AtO-Uncaster Farming, Saturday, July 11 1998
OPINION
Increase Bulk Tank
Milk Prices
Since January, 1998, wholesale prices of butter have taken a
dramatic increase from $1.12 per pound to $1.98 per pound,
according to charts released this week by the Progressive Agri
culture Organization, headquartered in Meshoppen.
Naturally, the retail price has increased at the wholesale level.
Of course, many consumers believe daily farmers are really
making a big profit on these butter prices. But actually, there is no
direct relationship between the price of manufactured dairy pro
ducts and the dairy fanner’s price
Different economists will disagree as to why the butter and
cheese wholesale prices have sky-rocketed, but one thing is sure,
the value of milk at the farm level is not responsible.
“Consumers should realize that dairy producers will only
receive a small amount of the current price increases, because
butterfat accounts for only about 3.6 percent of the total makeup
of milk,” said Rodger Scholttach, director of National Farmers
Organization, Ames, lowa. “The current butterfat product pricing
situation is certainly seasonal and is based somewhat on con
sumption forecasts.”
The good side of all this discussion is that butter is now consid
ered a healthy food that consumers arc willing to pay more to get.
And with July sth a new basic formula price to be announced, the
higher consumer prices will finally increase bulk tank prices to
some extent. Now if we can just find a way to continue to bring
extra consumer dollars back to the dairy farmer we will have
added hope for the future of the dairy industry.
Tioga County Annual Farm-City
Day, David and Donna Cleve
land’s Farm, Wellsboro, 11
a.m.-4 p.m.
Turkey Hill Giant Ice Cream Sun
dae, Capitol City Mall, Camp
Hill, 11 a.m.-l p.m.
Summer Beef Field Day, hosted by
Mullinix family, Woodbine,
Md., carcass evaluation July 15,
Mt. Airy Locker, ML Airy,
Ice Cream Social, John and Bonnie
4-H Dog at Work, Chester County
Romano 4-H Center, 9:30
a.m.-3 p.m.
Eastern Apicultural Society Short
Course and Conference, Short
Course at Seven Springs Moun
tain Resort, Champion, thru
July 15.
Pa, Wool Pool, Wyoming Fair
grounds, Meshoppen, noon-7
tun^lsoJulvl4^^^^^
Western Pa. Junior Holstein Show.
Crooked Creek Horse Park,
Ford City, 10 a.m.
Centrc/Clionton Holstein Associa
tion picnic, Paul and Dee Cour
ier Farm, Mill Hall, 7 p.m.
Southeast District Dairy Show,
Lebanon Area Fairgrounds.
Jacktown Fair, Wind Ridge, thru
July 19.
Wool Pool, Wyoming Fair
grounds, Meshoppen, 8 a.m.-4
p.m.
Christmas Tree Growers meeting,
Helen and Ed’s Tree Farm,
Dorrancc, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
NPPC Pork Quality and Safety
Summit, Hotel Fort, Des
Moines, lowa, thru July IS.
DEP CAFO Proposal Meeting/
❖ Farm Calendars
Hearings. Lancaster Farm and
Home Center, Lancaster, 6:30
p.m.
Grazing and pasture meeting,
Dave and Ruth Ann Hallow,
Somerset County Holstein Show,
Fairgrounds, Meyersdale, 6:30
p.m.
Eastern Apicultural Society Short
Course and Conference, Con
ference at Seven Springs
Mountain Resort, Champion,
thru July 17.
World Sheep and Wool Congress,
Fairplex, Pomona, Calif., thru
Julvl*__^_
Weed Science Field Day,
Landisville.
Kent County Fair, Kent Ag Center,
Tolchester, thru July 19.
Pa. Young Fanners Tours and
Conference, Tulpehocken High
School, also tour on July 17
(buses leave from high school).
Perry County Holstein Club picn
ic, Icksburg Park, Icksburg,
7:30 p.m.
Lycoming County Fair, Hughes
villc, thru July 25.
Berks County Grazing Walk, Papa
Farm, managed by Brian and
Karen Mohn, Bethel, 6:30 pan.
Northeast Wool Pool, Furman’s
Warehouse, Northumberland, 7
Rockspring.
Progress Through Communica
tions For Agricullture Annual
Tour of Local Agricultural and
Forest Facilities and Picnic,
Coolridge Farms, 1 p.m. tour,
picnic at 7 pjn.
New England Sheep Sale, Big E
Agricultural Complex, West
Springfield, Mass., 9 ajn., thru
To Develop Nutrient
Management Plans
October 1, 1998 is rapidly ap
proaching. This is the date all
farms with more than 2 animal
units per acre (concentrated animal
operations) must have their nutri
ent management plans filed with
their county conservation district
An animal unit is 1,000
pounds of live animal weight
Based on recent reports from con
servation districts, the number of
nutrient management plans filed
thus far is very low It is very
important to have all concentrated
animal operations file nutrient
management plans with their con
servation districts.
If farmers do not voluntarily
file their plans, agriculture weak
ens its position as being a good
environmental steward. This will
lead to more restrictive regulations
for farmers. How farms will be
legulated in the future will hinge
greatly on how farmers respond
now. It you have developed your
nutrient management plan, file it
now It you have not develop your
plan, begin the process now so
you may meet the Octobei 1 dead
line
If you have any questions,
contact your county cooperative
extension office or county conser
vation distnct office
To Understand
Leafhopper Damage
Potato leafhoppers have been
reported feeding on alfalfa in Lan
caster County, according to Rob
ert Anderson, Lancastei County
July 18.
Dauphin County Holstein picnic.
Dale and Ray Kennedy Farm,
llS^tol^n^SlefMarSSy
Association Inc. Show, thru
July 19.
NYS Percheron Association Picn
ic and Field Day, Cayuga Coun
ty Fairgrounds, Weedsport,
N.Y., 11 a.m.
Pa. Cattlemen’s Field Day, McEl
haney Stock Farm and Hook-
stown Fairgrounds.
Va. Angus Association Tomor
row’s Future For Today’s Cat
tlemen Seminar, Rockingham
County Fairgrounds and Rama-
grounds, Cumberland, thru July
26.
Rough Riders 4-H and Pony Club
Annual Open Horse Show,
Water Gap Equestrian Center,
Atglen, 9 a.m.
''nO F‘
Tournament and Dinner/
(Turn to Page A2B)
Extension Agronomy Agent. Each
year these small green insects
reach Lancaster County from
southern stroms. Once established
in an alfalfa field, their population
may increase rapidly Feeding
damage is caused by both the adult
hopper and nymph.
The first visual sign of dam
age is often a yellowing of the al
falfa leaf, especially on new
growth. The brassy yellowing of
ten occurs in a v shaped wedge.
Often by the time the yellowing
is noticed, significant losses have
already occurred. Severe damage
causes stunted plants with shorten
intemodes. Stunting and leaf loss
results in the loss of quantity and
quality of hay. In addition, severe
feeding reduces plant vigor and
winter hardiness. Stunted alfalfa
allows light penetration into the
canopy, encouraging weed growth.
To Scout For
Leafhoppers
As alfalfa is cut, the leafhopper
WISE UP!
July 12. 1998
Background Scripture:
Proverbs 2:1-15
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 53:106
Children are often confused
about the words they hear in
church. As a boy, I thought the
words in the Apostles’ Creed
meant that Jesus was coming to
“quicken” the dead. So I do not
find it hard to believe a colleague
of mine who said that in his
younger years he always thought
the hymn was “Wise Up, O Men
of God.”
Every time I sing that hymn I
think of that alternate wording and
contemplate that many times in
our lives it would be quite rele
vant. Men and women of God of
ten need- to “wise up” as well as
“rise up.” In fact, there is some
danger in “rising up” before we
“wise up.”
Many years ago when I first
read Proverbs 3,1 intended to take
it with a grain of salt. I had ob
served that obeying God does not
always keep us from misfortune or
hardship. Sometimes good people
suffer and bad people even pros
per. So, when I read, “My son, do
not forget my teaching, but let
your heart keep my command
ments; for length of days and
years of life and abundant welfare
will they give you” (3:1,2), I
tended to be a bit cynical.
FAITH & HEALTH
For the past 35 years I studied
and taught the relationships be
tween health and religion. In the
beginning of that quest we sus
pected that one’s spirituality had a
significant effect upon healing and
health. As time went on, we found
that there was gbod evidence to
believe what we formerly had sus
pected.
Today, physicians such as Lar
ry LeShan, Deepak Chopra, Ber
nie Siegel, Andrew Weil, Carl
Simonton and Herbert Benson at
test to the healing power of faith.
Dr. Larry Dossey, citing hundreds
of clinical studies, has written
several books on the power of
prayer to heal
Just recentlky, I read that more
than 250 studies show that reli
gious people are generally signifi
cantly healthier than those who
will move to adjoining fields
Robert Anderson, Lancaster
County Extension Agronomy
Agent, recommends the regrowth
of subsequent cuttings must be
scouted carefully.
Considerable damage may be
caused by large populations mov
ing from a cut field to the new
growth of an adjacent field. Fields
should be scouted every 5 to 7
days. Begin checking new growth
immediately after harvest.
Using a sweep net, take 20
sweeps in five different areas of
each field. Average the number of
hoppers and nymphs per sweep
For hay less than 10 inches tall,
consider an insecticide application
if more than 0.1 hopper is found
per sweep. If hay is over 10
inches tall, consider an insecticide
application if 2 or more hoppers
are found per sweep.
Feather Prof, 's Footnote
"Success does not come to you
You go to it."
are not They get sick less fre
quently. do not remain sick as
long, have fewer side effects, heal
faster and live longer. Now do not
misunderstand; the Gndings guar
antee nothing, except that the per
centages are more favorable with
religious people when it comes to
health.
BETTER PERCENTAGES
This too, is what Proverbs is
saying: in general, the percentages
for healthier, happier living are
with those who live by the wisdom
of God. The sage outlines some of
those side benefits: “for length of
days and years of life and abund
ant welfare will they give you”
(3:2), and “it will be healing to
your flesh and refreshment to your
bones” (3:8). But the sage also
recognizes that even the wise man
will sometimes suffer and he re
gards these experiences as “the
Lord’s discipline, for the Lord re
proves him whom he loves, as a
father the son in whom he de
lights” (3:11,12).
Something else the sage says
strikes a chord with my own ex
perience: “Let not loyalty and
faithfulness forsake you; bind
them about your neck, write them
on the tablet of your heart” (3:3). I
used to think that his advice was
purely symbolic. But there have
been times in my life when I knew
the answer to my current problem,
but forgot the answers as soon as I
arose from prayer. I found that one
way to keep these answers in my
mind was to write them on pieces
of paper to position at various
places in my house and office: my
shaving mirror, pillow, briefcase,
desk, and so forth. Constantly re
minded by these visual cues, I
kept them more prominently in
my consciousness like the one
that still graces my desk: "/ am
called, not to be successful in my
ministry, but to be faithful in my
witness. That will be success
enough."
I have experienced for myself
the truth of the sage: “Happy is the
man who finds wisdom, and the
man who gets understanding, for
the gain from it is better than gain
from silver and its profit better
than gold” (3:13,14).
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
-by
Lancaster Farming, Inc
A Stemman Enterprise
William J. Burges* General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1996 by Lancaster Farming