AlO-L«ncMtef Farming, Saturday, January 3, 1998
OPINION
See You At
The Farm Show
With the new year comes the time for snow. At least that’s the
thought for those who annually attend the Pennsylvania Farm
Show. But even if the weather is frightful, the show will undoub
tedly be delightful. This has become one of the most publicized
farm events in the East. And while it takes extra effort to show
farm animals in January, many livestock exhibitors brave the
cold to show their prize animals because of the potential public
exposure a champion will receive.
In addition to the opportunities for farmers to visit with friends
and see the new machinery and services the commercial exhibi
tors have to offer, the event has become a major showcase for
agriculture to both local consumers and buyers of foreign export
able farm commodities.
Again, a major event to be held in conjunction with the show
will be the special International Celebration to begin even before
the show is open to the local public. Gov. Tom Ridge, along with
State Ag Secretary Sam Hayes, Jr., plans to be personally
involved with helping to show the 200 expected international vis
itors the quality and diversity of Pennsylvania agriculture.
Since 1917, the Farm Show has been the focus of agriculture in
the Keystone State. Over the years iihe emphasis has changed
with the changing conditions in agriculture. But always the prog
ram and event schedule has been dedicated to promote Pennsyl
vania’s number one industry: agriculture.
Next Saturday Gov. Ridge is scheduled to officially open the
show. And once again all those with an interest in farming will
have the opportunity to visit the premier ag show of the year. We
hope to see you there.
ity
Senior Extension Agent, St.
John’s United Church of Christ,
Grange Hall, 10:20 a.m.-2 p.m.
Crop Pest Update, Worthington
Fire Hall, 7 pjn.-9 p.m.
Sharing A Night With A Legisla
tor, Tulpehocken Adult/Young
Farmer Educational Session,
Tulpehocken High School,
7:30 p.m.
Wills and Estate banning, Octora
ra Area Young Fanners Associ
ation. Octorara High School,
Family Time Restaurant, 6:45
p.m.
Franklin County Dairy Day,
Kauffman’s Community Cen
ter, 9:35 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Bucks/Montgomcry County Dairy
Day, Family Heritage Restaur-
ant, Franconia, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Lancaster County Tobacco Show,
Farm and Home Center, judg
ing 1 pjn.
Meeting on the Deregulation of
Electrical Energy, Clarion
County Extension Office, 7:30
p.m.
Keystone Farm Show, York Fair
grounds, thru Jan. 7,
Eastern Pa. Turf Conference and
Trade Show, Valley Forge Con
vention Center, KingofPnissi
a. thru Jaa 8.
❖ Farm Calendar*:*
\\«.'(liu's(hi>. .laninin 7
Crop Planning Workshop, Hugo’s
Restaurant, Brownsville, 9:30
a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Berks County Dairy Day. Berks
County Ag Center, Leesport
Reproductive meeting, Adams
County extension office, 9:30
a.m.-noon.
Options Workshop, Lebanon Val
ley Ag Center, 7 p.m„ also Jan.
21
Ihursdin, .human S
Chester County Dairy Day.
Oxford Fire Hall, Oxford.
NYS Ag Society Annual Meeting,
Four Points Shcraton/ITT,
Liverpool.
Leola Produce Auction meeting,
Bareville Fire Hall, 12:30
p.m.-3 p.m.
Clarion County Dairy Manage
ment Meeting, extension office,
1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Kutztown Produce Auction Edu
cational Event, Getting The
Most Rom the Drive-Through
Auction. Kutztown Produce
Schuylkill Haven, 9:30
ajn.-2:30 p.m.
Basics of Managing A Dairy Farm
Business. Lancaster Farm and
Home Center, Lancaster. 10
a.m. _
SlKwJFam^h<w
Complex, Harrisburg, thru Jan.
AroencaaFan^
Convention, Charlotte Conven
tion, Charlotte, N.C., thru Jan.
With dairy profit margins now
being tight, it is time to focus on
priorities, according to Glenn
Shirk, Lancaster County Exten
sion Dairy Agent. One area to fo
cus on is cost control. When feed
is scarce and you need to purchase
more feed, make the best use of
your feeds.
Sell unprofitable cows and
contract heifers out to a good
grower in order to reduce feed
needs. This will also make more
feed available for your best cows.
Feed a balanced ration, use good
feeding techniques and avoid over
feeding a lot of expensive feeds
and additives. Take advantage of
price breaks, bulk discounts and
lower price feed alternatives.
To Manage Cow Invest-
Glenn Shirk, Lancaster County
Extension Dairy Agent, reminds
us of the importance of protecting
your investment in cows. They
are your producing base.
Take a good look at your involun
tary culling rate, your herd health
program, your heifer program and
your dry cow program.
Take a good look at your
management practices. Are you
maintaining high production by
culling your problems rather than
fixing them and preventing the
problems in the first place? If so,
that is a very, very costly practice.
Instead, focus on the areas that set
the stage for good herd health,
longevity, good production and
*
fc - v.Jty-V
*' ■ %~
Seminar Series, Morrison’s
Cove Memorial Park, also Jan.
20 and Feb. 10,10 ajn.-3 p.m.
Vegetable Update Meeting. Car
roll County Extension Office,
Westminster, Md., 9 a.m.-2
p.m.
FannProduction Management
Workshops, York County
Extension, thru Jan. 15.
Fundamentals of Soil Science,
Neshaminy Manor Center,
Doylestown. 7:30 p.m.-9:30
also Ji 21 and 28 and
Extension Office, 9 ».m.-3 p jn.
Weed Management School, Leba
non Valley Ag Center, 9:30
ajn.-3 p.m.
Basics of Managing A Dairy Farm
Business, Stephen S. Stoltzfus
Farm, New Midland, also Jan.
To Focus On Priorities
men!
. meeting.
Restaurant 7 n.m
(Turn to P«g« *27)
conception.
Develop and implement pro
grams for good health, good cow
comfort, good nutrition, good ge
netics and for good management
of heifers and dry cows.
To Know The Facts
A recent newspaper article re
ported on a science fair project
that a freshman won first prize.
The student wanted to know how
gullible people have become as a
result of the alarmist ability to re
ceive news media attention.
In his project, the student
urged people to sign a petition
demanding strict control or total
elimination of the chemical dihy
drogen monoxide.
His petition stated that dihy-
; n\v" •"/////■'i"
BY LAWRENCE W AITHOUSE
,f myi
m
THE INHERITANCE
January 4, 1998
Background Scripture:
1 Peter 1:3-22
Devotional Reading:
Hebrews 11: 1-12
I inherited from my parents
what remained of their collec
tion of old photographs. The last
few weeks I have been sorting
them out, identifying them and
placing them into one or more
photo albums along with my
own photos that span the years
between 1930 and the present.
Working with these pho
tographs has caused me to rumi
nate on my family inheritance. I
don't mean a material inheri
tance-money, property, invest
ments-but the more lasting kind
that can be passed on from gen
eration to generation by the
force of personal influence. I
have concluded that I am heir to
a very rich inheritance.
Working with these pho
tographs has also made me
reflective. I look at the photos of
me at two months, two years,
six, twelve and so on, comparing
those images with the man I see
every morning when I shave. Is
there any continuity between
them? Anything left of the
youthful idealism and superfi
cial confidence?
DANGEROUS PHOTOS
Old photographs can be dan
gerous if they lead us to live in
the past. That is truly a sign of
old age, although not maturity.
Just as the young seem to live
only for the future, the elderly
appear to live too much in the
past. But, no matter how won
derful or how disappointing our
pasts may have been, the power
for living here and now is not to
be found in the past.
Actually, maturity has noth
ing to do with chronological age.
The meaning of life is based
upon a hope that far transcends
any of those upon which I have
trusted over the years. As a
youth I had great hopes for
myself. I wouldn't make the mis
takes and commit the sins I saw
all around me. I would never be
prejudiced or intolerant, never
hurtful to others, never negli
gent in my responsibilities. The
gospel and I (maybe not in that
order) would transform the
church and save society.
Looking back, I can see that
none of those hopes were truly
realized. On that basis, I should
be very disillusioned. But I am
drogen monoxide caused excessive
sweating and vomiting, is the ma
jor component of acid rain, causes
severe burns in the gaseous state,
accidental inhalation can kill, con
tributes to erosion, decreases the
effectiveness of automobile brakes
and has been found in the tumors
of terminal cancer patients.
His test group included SO
people. Eighty six per cent
thought it should be banned and
signed the petition. Twelve per
cent were undecided. Only one
person was able to identify the
chemical dihydrogen (two hydro
gen) monoxide (one oxygen) as
H2O or water.
Feather Prof.’s Footnote: "Do
not just think about it, do it!"
not! For I have found a hope that
does not fade with time. 1 Peter
1:3,4 says it more eloquently.
"By his great mercy we have
been born anew to a living hope
through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ...and to an inheri
tance which is imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading..."
A LIVING HOPE
Everything else in which I
have trusted has proven to be
perishable, corruptible, and
inconstant-myself, others, ide
ologies, society, yes even church
es. The only "living hope" I have
is the inheritance that is offered
to all of us: "his great mercy."
Everything in this world decays,
is destroyed or violated, but our
inheritance-salvation through
the mercy of God- is "kept in
heaven" for us where, us Jesus
said, "neither moth nor rust con
sumes and where thieves do not
break in and steal" (Mt. 7:20).
1 Peter says, "In this you
rejoice, though now for a little
while you may have to suffer
various tijals, so that the gen
uineness of your faith...may
redound to praise and honor at
the revelation of Jesus Christ"
(1:7) Our hope is not that we can
avoid the failures of the past of
the trials of the present, but that
there is a salvation awaiting us
beyond both past and present.
Maybe as youth we do not
truly appreciate the good news
of salvation because we do not
yet realize how truly we need
salvation and how impotent
everything else is to provide it.
In our early years we see salva
tion in many directions. It is
only in time that we find that
each of these, save one, is a blind
alley. So, betrayed by so many
salvations we can see, we may
come to trust in one we cannot:
"Without having seen him you
love him; though you do not now
see him you believe in him and
rejoice with unutterable and
exalted joy" (1 Peter 1:8)
In the Oxford Annotated
Bible there is a footnote:
"Inheritance expresses the for
ward-looking character of the
Christian life; the greater part
of the riches is yet to come."
That is our inheritance; a "living
hope" that the really best-imper
ishable, undefiled and unfading
is yet to be.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
-by-
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stelnman Enterprise
Robert a Campbell General Manager
Everett R. Newtwenger Managing Editor^
Copyright 199 C by Lancaatar Famine