Aio-Lancastw Farming, Saturday, October 25, 1997 OPINION How Gullible Are We? Opponents of agriculture often use half-truths, innuendo, and false science to back their disparaging remarks about our efforts to feed the world. In a report from Terry Downs of Twin Falls Idaho on Dairy-L of the Internet, a freshman at Eagle Rock Junior High School won first prize at the greater Idaho Falls science fair when he showed how conditioned we have become to alarmists practing junk sci ence and spreading fear of everything in our environment. His project urged people to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical “dihydrogen monoxide.” The student gave plenty of good reasons since; 1. it can cause excessive sweating and vomiting; 2. it is a major component in acid rain; 3. it can cause severe bums in its gaseous state; 4. accidental inhalation can kill you; 5. it contributes to erosion; 6. it decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes: and 7. it has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients. Of the 50 people the student ask to support the ban of the chem ical, 43 said yes, six were undecided, and only one knew that the chemical was water. Appropriately, the title of the prize winning project was “How Gullible Are We?” Columbia County Grazing Field Day, Greg and Debbie Fan- Farm, Millville. New England Fall Sheep Sympo sium, University of Connecti cut, Storrs, Ratcliffe Hicks Are na., 8:30 a.m. Dynamic Duo Spotlight Sale, Maryland Shorthorn and Here ford Association, Frederick Fairgrounds, Frederick, Md., 7 p.m. State 4-H Horse Show, Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, thru Oct. 26. N.Y. State Grange Annual Ses sion, Binghamton, N.Y., thru Oct 28. Sunda\. October 26 l)a> light Saving Time Ends Watershed Workshop Meeting #l, Farm and Home Center, Lan caster, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. “Stretching Your Feed Supply,” Franklin County, 7:15 p.m. Dairy Feeding Meeting with Dr. Jud Heinrichs, Penn State Extension Dairy Nutritionist, Franklin County Human Ser vices Building Conference Room, Chambersburg, 7:15 Penn State Extension Fair and Open House, Berks County Ag Center, 3:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Lancaster County Poultry Ban quet, Willow Valley Palm Court, 6:30 p.m. Pa. State Grange Banquet, Lees port Farmers’ Market, Lees port, 6 p.m. Adams County Holstein Annual Meeting, Harney Fire Hall, 7 am. Susquehanna and Wyoming Counties Cooperative Exten sion Annual Meeting, Carriage Inn, Tunkhannock, 7 p.m. ❖ Farm Calendars Dairy and Animal Science meeting Lancaster County 4-H Swine Ban quet, Farm and Home Center, 6:30 p.m. Southeast Regional Christman Tree Growers’ Meeting, Berks County Agricultural Center, 7 p.m. Lebanon County Holstein Annual Meeting, Ono Fire Hall, 7 p.m. York County Agricultural Land Preservation Board Public Meeting, County Annex Build- October Friends of Agriculture Breakfast, Sheraton Inn, Dover, Identifying Trees In Winter Work shop, Pa. College of Technolo gy Earth Science Center, Mont gomery, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Estate Planning Workshop For Fanners, Back Mountain Reg ional Land Trust, Shavcrtown, Monda>. IMou-ihlkt 3 Wayne County Cooperative Extension Meeting, Joey C’s, Meadville. Dairy Practices Council 1997 Annual Conference, Harrisburg East Holiday Inn, thru Nov. 7. Farm Construction and Facilities Symposium, Rockingham County Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Annual Meeting of Pa. Assocation of County Agricultural Agents, Berks County Farm-City Banquet, Sheraton Berkshire. 6 p.m. To Attend Environment Commission Meetings Governor Tom Ridge estab lished the 21st Century Environ ment Commission to recommend methods and policies to improve (he environmental quality of the Commonwealth and measure the icsults, while allowing lor en hanced economic and social prog ress The commission is to define environmental priorities and rec ommend strategies to achieve these priorities The commission will he holding 15 regional round tables throughout Pennsylvania between October 30 and December 16, 1997 The purpose of the roundtables is to have the com missioners listen to the concerns and ideas ol local community leaders To icceive more information oi to icgister youi attendance at a meeting, call I-BKB-PADEP-21 Schedule ol meetings aic Oc lobei 30 and 31 - Williamsport, November 5 - Bedford, November 6 - Pittsburgh, November 12 - Dußuis, Novcmbci 13 - Franklin, November 20 - York, December 4 - May held, December 12 - Allen town and December 12 - Upper Mai ion To Manage Replacement Ewes According to Chester Hughes, Lancaster County Extension Live stock Agent, ewe lambs born in March and April arc excellent can didates to be used as replacement ewes m spring lambing (locks With proper feeding and breeding management, spring born ewe lambs should have lambs by the time they arc 12 to 14 months old Ewes that have their first lambs as yearlings have a higher lifetime production than ewes Lancaster Farmland Trust Ban quet, Country Table Restaur ant, Mount Joy. 6:30 p.m. Wayne County Holstein Annual Meeting, Belmont Comers Fire Hall, Belmont, 7:45 p.m. Warren County Holstein Annual Meeting, Columbus Fire Hall, Columbus, 8 p.m. Berks County Holstein Club Annual Meeting, Ontelaunee Grange, 7:15 p.m. Lebanon County 4-H Dairy Club banquet, Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, Jonestown, 7:30 p.m. Northeast CSA Conference, Han cock, Mass., thru Nov. 8. Ag Service School for Pa. West, Fall Seminar Emu Husbandry, Products, Marketing, Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Bucks County DHIA and Bucks Holstein annual meeting, St Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Kellers Church. 6:30 o.m. lambing first as two year olds. Se lect the fastest growing twin or triplet ewe lambs as replacements. Not only is there an advantage m improved prolificacy, but twin and triplet lambs have a more moder ate growth rate, which prevents excess fat deposition in the udder. Lifetime milk production maybe reduced in ewe lambs grown at an accelerated rate before reaching puberty. Ewe lambs should weigh approximately 60 per cent of their mature body weight at the time of breeding. Expose the ewe lambs to rams for 50 days. Use marking harness to monitor breeding activ ity To ensure proper develop ment, ewe lambs should receive one pound of grain daily up through lambing To prevent ex cessively large lambs at birth, gram should not be increased dur ing late gestation To Turn Clocks Back This week end marks the end ot daylight savings lime. Most people will turn back their clocks one hour before they go to bed DOES PRAYER REALLY DO ANYTHING? October 26, 1997 Background Scripture: Daniel 9 Devotional Reading Daniel 7:7-14 I’ve been praying as long as I’ve been talking. I cannot remember a time when I did not pray. I’ve prayed, not because some one persuaded me that I should pray, no- because anyone taught me how to pray. To be sure. I’ve experienced some of both the “shoulds” and the “hows,” but that is not why I first prayed and have continued to do so. As best I can remember, I first prayed because praying was as natural as crying, being hungry, and all those other things humans seem to “know” from the very beginning. I prayed because it was the natural way for me to react to God’s presence in my life something else which I don’t think I was taught. I don’t mean that my parents didn’t teach me about God and that they did not mention prayer, nor that I was not influenced by the Sunday schools to which they took me. But my awareness of God and practice of prayer seemed to pre cede the formal instruction of both parents and church. Maybe my recollection is in error, but that is really the way I remember it EARLIEST REMEMBRANCE Furthermore, I doubt that my experience of God and prayer arc unique. Maybe others do not remember it quite as I do, but I believe we all come into this world with a knowledge of God and pray er that may vary only in degree of consciousness and unconscious ness of it What may provide the difference in earliest awareness may be primarily the spiritual sup port that surrounds us in the fami ly. I think I prayed to God before I knew who God is and what prayer can be. My family and my church simply gave a name to what I already knew. So, 47 or so years ago when I first read Harry Emerson Fos dick’s wonderful book. The Mean ing of Prayer, I understood exactly what Fosdick meant when he said that prayer is a natural human capacity. He quotes Professor Wil- Saturday night. This is a good time to replace your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors batter ies. If you do not have these detec tors installed in your home, this would be a good time to install them. Detectors do save lives. Considering you have only a few minutes to escape from a burning house, the extra time a smoke de tector gives you could be price less. Every year we see more re ports of people suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. If you have not installed a carbon monoxide detectors in your house, you may want to consider buying and installing ones at several loca tions in your house. This is inex pensive insurance you may pur chase that could save your fam ily's lives. Also, remember dead batteries will not sound an alarm Replace your batteries this week end when you arc turning your clocks back. Feather Prof.'s Footnote: "It is not important where we stand, hut in what direction we are moving " liam James who became another favorite of mine in say ing, “We hear in these days of sci entific enlightenment a great deal of discussion about the efficacy of prayer; and many reasons are given us why we should not pray, whilst others are given us why we should. But in all this very little is said of the reason why we do pray... The reason why we do pray is simply that we cannot help pray ing” (Association Press, 1915,1959, p. 9). I used to think that people pray ed or didn’t pray because their pre vioius experiences persuaded them that it does or does not work. But I have changed my mind on that. Lots of my prayers didn’t seem to “work”—at least, not as I thought they ought to but that never dis suaded me from praying. Ulti mately, I learned again in the words of Fodsdick “We must not conceive of prayer as an over coming of God’s reluctance, but as a laying hold of his highest willingness.” CONFIRMATION When Daniel read the prophecy of Jeremiah (25:11, 12;29:10), he responded naturally: “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and suppli cations with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession..” (9:3,4). Daniel poured out his heart to God, not because he was taught to pray that way, but because it was his natural response to the reality of his God. Daniel received a confirmation of his prayer in a way that few of us ever experience, the angel Gabriel came to him in a vision and said, “O Daniel, I have now come to give you wisdom and understand ing. At the beginning of your sup plications a word went forth and I have come to tell it to y0u...” I believe a “word” goes “forth” from God whenever we pray. Blessed are those who see the angel who visits them when they pray; but blessed also are those who pray without ever seeing the angels who come to all of us. 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 iMncaster Farming
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