AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 11, 1997
OPINION
4-H: The Program
Of Opportunity
For many years we have believed and acted on the premise that
youth are motivated to participate in programs which encourage
them to be involved in the decision-making process. Now grow
ing evidence substantiates this belief.
The early pioneers in youth development were intuitive
enough to include community service as an integral part of the
4-H program. Hence, “I pledge my hands to larger service, for my
club, my comunity, my country, and my world.”
Another principle of equal importance is the emphasis 4-H
places on experiential learning, the “learn by doing” found in the
4-H slogan. Over the years those involved in 4-H youth develop
ment have found the experiential learning process to be the most
effective teaching method for increasing both understanding and
application of new knowledge, skills and attitudes.
This week we again celebrate National 4-H week. The 4-H
program continues to move with the times by addressing the
changing issues and diverse backgrounds of today’s youth.
Today, fifty-two percent of 4-H youth live in towns and cities.
Twenty-six percent are minorities. 4-H is flexible and localized,
allowing it to respond to the needs of local youth.
4-H is successful because it focuses on youth needs and their
issues and utilizes volunteer support. More than half a million
caring adults mentor young people in the 4-H program.
To the 1,487,610 youth who are members 0f70,176 4-H clubs
across America, we say, “Make the best use of your opportunities
in your 4-H program. To the adult leaders we say, “Keep up the
good work.” The value of the time invested in the 4-H program
can only be measured by the many adults in leadership positions
who credit their maturing process to the the 4-H program.
Truly, 4-H is the program of opportunity.
Choice Plus Club Calf Sale, Mer
cer Co. 4-H Park, 7:30 p.m.
Annual Octoraro Creek Nature
Walk, Black Rock Area, Octor
aro Creek, meet at Ken Shoe
maker's house, Kirkwood, 9
a.m. Return 11:30 a.m.
Dillsburg Community Fair, Dills
Pasture Walk and Conservation
Tour, Alvin J. Stoltzfus, Para
dise, 10 a.m.-noon DST.
Solanco Young Farmers meeting,
ADADC Dist. 16 meeting, Troy
Fire Hall, Troy, 8 p.m.
Equine Workshop for Conserva
tionists, Urbana-Ijamsville
United Methodist Church,
Urbana.
National Poultry Health and Pro
cessing meeting, Sheraton Fon
tainebleau Hotel, Ocean City,
Md., thru OcL 17.
Lancaster County 4-H Recogni
tion Night, Bent Creek Country
Club, Lititz, 6:30 p.m.
ADADC Disc 12 annual meeting,
Sennett Federated Church, Sen
Mid-Atlantic Regional Romney
Show, NYS Sheep and Wool
Festival, Dutchess County Fair
grounds, Rhinebeck, N.Y., 7
p.m.
Poultry apd Farm Pro-
❖ Farm Calendar*:*
ducts Show, Uniontown, thru
Oct 19.
Wyoming County Sheep and Wool
Producers meeting and roast
lamb dinner, United Methodist
Church, Centermoreland. 6
Mid-Atlantic Region Romney
Sale, NYS Sheep and Wool
Festival, Dutchess County Fair
grounds,'Rhinebeck, N.Y.
Annual meeting, American Rom
ney Breeders Association,
Rolling Rock Restaurant,
lUiinebrcl^RY^^^^^^
Regional Natural Colored Sheep
Show, NYS Sheep and Wool
Festival, Dutchess County Fair
grounds, Rhinebeck, N.Y.
Family Day on the Farm, Cherry
Grove Tree Farm, Rising Sun,
ADADC Dist. 14 meeting, Tally-
Ho Restaurant, Kanona, N.Y.,
7:30 p.m.
Improving Reproductive Efficien
cy, Jere Grubc Farm, Salunga,
ADADC Dist. 9 meeting, Tally-
Ho Restaurant, Richfield
Springs, N.Y., 7:45 p.m.
Lycoming County Cooperative
Extension dinner meeting,
Eldred Township Fire Hall,
Warrensville, 6:30 p.m.
Chester County Holstein club
annual meeting. West Fallow
field Christian School, Atglen,
7 p.m.
(Turn to Page All)
To Practice Nutrient
On October 1, 1997 the Penn
sylvania Nutrient Management
Law became effective All farms
with two or more animal units per
acre (2,000 pounds or more of
animals per day per acre) are re
quired to have an approved nutri
ent management plan. Farms with
less than two animal units per
acre are encouraged to develop
voluntary plans Farms needing
plans have one year to develop the
plan and three years to implement
the best management practices
identified in the plan. Plans need
to be up dated every three years
unless a major change in acres or
animals occurs sooner. The regu
lations specify restrictions on
when and where manure may be
spread.
The regulations also supersede
township ordinances and offers
some liability protection. All
farmers are encouraged to develop
nutrient management plans. The
number of voluntary plans de
velop will have a large influence
on future regulations and who
must comply For more informa
on nutrient management con
your county conservation dis
otfice or Penn State Coopera-
Exlension Office
To Dispose of Plastic
Correctly
<
“yA- -i y
tion
tact
incl
live
Jelfrcy Stoltzfus, Eastern Lan
caster County School District
Adult Farmer Program, reminds
us that local township officials are
getting pressure to ban open burn
ing and dumping ot plastic Large
plastic fires are an especially big
concern. To avoid this issue,
farmers are encouraged to take
their plastic to the county incin
erator The county incinerator
burns the plastic at 1800 degrees
which burn much cleaner than
must open fires. In addition, the
smoke at the incinerator goes
through a series of scrubbers
which remove more of the pollut
ants from the smoke Smoke from
open plastic fires emit arsenic,
lead, cadmium and mercury, all of
which may cause health problems.
Neighbors are becoming more
concern about the smoke that
comes their way. Every Monday
in November at the Leola Produce
Auction from 9:00 am to Noon,
they will be accepting plastic. The
plastic must be rolled, bagged,
baled or cut into pieces not longer
than 10 feet. Since there will be a
per ton charge to handle the plas
tic, farmers are encouraged to have
the plastic as dry and clean as pos
sible For more information and
details, contact Jeffrey Stoltzfus at
717-354-1522.
To Plant Winter Cover
According to Leon Ressler,
Lancaster County Agricultural
Environmental Agent, many
farmers need to empty their ma-
Management
Crops
nure storage units during the fall
season. This means these crop nu
trients are applied to cropland at a
time of year when they are not
needed by a growing crop. There
fore these nutrients are vulnerable
to being lost to the environment
due to soil erosion and leaching.
Winter cover crops are a valuable
tool farmers may use to prevent
this economic loss of valuable nu
trients and prevent environmental
damage. If you are applying ma
nure to crop land this fall, plan
on planting a small gram cover
crop such as rye. The rye will take
up the available nitrogen and hold
IN WHOSE HANDS ARE
YOU?
October 12, 1997
Background Scripture
Daniel 3
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 27 7-14
"And they all lived happih
ever after. "
Chapter one of the Book of
Daniel left us under the impres
sion that Daniel and his three
friends could look forward to
that kind of future But then we
come to Daniel 3 and the whole
picture has changed once again
Just when we had assumed
that Daniel had won the King’s
permission to practice their faith
without prohibition, Nebu
chadnezzar puls then (aith to a
new trial Everyone in Ins king
dom, he decrees, must fall down
and worship a monstrous gold
statue he has had erected
Whether the statue is of himself
or of a god, we do not know, but
Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego realize that once
again they are being com
manded to adulterate their faith
in God To woiship this idol or
whomever it stands for is a bla
tant denial of their commitment
to the Lord
First of all, let us recognize in
their situation a lesson all ol us
have to learn no earthly victory
is ever permanent. The victory
they had won in Daniel 1 did not
last long So it is with us, too
Many of us go through life
thinking that if only this or that
were to happen, life would be
happy and wonderful
During World War II many of
us prayed with the expectation
that victory would solve all the
world’s problems. Well, we won
the war but immediately slid
into 40 some years of conflict
with Communism Many ol us
then prayed lor the demise ol
Communism If only we could
free the world of Communism .
So Communism fell, but the
world is much the same as be
fore.
NO GUARANTEE
So, not long after the victory
of chapter one comes the new
crisis ol chaptci three—just as
m our lives, too
Once again, then, the faith of
Shadrach, Mcshach and
it in the plant and preventing its
loss to the water supply. If the rye
is harvested, the nutrients will be
utilized as high quality feed If the
rye is killed or plowed down in
the spring, the nutrients will be
come available to the following
crop. The rye will also prevent
nutrient loss by slowing soil ero
sion. Rye may be planted as late
as November. The earlier it is
planted, the more nutrients it will
take up and the more it will yield
m the spring.
Feather Prof.'s Footnote: "Be
too big for worry and too noble
for anger."
Abcdncgo i-. challenged
(Where’s Daniel m all this 9 The
writer of Daniel is mysteriously
silent about Daniel in this mat
ter ) We must admire their faith
They had no guarantee that God
would save them as he had in
the first crisis Me had not told
them that, if they remained
faithful to him, he would get
them out of this trap
Responding to the King’s
thundering threats, they say,
“Our God is able to deliver us
from the burning fiery furnace,
and he will deliver us out of
your hand, O king But if not,
be it known to you, O king, that
we will not serve your gods or
worship the golden image which
you have scl up” (3 17,18)
Their loyal refusal to worship
the golden image was not based
on the expectation that God
would save them from the con
sequences That God could save
them, they had no doubt, that he
would save, they did not
know—and it would not matter
DELIVERANCE
Wc know now what they could
not know that God would save
them from the fiery furnace But
we also know that, of the mil
lions ol people who have been
challenged to give up their faith
at the pain ol death, the over
whelming majority of them have
not been delivered from the con
sequences of their faith Our
God can save us But we cannot
be certain that he will The only
guarantee that we gel from him
is (hat he will be with us when
we suffer for his sake Even it
that suffering ends m death
Isn’t this what the cross
teaches us 9 We are called to re
main faithful to him m any cri
sis, not because we are assured
that he will save us from paying
the consequences, but that he
will be with us in the midst of
those consequences and that he
will make us victorious m a way
dial no escape in the ‘nick ol
time’ can
"Who is the god that will de
liver you out of my hands,” the
king taunts the three Jews. What
he didn’t realize is that because
of their faith in God they were
never in his hands.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
-by-
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stemman Enterprise
Robert G. Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Managing Editoi
Copyright 1997 by Lancaster Farming