AiiKJncasnr rwmmg, sanmuy, i««o
I
OPINION
Enhance Soil Ability
Pressures on the land to produce food have already become so
intense much of the land world-wide has already become
degraded. According to John Hebblethwaite, PH.D., writing in
Global Food Quarterly, in Indonesia alone, an estimated 200,000
hectares are abandoned each year as degraded land is taken over
by useless Imperata grass.
Excess, tillage means excessive water runoff. This lost water
carries with it topsoil and nutrients that are lostto crop production
even as they pollute streams and lakes with pesticide traces,
excess nutrients, and bacteria.
In the United States, we believe industry and urban develop
ment must share the blame for pollution of the environment.
Advanced technology in agriculture has actually reduced the
impact of farming on the environment over the last decade.
But in undeveloped countries the solution to the problem of
agricultural and environmental sustainability and the solution to
the problem of water quality are the same; conserving and
enhancing soil quality. Even in our own country and in our own
region, high-quality soils with lots of organic matter resist ero
sion, absorb rainfall, and immobilize agricultural chemicals,
wastes, and other pollutants.
The only practical, productive, and hilly sustainable answer
that mankind has found is low-till farming: conservation tillage
and no-till. Conservation tillage reduces, changes, or eliminates
tillage to keep enough surface residue on the land to adequately
protect the soil from erosion. (Normally, that means keeping at
least 30 percent of the crop residue on the soil surface.)
No-till is any farming system that leaves the soil undisturbed
horn harvest to planting, except for the injection of plant nutri
ents. Seeding is accomplished in a narrow seedbed or slot created
by coulters, disc openers, or other tools.
As we go into the new planting season, you may want to con
sider what changes you can make in your farm tillage practices
that will enhance the natural ability of your soil to hold water and
grow crops.
New and Beginning Fanner Work
shop, Holiday Inn, Grantville.
Northcentral Pa. Woodland Own
ers’ Conference, Penns Inn of
the Alvin Bush Center, Pa. Col
lege of Technology Campus,
Williamsport, 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Fellowship of Christian Farmers
11th Annual Outreach Lunc
heon, Wilhelm LTD, noon-2:30
p.m.
Home Gardeners’ School, Penn
State Berks-Lehigh Valley Col
lege Student Union Building, 8
a.m.
Northcentral Pa. Woodland Own-
ers’ Conference, Penns Inn,
Alvin Bush Center, Pa. College
of Technology, 9:45 a.m.
Regional Christinas Tree Seminar
and Trade Show. Rustic Lodge.
Pa. Cornucopia, Capitol Building,
Harrisburg.
Susquehanna 4-H Presentations
and Public Speaking Work
shop, County Office Building,
Montrose, 7:30 pan.
Managing Price Risk For Dairy
Producers, Centre County
Cooperative Extension, Belle
fontc, 10 a.m.-noon.
Somerset County Dairy-MAP,
Somerset County Vo-Tech
❖ Farm Calendar ❖
EAYF dairy meeting, Ephrata
High School vo-ag classroom,
7:30 p.m.
Equine Mini Series, EPM, Lamini
tis. Holiday Inn, Carlisle, 7
p.m.-9 p.m.
Jefferson County Crops Day,
Brody Township Community
Center, Luthersburg, 9:30
a.m.-3 p.m.
Dairy Day Seminar, Clarion Holi
day Inn, 9:30 ajn.-3;30 p.m.
Lancaster County Holstein tour to
Franklin and Adams counties,
leave Farm an Home Carter,
Lancaster, 7:45 a.m.
Editor,
I have been watching beef cattle
prices at our local cattle auction
and have discovered a trend that
disturbes me.
Each week, there are more dairy
cows coming to market than there
are beef steers and heifers.
This is a disturbing factor when
beef cattle prices arc only slighdy
above the cost of production, espe
cially when cattle-on-fecd num
bers, according to the (United
To Vote in Tobacco Ref
erendum
The United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) has an
nounced that a tobacco referendum
will be conducted March 23 to
March 27. The referendum will be
conducted at the Farm Service
Agency (FSA) offices in counties
where tobacco is grown. To be
eligible to vote, a person must
have grown tobacco during 1997.
Farmers can report their tobacco
acreage at the time of voting.
If more than two-thirds of the
farmers who vote are in favor of
the quota program, then USDA
will set quotas for the state.
Farmers will be able to obtain
price support loans and acreage al
lotments for the next three years
based on what they marketed in
the past year. Since Pennsylvania
grows two types of tobacco, farm
ers will vote according to the type
of tobacco they grow.
To Renew Pesticide Li-
censes
As pesticide licenses near ex
piration, we receive many ques
tions on where may I receive up-
Horse Pasture Workshop. Mon
toursville Presbyterian Church,
6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., also
March 19 at Columbia County
Extension office meeting room.
Also March 26, Sl Johns
United Church of Christ, near
Lewisburg.
County Pesticide Update, Exten
sion Office, Ebensburg, 7:30
p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Westmoreland County Coopera
tive Extension Association
Annual Meedng/Open House,
Donohoe Center, 4 p.m.-8 pan.
Holstein tour of Franklin, Cumber
land, and Adams counties. Bus
leaves Fisher Bus Co. at 7:30
a jn. and from the fairgrounds at
7:4S a.m.
Ag Engineering and Building
Materials School, Holiday Inn,
(Turn lo Pag* A 29)
* Farm Forum ❖
States Agricultural Statistical Ser
vice), are decreasing.
Of course, while this does give
the consumer a cheap hamburger
meat price at the local supermark
et, it does no favor to the beef
grower or to the dairyman.
For instance, in last week’s
market report, cows ranged from a
low of $19.50 to a high of $41.50
cwL
What is perplexing to me is,
(Turn to Pag* A 29)
date credits. Pesticide update train
ing is conducted under the author
ity of the Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture. They assign
credits to meetings held by coop
erative extension and agricultural
industry.
To receive the most up to dale
information on meetings being
held, call PDA at 1-800-736-
6476. This is a toll free number
which operates 7 days a week, 24
hours a day. The information is
up dated weekly. To use this sys
tem you need a touch tone phone.
When you call the system,
you will need to respond to sev
eral questions by pushing a num
ber on your touch tone phone.
The information on the recording
is the date, number of credits and a
phone number to call for more in
formation about the meeting.
To Understand Pesticide
License
Many fanners wonder what
THE ADVANTAGE OF
A ‘LONELY PLACE’
March 8, 1998
Background Scripture:
Mark 1:21-45
Devotional Reading:
Acts 9:32-42
Can you remember when you
were first attracted to Jesus, not
because someone else told you
who and what he was, but because
for yourself you recognized his
authority for your life?
When I was a child I went to
Sunday School (which I basically
didn't like) and worship (which I
tolerated) because my parents
took me. Experientially, I had al
ways believed in God and I ac
cepted Jesus as God’s Son for the
same reason I accepted that the
world was round that is what I
was taught
That didn’t really change until,
as a 9th grader, I began to go
steady with a pretty brunette who
had just moved to town. She be
gan to tell me about the “great”
Youth Fellowship she was attend
ing at a local church. To be with
her, I went along to that YF, as we.
called it The thing that really
hooked me was that these kids
could be both devout and a barrel
of fun at the same time. When the
girl and I “broke up” I continued
going.
Then, they told me that, if I
really enjoyed the YF, I would
love going with some of them to
Petkasie, a one-week denomina
tional summer youth camp. I did
and I remember well my first day
there. I was sure I had made a
huge mistake. The park was not all
that inviting: an unattractive frame
building that doubled as a dining
hall and girls’ dormitory, a few
wooden cottages for the boys and
a barn-like, semi-open ‘Taberna
cle” leftover from the emotional
camp meeting days.
THE DELL
That evening, however, we had
the first of our daily vesper ser
vices in the Dell, a simple wood
land amphitheater. There was a
crude wooden cross and lectern
and logs cut in half to provide low
seats on the tiers. A Dell tradition
was that we would observe silence
from the time that we passed the
last cottage on the way to the Dell
and returned after vespers, except,
of course to sing some hymns.
happens if their pesticide 'license
expires this year and they do not
have the required number of credits
by the end of March. Private ap
plicators have up to one year to
receive the required credits without
being required to re-take the ex
amination. However, during this
period of time, they may not pur
chase or apply restricted use pesti
cides. It is much easier to receive
credits each year then wait until
the last year.
If you cannot find your pesti
cide license, call your regional of
fice of Pennsylvania Department
of Agriculture and ask to speak to
one of the pesticide inspectors.
They can tell you the status of
your license. If needed, they may
make arrangements to have an
other copy sent to you.
Feather Prof, 's Footnote: "The
future belongs to those who be
lieve in the beauty of their
dreams."
Those who led the service usually
did so from behind the assembled
group. Otherwise, there was a lot
of silence.
There in that beautiful wood
land silence, I found that in His
life and teachings Jesus spoke to
me with an authority that seemed
to come directly from God him
self. His authority for me no long
er came from a book, parent or
teacher. I can appreciate, then,
why Mark tells us that “they were
astonished at His teaching, for He
taught them as one who had au
thority, and not as the scribes”
(1:22).
So, when and how did you
make that discovery?—assuming
you have.
Inspiring as the stories of heal
ing and his ability to command
unclean spirits are, it would mean
little to me in the long run if I were
not able to find him exercising that
same kind of power in my own ex
perience. I am eternally thankful
for Mark’s recounting of these
events that speak so winningly of
Jesus’ power and authority, but
without confirmation of this in my
own life I do not think I would
continue to look to him as my
Lord and Master.
WHERE IT STARTS
You see, believing Jesus can do
it is not enough. The unclean spir
its believed that: “What have you
to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
... I know who you are, the Holy
One of God” (1:24). Unless we act
upon our belief, it is worthless.
Eventually, the disciples discov
ered what the unclean spirits
knew. Eventually, I found for my
self what the disciples learned. A
quiet, lonely place called The Dell
was where it all started for me.
What about you?
I remember well, if not verba
tim, the words of the Dauphin (the
French heir apparent) to Joan of
Arc in Jean Anouilh’s play. The
Lark. Complaining bitterly of
Joan’s visions, “Why doesn’t he
speak to me?” he wants to know.
She replies in effect, “He does
speak to you, but you don’t listen
to him.”
Are YOU listening?
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
IE. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
-by-
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stelnman Enterprise
Robert CL Campbell General Manager
ivaratt R. Newewanger Managing Edltoit
Copyright 199 t by Laoowtar Fumay