AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 18, 1998
OPINION
Come To The Country
National Fanners Union President Leland Swenson recently
sent a letter to members of the Senate and House Agriculture
Committees urging them to come to the heartland of America
and listen to the concerns of producers, not Washington, D.C.
insiders. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have deter
mined there is a growing crisis in farm country and that Con
gress must take action. This is true in the Northeast as well.
“There is deep division in Washington regarding the best
way to help producers,” Swenson said. “The best way to bridge
that gap is to schedule bearings in rural America to listen to the
concerns of producers, not handpicked agriculture and agri
business spokespersons in Washington. The Senate and House
Agriculture Committees should schedule several hearings in all
regions of America to provide a forum for all fanners and
ranchers to voice their opinions,” he said.
Swenson added that this week’s events have been pivotal in
highlighting the crisis facing American agriculture. Earlier this
week. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., House
Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Missouri, Sen. Tom
Harkin, D-lowa, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., Sen. Byron Dor
gan, D-N.D., and Sen. Tim Johnson,D-S.D., held a press con
ference to press for changes in the 1996 farm bill. The group of
farm-state legislators called for immediate action to address the
farmers’ financial problems by removing the caps on market
ing loans, extending marketing loan terms, eliminating trade
actions, creating indemnity payments, requiring mandatory
price reporting by large meat packers, and requiring countty
of-origin labels on all imported meats.
Montana Senator Conrad Bums and 12 other farm-state
Republicans also unveiled a proposal to address the growing
fann crisis. The Bums proposal provides no immediate relief
for low commodity prices, but instead relies on increased trade,
and a reduction in taxes and regulations to help fanners, such as
passing fast track legislation, creating a farmer Individual Re
tirement Account, and ending trade sanctions.
“This was a good new-bad news type of week in Washing
ton, Swenson said. “The good news is that Democrats and
Republicans are recognizing that there is a crisis in rural
America. The Daschle-Gephardt proposal'to remove the caps
on maiketing loans would have a positive impact on the prices
farmers receive. We are not opposed to discussing long-term
strategy but we must also focus on the current situation. Af
ter all, a fanner cannot tell the local banker that he is going to
repay him with less regulation. Although less regulation may
be justified, it just won’t pay the bills,” the farm leader said.
“Come to the country, reserve a big arena and listen to the
real experts on agriculture the farmers and ranchers whose
livelihood is dependent upon commodity prices,” said Swen
son.
Tioga County Annual Fann-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, Mt Aiiy,
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-
❖ Farm Calendar*
•X-w*'
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, }/ ‘ 4'-'
s* ijt■*/> , ,y
grounds, Meshoppen, noon-7
I^DDSEmSME^HI
Western Pa. Junior Holstein Show,
Crooked Creek Horse Park,
Ford City, 10 a.m.
Centre/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,
Dorrance, 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
NPPC Pork Quality and Safety
Summit, Hotel Fort, Des
Moines, lowa, thru July 15.
DEP CAFO Proposal Meeting/
Hearings, Lancaster Farm and
Home Center, Lancaster, 6:30
(Turn to Pago Alt)
To Understand Heat
Stress
With the hot, humid, hazy days
of summer upon us, dairymen's
thoughts turn to the comfort of
their cows as they try to protect
them from heat stress.
Glenn Shirk, Lancaster County
Extension Dairy Agent, states
some of the impact of heat stress
on lactating cows is quickly visi
ble in the form of reduced milk
production. However, the biggest
impact is long term.
It occurs in the form of re
duced conception and longer calv
ing intervals, reduced immune re
sponse and greater vulnerability to
diseases and infections, delayed
and only partial recovery of milk
production lost in current lactation
and a shorten productive life.
When temperatures climb
above 78 degrees Fahrenheit and
Editor’s Note: Samuel S.
Stoltzfus is -a freelance
writer who lives on a farm
in Gordonville in Lancaster
County. He is a member of
the Old Order Amish church
and operates Irishtown
Shop, a family gazebo
making business. A histo
rian, he is the representa
tive for the Amish library
in Gordonville. His written
work has appeared in
Amish periodicals and
mainstream newspapers.
Editor:
Our peace was shattered
In summertime Lancaster
County Amish rise early, farm
ers are up at 4 a.m., no time to
kiss the wife, quick get the boys
up, slip on shoes and hat and dash
out to the barn, dish out some
feed.
Ga hole die kee.
“Go fetch the cows.”
Another day has begun, and
June 23,1998 in the early morn
ing was no exception, but on that
day 3 Amish families would ex
perience a tragedy, a profound
disturbance of family ties like
never before.
The sunrise was overcast,
farmers eyed the sky, should
more hay be cut, housewives fed
their babies, also watched the
weather, would the wash dry,
could I work in the garden?
Amish shop families ate their
breakfast, wives packed lunches
for husband, sons and daughters.
Van drivers circled through the
county, picking up their charges,
already a slight mist was falling,
looked like it's going to rain.
Vans pulled up to the neat
Amish houses.
Da driver is doo.
“The driver is here.”
And the husband is out the
door and in the van, off to work.
Young Amish brides who mar-
(Turn to Pago A 42)
humidity levels also rise, cow dis
comfort begins. With several days
of high humidity and temperatures
in the 90's and little, to no relief
at night, oows become severely
stressed.
To Know The Signs of
Heat Stress
One of the first signs of heat
stress, according to Glenn Shirk,
Lancaster County Extension Dairy
Agent, is a reduction in appetite,
especially for the more fibrous
feeds, such as forages, which pro
duce more body heat during diges
tion. As feed intakes go down so
does milk production and body
weight.
Sudden loss of body weight
may cause costly calving prob
lems and metabolic problems in
the weeks after calving. Thus, it
is very important to provide the
proper care of dry cows and
springing heifers.
To Reduce Heat Stress
Glenn Shirk, Lancaster County
Extension Dairy Agent, offers the
YOUR NEIGHBOR
July 19, 1998
Background Scripture:
Proverbs 3:27-35; 14:21
Devotional Reading:
James 2:1-13
Christians sometimes make the
mistake of assuming that Jesus’
admonition to “love your neighbor
as yourself” was something new
to his religious contemporaries. It
was not. There ate many texts in
the Old Testament that urge right
just and compassionate treatment
of erne's neighbor. What was new
in what Jesus said was the simple
way in which he compressed all
those teachings into one simple
statement
Jesus also expanded the be
liever’s understanding of who our
neighbors are. In the Parable of
the Good Samaritan, he helped his
followers see that anyone whom
we can help is our neighbor. The
derivation of the word neighbor
comes from the word "nigh"
meaning near and "geburdwell
er so the neighbor is one who
dwells near us. In this day and age
we live in a potentially much big
ger neighborhood than ever be
fore. Actually, if we know of
someone’s need and we can
minister to it, they are our neigh
bor.
The sage of the Book of Pro
verbs does not use the word “love”
in connection with one’s neigh
bor, but he does the next best
thing; he speaks of doing good to
and for our neighbor. And that’s
what love really is, not just a
warm and fuzzy feeling about
someone.
INCOGNITO CHRISTIANS
What we do not do can often be
as important as what we do. “Do
not withhold good from those to
whom it is due, when it is your
power to do it” Sometimes we
can hurt our neighbor by with
holding the help we can give him.
Just because we don’t plan to
harm our neighbor does not mean
we are a good neighbor.
A man once told me that when a
neighbor died, he was surprised to
find that he was a “pillar” of a
ichurch in the community. “I never
knew he went to church.” he said.
following tips to reduce heat
stress in dairy cows: Provide cows
shade while preventing sloppy ar
eas.
Provide breeze for cows by us
ing fans. Give cows easy access to
good quality water. Feed in a
clean, shaded area close to water
and rest area. Keep feeds fresh and
managers clean.
Feed lower fiber, palatable
feeds but observe cows' minimum
needs for digestible fiber and effec
tive fiber long enough to stimu
late cud chewing. Feed more fi
brous feed during the cooler hours
of the night and early morning.
Increase the mineral levels of
rations to compensate for those
lost due to increased sweating and
urination. Avoid any practices
such as vaccination, hoof trim
ming, regrouping, etc., which
subject cows to additional stress.
In severe cases, hose cows down
with water.
Feather Prof, 's Footnote
"Accomplishments are their own
reward."
“or• that he was even a Christian.”
If our Christian discipleship does
not show in our neighborhood,
will it show anywhere?
As I sit at my computer, I can
look out the window and see most
of the houses in our block. I won
der whether all my neighbors in
those houses know I am a Chris
tian? Some, of course, know that 1
am a retired clergyman, but that’s
not the same thing, is it? One can
be a clergyman and not a Chris
tian. The fust is a profession, the
second a way of living.
WHAT WE WITHHOLD
Can my neighbors tell that I am
a Christian by the way that I treat
them? If you don’t count telling
one of my neighbors to please turn
down his boom-box, I haven’t
quarreled with my neighbors nor
trespassed against thefr’pifOpejrty.
But have I withheld anything from
them that I could have given
them? I hope not, but you would
have to ask them as I would
have to ask yours.
The sage also says, “Do not
envy a man of violence and do not
chpose any of his ways” (3:31).
I’d like to put that on large ban
ners outside every cinema in the
city of Dallas, for these are too of
ten temples dedicated to the wor
ship of violence and the violent
person. Come to think of it, it
needs to be emblazoned upon
thousands of television screens
where violence is also displayed
and admired.
Another verse that needs to be
widely posted is this: “He who
despises his neighbor is a sinner,
but happy is he who is kind to the
poor” (14:21). Apparently that is
not the prevailing mood today, hi
my experience, whenever the poor
are mentioned outside the
church, that is it is with deri
sion and contempt It is as If
poverty were some virulent social
disease that people choose for
themselves. Today it appears to be
perfectly acceptable to despise the
poor.
Maybe that helps us feel justi
fied in refusing to “be kind to
them."
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
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-by
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