Aio-Lancaatef Farming, Saturday, March 21, 1998
I
Celebrate National
Agriculture Week
Farmers and ranchers represent less than two percent of the
United States population so why should the rest of us want to cel
ebrate National Agriculture Week, March 15-21? Actually, a better
question should be "Why wouldn't we want to celebrate it?"
After all, the efficiency and strong work ethic of America's
farmers and ranchers means we spend a lot less for food in this
country. )A?hile we spend 11.4% of our personal income on food.
Japan spends 21%, Italy spends 26%, and China spends 53%. Just
imagine if you had to allocate more than half your income to food.
Another reason we should celebrate is the contribution agricul
ture makes to the U.S. balance of trade. Agriculture is America's
#1 exporter, hitting record highs in sales overseas and reaching
more foreign markets than ever before.
Certainly those are good reasons for us to feel good about
American agriculture but this year's National Agricultural Week
theme is "Growing Tomorrows." How is American agriculture
addressing tomorrow?
According to H.D. Cleberg, president, Farmland Industries,
Inc., World population is expected to reach 7.9 billion by the year
2020 and about 10 billion by the end of the next century. In addi
tion, many of the 5.5 billion people who currently populate the
world will be coming into new wealth. We'll not only be feeding
new mouths, but we'll also be feeding those who can afford to
improve their diets.
Today’s farmer is meeting the challenges of world needs now
and in the future with progressive tools like precision farming and
biotechnology.
Through precision farming, producers can precisely control the
amount of crop protection products they put on their fields, which
helps them to achieve the greatest output per acre, per amount of
input.
Through sophisticated satellite technology farmers can man a
field and log data on everything from soil conditions to weed den
sity. With that data, which is fed into an electron grid of their field,
they can determine the exact amount of chemical that needs to be
applied in any specific cropping location.
In the process, both of these approaches allow the farmer to put
less stress on the environment
Biogenetics is another emerging technology in crop production
Some of these biotech products encourage the use of different her
bicide programs, while others replicate some advantages of crop
protection products
The bottom line is, today's farmers and ranchers are getting
better at what they do so they can meet world needs today and in
the future. Let s celebrate their efforts during National
Agricultural Week, March 15-21.
Equine Expo, Diamond 7 Arena,
Dillsburg, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Penn State Garden Symposium.
Farm and Home Center, Lan
caster, B:4S ajn.-3:15 p.m.
Monda\. Man'll 23
Pesticide Update Meeting, Fruit
Research Lab, Biglerville, 7
p.m.-9 p.m.
Beef Nutrition School, Ed’s Steak
House, Bedford, 9:30a.m.-2:30
p.m„ also March 24.
Small Fruit Growers Meeting,
Days Inn, Butler, 9 a.m.-3:10
vHwBH
Livestock Housing Workshop,
Mercer County Extension
Office, 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Pesticide Review Exam, Venango
County Extension Office, 7
p.m.-9 pjn., exam March 2S,
Venango County Extension, 7
p.m.
Dairy Ag Engineering Confer
ence, Mercer County extension
OPINION
* Farm Calendar ❖
office, 9:30 ajn.-2:20 p.m.
Beef Management Short Course,
York County 4-H Center, Bair,
7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., also
Match 31 and April 7, 14, 21,
and 28 and May 2 and 13.
Precision Agriculture: An Intro
duction to GPS. Carroll Com
• Colli W
Radisson-Penn Hanis, Camp
Hill, thru March 26.
United Dairy Cooperative Ser
vices Inc. Annual Meeting
Notice, Holiday Inn, Horse
heads, NJ., 10:30 a.m.
Ag Engineering Conference ’9B,
N.W. REA Building. Cam
bridge Springs. 9:30 a.m.-2:20
pjn.
Carroll County Milken* School,
C 11 Cr
Applicators, Farm and Home
Center, Lancaster.
Pa. Holstein Showcase Sale. Farm
(Turn to Pago A 36)
To Maintain
Conservation Plans
Federal government agencies
are under pressure to enforce
the nation's Clean Water Act.
They are focusing on animal
waste management and soil ero
sion. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) recent
ly announced plans to develop
regulations requiring large ani
mal operations to obtain permits
and develop nutrient manage
ment plans. The permits would
allow EPA to enter farms and do
compliance audits. Every com
mercial farm regardless of size
should have a soil conservation
plan and nutrient management
plan developed and implement
ed for the farm. Today's society
is requiring good stewardship as
a necessary component of every
farm. By implementing these
plans, you are practicing good
stewardship and maintaining
the sustainability of the farm.
Such inexpensive practices as
buffer strips, sod waterways and
storm water management would
go a long way in addressing
environmental concerns
Farmers need to look at their
operating practices and make
changes now The government is
giving us a window of opportuni
ty to come into compliance. How
you use this time will depend on
the type of government regula
tions we will have in the future
To Practice Good
Management Practices
According to Greg Andrews,
an lowa attorney, no amount of
public relations, right to farm
acts, or cover-ups will protect
farmers from lawsuits if the
farmer does not farm in an envi
ronmentally friendly manner.
Farmers must become environ
mentalists when it comes to
their farming operations. Follow
your soil conservation and nutri
ent management plans.
Andrews offered the following
advice as a legal defense for a
lawsuit. Practice good public
relations. Need to be open and
honest. Talk with your neigh
bors and notify them in advance
to nuisance operations (manure
spreading, noise, etc.) Seek their
input. Foster goodwill. Give
tours and briefings about your
operation. A couple of nights at
the local motel during manure
spreading could be the cheapest
way of handling neighbors
Remember, an average lawsuit
costs $20,000. Keep careful
records of your activities. Record
dates, times and weather condi
tions. Document when you did
certain activities. The business
of farming is maturing and as a
result farmers need to develop
more sophisticated business
practices.
To Look At Change
Agriculture is changing into a
high technology business
according to Sano Shimoda,
BioScience Securities. We are
witnessing the early stages of
the bio-transformation of agri
culture. The new technologies
will reshape the basic tenets of
agriculture, transform agricul
ture and the agribusiness infra
structure, expand the dimen
sions of agriculture and redefine
the role of agriculture in the
economy. The core drivers of the
new age of agriculture will be
biotechnology and precision
agriculture. They will create a
technology generated industrial
revolution in agriculture. This
j BY LAWRENCE W AIIHOUSE
'w
TROVBUNG THE TEACHER
Match 22, 1998
Background Scripture:
Mark 5:21-43
Devotional Reading:
I Corinthians 1:18-31
From 1965 to 1975 a weekly
worship service of spiritual heal
ing was part of the ongoing pro
gram of my pastorate at Calvary
United Methodiest Church in
Mohnton, Pennsylvania.
There was nothing dramatic
about the mechanics of this ser
vice. It was quiet, supportive and
often surprisingly effective. While
I would never claim that either I or
my associates another UMC
minister and a prominent local
medical doctor ever healed
anyone, God alone does that
we were nevertheless aware that
this ministry was beneficial to
hundreds of people who were
seeking healing of mind, body or
spirit. At least three local physi
cians referred one or more of their
patients to us or asked us to put
them on our prayer list Some phy
sicians who knew little or nothing
about us told their patients that
“whatever it is you’re doing, keep
on doing it!”
What did we experience? We
saw a large number of people im
prove and get well over a period of
time; practically all of these were
under a doctor’s care. We saw a
significant number of people who
experienced remissions of their
illness or the lessening of pain and
suffering as their illness pro
gressed.
ULTIMATE HEALING
We saw some of our patients
die and we learned to help them to
die as victors, not victims. We
came to regard death as part of
God’s plan for life and, in effect,
the opportunity for ultimate heal
ing. And we saw a much smaller
number of people healed almost
spontaneously, although these
were the exception, not the rule.
There were lots of other bene
fits from this ministry. It taught
people to forgive and be forgiven.
Receiving prayer requests from all
over the world, this ministry
helped to widen our horizons and
bring us into contact with a wide
variety of people. It involved
many in a lifelong commitment to
pray as intercessors for others. It
made real to some the power of
God in the most tangible way. We
came to realize that we needed to
pray and work for healing of rela
tionships, families, churches,
communities and our broken
world.
Even after I left that parish in
will reformulate the keys dri
vers of growth, transform the
agriculture production system
from today's production driven
system to tomorrow's end user
demand driven system. The role
of the farmer will change from
farmer to end user to being a
part of a vertically integrated
supply and production complex
which will expand the dimen
sion of agriculture to an indus
trial base. Those farmers who
will survive int he future will be
developing business plans now
to adapt to these emerging tech
nologies.
Feather Prof, 's Footnote:
"Whoever is happy will make
others happy too."
Pennsylvania, I continued my
interest and involvement in the
church’s ministry of healing, con
ducting seminars, traveling
around the world to examine other
healing ministries, and in 1977
writing a book. Rediscovering the
Gift of Healing, published by
Abingdon Press and later reissued
by Samuel Weiser Co.
sn
All of the above is simply an in-
Induction to my perspective on
the healing ministry of Jesus. I be
lieve that Jesus came with a three
fold mission of preaching, teach
ing and healing and that he
commissioned his disciples and
the Church to continue that mis
sion. Over the years I have been
associated with scores of medical
doctors but fewer clergy
who have shared that conviction.
There are lots of healing ac
counts in the four gospels, includ
ing Mark. In Mark 5:21 through
3:6 there are two healings that are
very instructive for us. First, both
Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue,
and the unnamed woman with a
hemorrhage, come to Jesus be
cause they believe he can effect
healing. Notice the faith with
which Jairus says to Jesus, “My
little daughter is at the point of
death. Come and lay your hands
on her, so that she may be made
well, and live” (5:23). And the un
known woman says to herself: “If
I touch even his garments, I shall
be made well” (5:28).
Neither apparently know of Je
sus except by reputation, but they
trust him to be able to provide
healing. “Daughter,” says Jesus to
the unknown woman, “your faith
has made you well; go in peace,
and be healed of your disease”
(5:34). When Jairus is told that his
daughter is already dead, Jesus ap
peals to his faith, saying: “Do not
fear, only believe” (5:36). The re
sult: the woman is healed of her
hemorrhaging and the little girl is
restored to life.
This is not magic or supernatur
al hocus-pocus, but simply the re
cognition that faith in Jesus Christ
can open the door through which
healing must come into our lives.
The friends of Jairus said to him,
“Your daughter is dead. Why trou
ble the Teacher any further?"
(5:35). Yet that is exactly what Je
sus wants us to do, to continue to
“trouble” him so that we may ex
perience the wholeness for which
God created us.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
-by-
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Steinman Enterprise
Robert Q. Campbell General Manager |
Everett R. Newewanger Managing Editor*
Copyright 199 C by lucuttr Fanning
3-FOLD MISSION