fttManeaHar fianrfno, Saturday, January 17,19 M
OPINION
Let’s Keep Up
The Good Work
Officials of the Pennsylvania Farm Show put some acts of hard
evidence into their premise about what urbanites learn when they
visit the annual showcase of the state’s ag industry.
At a media event to unveil die butter sculpture on Thursday
before the show opened. State Ag Secretary Sam Hayes Jr.,
hosted a large group of school children from three districts in the
Harrisburg area. Because the sculpture depicts a school cafeteria
employee serving a student a balanced meal of foods from Pen
nsylvania and underscores PDA’s commitment to food safety,
Hayes was able to do some ag education at the elementary level.
Posing questions about how much and why you cook hambur
gers, Hayes was able to conduct ag education in front of national
and regional TV cameras. Through questions posed by Hayes to
the kids for impromptu answers, the young people learned that
“we cook food to keep it safe” and “farmers give us safe food, but
we must keep it safe in our homes after we have it.”
In an even more dramatic visual demonstration, the children
had the opportunity to test the level of germs on their hands
before and after washing by placing their hands in a solution.
As fanners and agribusiness people, we long for the past days
when we only had to talk to ourselves and our neighbors who
understood our farm problems. Commercial ag exhibitors and
even livestock and dairy exhibitors have a growing aversion to
spending the farm show week dealing with the non-farm public
who ask so many questions that any farmer would know. But as
one commercial exhibitor said, we certainly need the educational
aspect of the Farm Show.
Today, so much of the education done in public is anti
agriculture or at least has a slant that lacks the knowledge of agri
culture. So, our hats are off to Sec. Hayes and all the companies
and persons who had a part in this most rewarding experience of
educating children about agriculture. The “Good Learners Need
Good Food” theme to promote the school food safety program for
the Pennsylvania Department of Agricultrue was certainly well
chosen.
Without consumer education that is sympathetic to agriculture,
our industry cannot survive. In this effort at the Farm Show,
everyone, who in any way supported or participated in this year’s
ag showcase, can claim a stake in the outcome of these better
informed kids.
S;ilni(l;i\, .l;nm;ir\ 17
Susquehanna County Holstein
Association annual meeting.
Md. Organic Food and Fanning
Association Winter Meeting,
thru Jan. 21.
New Holland Vegetable Day,
Summit Valley Elementary
School, New Holland, 9
ajn.-3:30 p.m.
Commodity Futures Basics, Leba
non Valley Ag Center. 1 p.m.-3
pjn., also Jan. 26 and Feb. 2 and
Feb. 9.
Pa. Producers Research and Deve
lopment Commission Meeting,
Intercourse Fire Hall, Inter
course, 7 p.m.
Octonra Young Farmers Associa
tion Grain Marketing Meeting,
Odorant High School, 7:30
pjn.
NewJenwyTnnualVegetaite
Meeting, Trump Taj Mahal,
Atlantic City, N J., thru Jan. 22.
Nutrient Management for Veget
able Crops, University of Mary
land Plant Science Building,
❖ Farm Calendar*
College Park.
Pa. Lime, Fertilizer, and Pesticide
Conference, Nittany Lion Inn,
State College, thru Jan. 22.
Forage School Level 1, Lebanon.
Valley Ag Center, 9 a.m.-3;30
p.m.
Clarion County Extension/
PaDHIA meeting on MUN
testing, Clarion Clipper
Restaurant, Clarion, 10 a.m.-2
pjn.
Dairy-MAP, Focus On The Future,
Farm and Home Center, Lan
caster, also Jan. 27, 10 a.m.
PAPC Annual Meeting, Nittany
Lion Inn, State Collge, 10 ajn.
SERA Ogranizational Meeting.
World Congress Center, Atlan
Union/Northumberland coun
ties, Sl John’s United Church
of Christ, Lewisburg.
Lameness In Cattle Seminar. Mil
ton All-American Restaurant,
Milton, 10 ajn.-3 p.m.
Upper Susquehanna Direct Farm
Marketing Seminar, Quality
Inn, South Williamsport, 9:45
County Fairs Convention, Her-
To Fill Out Ag Census
The 1997 Census of Agricul
ture is currently being mailed to
every farmer in the United States.
This year's census is being con
ducted by the United States De
partment of Agriculture for the
first time. All previous censuses
were conducted by the United
States Bureau of Census. It is im
portant every farmer completes the
census as accurate as possible. It
is the only source of local county
level information available about
farms.
This information becomes the
basis for planning by industry,
government and agricultural or
ganizations. Response to the cen
sus is required by law. The same
law protects the privacy of the re
ports, information about individ
ual operations is strictly confiden
tial and census responses are im
mune from legal processes. Com
pleted forms are due by February
2, 1998. A toll free number has
been established to answer ques
tions. The toll free number is 1-
888-4 AG-STAT.
To Sign Up For Chem-
sweep
Many farms have a collection
of unwanted old pesticides that
have deteriorated or have been
suspended or canceled. Finding a
safe way to dispose of these prod
ucts is a very serious problem.
The Chemsweep program,
operated by the Pennsylvania De
partment of Agriculture, provides
a safe disposal method for these
materials. There is no charge to
participate in the program.
To participate in the program,
contact your regional office of the
Pennsylvania Department of Agri
culture and request a Chemsweep
registration form. This form must
returned by February 28, 1998 to
insure your chemicals will be in
cluded in this year's collection.
The pesticides will be collected in
shey Lodge and Convention
Center, Hershey, thru Jan. 24.
No-Till Conference, Wes tin Hotel,
Indianapolis, Ind., thru Jan. 24.
Lawrence County Fruit Growers
Dinner, New Wilmington
Grange Hall, dinner 6 p.m.,
meeting 7 p.m.
Capitol Region Greenhouse Semi
nar, Lantern Lodge.
Myerstown.
York County Ag Recognition Ban
quet, Wisehaven Hall, 7 pan.
Bus Tour With Three Dairy Farms
In Huntingdon County, leaves
Meadvilk Mall at 5 am. and
Mercer County Extension
Office at 5:45 ajn„ returns to
Meadville by 8 pjn.
Kent County Ag Day, Rank Jar
man American Legion, Ches
tertown, Md., 9:30 a.m.-3:30
pjn.
Farmland Preservation Meeting
(Turn to Pago A2l)
the summer or fall of 1998
Remember, if you keep the
pesticides, you retain the liability
for these products. Should they
leak or spill and cause environ
mental contamination you would
be responsible.
To Keep Pesticide Li
cense Current
We are now in the heart of the
winter meeting season. This is the
time of year many farmers receive
their pesticide educational credits
that are needed to renew their pes
ticide licenses. You need to re
ceive six category and six core
credits every three years.
It is best if some of these cred
its are earned every year rather
then waiting and trying to earn
them all at the last minute. If you
THE GENTLE WI TNESS
Januaiy 18, 1998
Background Scripture
1 Peter 3:8-21
Devotional Reading:
1 Peter 2:18-25
A few weeks ago I was in
Cappadocia, a region of northern
Turkey. For tourists, this is one
of the most fascinating areas in
the world. The landscape there
abounds in miles of under
ground cities, rock churches and
natural exotic rock formations.
In the Ist century AD, this
area was part of what was
known as Asia Minor, a Roman
name for the land we today call
the Republic of Turkey. The
underground cities were carved
out of soft limestone to provide
protection from invading hoards
from Central Asia. Christians
here used caves as places of wor
ship. In many of them are rem
nants of fine Christian mosaics.
But, although the under
ground cities and rock churches
did offer some protection from
persecution, Cappadocian
Christians did not escape perse
cution. While exploring these
underground cities, I was
reminded that one of the New
Testament epistles, 1 Peter, was
specifically written to give
encouragement and hope to per
secuted Christians in northern
Asia.
NO THREAT
It occurred to me that it is
difficult for us to fully appreci
ate this epistle because most of
us have never been even threat
ened by persecution for the sake
of our faith. There are some
places in the world where that is
not true, but in the USA being
identified as a Christian carries
no threat of danger.
Why is that?, I asked myself.
Well, of course, we live in a dif
ferent world from that of the Ist
century AD. Christianity is the
prevailing religion in the
Western world and is tolerated
for the most part throughout the
rest of the world. (There are
some glaring exceptions to be
sure.) But is it just that the
world has become more accom
modating to the gospel of Jesus
Christ? Or could it be because
Christianity has changed and is
no longer a threat to the secular
values and structures of society?
Might it be that in the
churches today we get along
do not earn the required credht,
you will have to re-take the test in
order to have a current pesticide lj.
cense. Now is the time to attend
winter meetings to learn the latest
information on agriculture and re
ceive your pesticide credits. '
Feather Prof.'s Footnote: "You
cannot build a reputation on what
you are going to do."
market movements that are re
flected in your plan.
The final step in reviewing
your marketing plan is showing it
to family and employees. Others
will remind you of established
goals and entry points. Remem
ber, none of us is smarter than all
of us. A marketing plan that is
not written down and posted is no
marketing plan at all.
because we go along ? i 8
Christianity not seen as a threat
today because the values of the
community have become pretty
much the values of the church
es? Does the church to which
you belong ever challenge the
standards and actions of your
society? Has your society
become so much like the king
dom of God that there is no point
of conflict with the gospel your
church portrays? Is the society
motivated more by the Golden
Rule or the law of the market
place?
NO PINCH, NO SQUEEZE
I think it is an ominous dan
ger sign when a church or a
Christian fits into society with
out a pinch or squeeze. There
are things in our self-centered,
materialistic, consumerized,
prejudiced, polarized, corrupt,
violent, sex-obsessed (add some
of your own adjectives here, if
you like) society that ought to be
challenged by the teachings and
example of Jesus Christ.
If we challenge our society, 1
however, 1 Peter says that there
is a right way and a wrong way
to go about it. The right way
“...have unity of the spirit, sym
pathy, love of the brethren, a
tender heart and a humble
mind” (3:8). Unfortunately, lots
of those who do attack our soci
ety today seem motivated not by
“love of the- brethren” and “ten
der” hearts and “humble” minds
seem to be in short supply.
Before you get up on your
soap-box pulpit, before you
make a placard to carry or join a
vocal, perhaps even forceful,
protest, read 1 Peter 3: “Do not
return evil for evil or reviling for
reviling; but on the contrary,
bless, for to this you have been
called, that you may obtain a
blessing” (3:9). You can witness
for Christ in your workplace, in
your neighborhood and your
community without becoming
like the thing you are opposing
If you end up returning evil for
evil and insult for insult, you are
not witnessing for Christ but
yourself.
A hateful witness only harms
the gospel. “Always be prepared
to make a defense to anyone who
calls you to account for the hope
that is in you, yet do it with
gentleness and reverence
(3:15).
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
IE. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
-by-
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stalnman Enterprise
Robert G. Campbell General M«n«9*
Everett R, Newewenoer Managing Edliw
Copyright 199 C by Lnncutir Fuming