..(4:14).
God gives each of us various
gifts that qm be used to witness
for Christ ahd help others. Perhaps
we ean’t write or speak in public
and our singing voice cracks
slides off-key, but maybe your gQP
is that of helping others with their
daily tasks, being a bearer of light
wherever you go, listening Unpeo
ple and empathizing with them,
patiently helping those who need
tender care, loving those who
seem unlovable and so on and
on. Or maybe you have been given
the highest gift of all love.
More precious than any sermon,
any solo, or performance of any
kind is the gift of love.
All of us can serve Cod in the
way that the writer of I Timothy
counsels hhn: .. set the believ
ers an e&mple in speech and con
duct, in love, in faith and purity
.. (4:11). I have been greatly
inspired by sermons, deeply
moved by spiritual music, and
lifted up by discerning
But more important than all*
these in my life have been die
examples of unsung Christian
people who by their speech, con
duct, love, faith and purity have
made Christian discipleship ut
terly believable.
Will those gifted by God please
standi
(The Alehouses will walk in the
footsteps of Paul and John of
Revelation, leading a tour to Turk
ey next Oct. 17-Nov. 2. For infor
mation: "Turkish Delight," 4412
Shenandoah Ave., Dallas, TX
75205 (214) 521:2522.
Lancaster Farming
Established 19SS
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
IE. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
-by-
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Steinman Enterprise
Robert 0. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newewanger Managing Edttoi
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