AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 1, 1998
OPINION
More Mouths To Feed
The problem of getting enough to eat is one of the great prob
lems of the human race. In some countries, such as the United
States and the Dominion of Canada, so much food is produced
that there is more than enough for everybody. Elsewhere, howev
er, the story is quite different. A large part of the population of
Asia never has quite enough to eat. There, millions of people are
always hungry. Whenever crops fail, hundreds of thousands of
persons actually starve. Famine kills off the weak, the very
young, and the poor.
There has been a great increase in the earth’s population in the
last three centuries. Today, there arc more than two billion
mouths to be fed. Yet the world’s population is still increasing.
Each year the number of births is greater than the number of
deaths, and so there are more people to feed than ever before.
That is the reason why the farmer is such an important citizen
in any nation. His main job is to produce meat, and milk, veget
ables, and grains, and many other things which we all need. His
crops furnish us with materials from which clothes are made.
Agriculture is one of the oldest of all human occupations, and one
of the most important.-Science Plans For Tomorrow, published
in 1946 by Ginn and Company. Authors: Gerald S. Craig, profes
sor of natural sciences. Teachers College, Columbia University;
and John Urban, professor of science, New York State College
for Teachers at Buffalo. Found by the editor in a box of old books.
Saturday August 1
20th Annual Pa. Performance-
Tested Ram Sale and Sheep
Producers Field Day, Penn
State Ag Arena, State College.
Va. Charolais Association Field
Day, Buzzy Coleman’s Farm,
Bedford, Va.
51st All-American Angus Breed
ers Futurity, Kentucky Fair and
Expo Center, Louisville, Ky.,
thru Aug. 2.
Washington County Ag Expo,
Washington County Ag and Ed
Center, Hagerstown, thru Aug.
7.
Pa. Holstein Southwest Champ
ionship Show, Fayette Fair
grounds, Uniontown, 9:30 a.m.
West Central 4-H/FFA Dairy
Show, Grange Fair Fair
grounds, Centre Hall.
Dauphin County Farm Bureau
Picnic. Halifax Memorial Park,
6:30 p.m.
Luzerne County Farm-City Day,
Ray Hillman Building, Luzerne
County Fairgrounds, 10 a.m.-4
p.m.
Annual Shirktown Thresher’s Fes
tival. Churchtown.
( ——
I Sunday. August 2
Schuylkill County Fair, Summit
Station, thru Aug. 8.
Union County West End Fair,
North Central Dairy Show, Troy
Fairgrounds, Troy.
Clearfield County Fair, Clearfield,
thru Aug. 8.
Cochranton Community Fair,
Cochran ton, thru Aug. 8.
Food Grade Soybean Production
and Vegetation Field Day, Leo
nard Stoltzfus Farm, Douglass
ville, 8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
Morrison Cove Dairy Show, Mar
tinsburg, thru Aug. 7.
Stale 4-H Achievement Days,
❖ Farm Calendar ♦
i
Penn State, University Park,
thru Aug. 6.
Vermont Bus Tour for EAYF,
departs 5:30 a.m„ returns Aug.
7 at 8 p.m.
New Stanton Farm and Home Fair,
New Stanton, thru Aug. 8.
Organic Food Grade Soybean Plot
Tour, Leonard Stoltzfus, Dou
Lower Eastern Shore Research and
Morrison Cove Dairy Show,
Memorial Park, Martinsburg, 9
a.m.
Northern Tier Championship
Show, Wyoming Fairgrounds,
Worcester County Fair, Furnace
Town, Snow Hill, thru Aug. 9.
Southwest District Dairy Show,
Morrisons Cove, Memorial
Park, Martinsburg.
Wayne County Fair, Honesdale,
thru Aug. IS.
Lebanon County Holstein Field
Night, home of James and Dor
othy Bennetch, 7 p.m.
Futures Market Seminar, Penn
State Lehigh Valley Campus.
Fogelsville, 7 p.m.
38th Annual Old Time Wheat
Threshing Steam and Gas
Engine Show, Denton, Md.,
Hereford Junior Farm Fair, Here-
ford High School, Parkton.
Pa. Holstein South Central
Championship Show, Ship
pensburg Fairgrounds, Ship
pensburg, 9:30 a.m.
Clinton County Fair, Mackeyville,
thru Aug. IS.
Maryland State Picnic, Maryland
Holstein Association, Coldspr
ings Farm.
Kids’ Day On The Farm and Old-
Time Plow Boys Plowing
To Avoid Over Heating
Animals
Many dairy and broiler produc
ers are using tunnel ventilation
systems to help keep cows and
broilers comfortable on hot days
For the system to function best,
all bam openings are closed, ex
cept at one end of the barn
Large exhaust tans are located
at the opposite end from the inlet
The bam has been turned into a
tunnel All the air is admitted into
one end, pulled the full length of
the bam at a speed of about 3 to 5
miles per hour and exhausted at
the opposite end The air velocity
and rapid exchange of air help im
prove animal comfort, as long as
the fans are running.
When the fans stop, for what
ever reason, the bam may quickly
turn into a hot oven because the
only openings are those at the one
end and there is almost no air cir
culation. Thus, it is very impor
tant to have a back up system or
an alternative ventilation plan to
implement in the event of power
failure or for times when no one
is around the bam
To Scout For Corn Root
worm Adults
Corn root worm 'beetles usu
ally begin emerging about July 4
However, this year they emerged
about 10 days early because of the
early warm weather, according to
Robert Anderson, Lancaster
County Extension Agronomy
Agent
For the com grower, this is an
important time to be scouting
com fields for adult root worm
beetles Based on the number ot
beetles found by the farmer, a
good estimate may be made it root
worm insecticide should be ap
plied m that field next year
Scouting now for next year is a
way to determine where to spend
Show, Pa. German Heritage
Center, Kutztown University,
Pa. Hereford Association Field
Day, Stone Ridge Manor,
Gettysburg.
Garrett County Ag Fair, Garrett
Highway, McHenry, thru Aug.
15.
Transfer Harvest Home Fair,
Transfer, thru Aug. 15.
Bedford County Fair, Bedford,
thru Aug. 15.
Greene County Fair, Waynesburg,
Queen Anne’s County Fair, 4-H
Park, Centreville, thru Aug. 15.
Dairy-MAP, MAP On Tour,
Brookside Dairy (George Fam
ily), Homer City, 11 a.m.-2:30
p.m.
Butler Farm Show, Butler, thru
Aug. 15.
Sykesville Ag and Youth Fair,
Sykesville, thru Aug. 15.
(Turn to Page A 35)
pesticide dollars to prevent crop
damage next year
The threshold tor continuous
com is an average of 2 northern or
1 western adult beetle per plant
For first year com fields, it is an
average of 3 northern or 1 5 west
ern adult beetles per plant.
To Practice IPM
Critics of modem agricultural
production practices continue to
publish misinformation on farm
ing in the United States For ex
ample, An Environmental Work
ing Group report claims pesticide
use m agriculture is up and EPA
is failing to reduce use and protect
children
The facts are EPA notes a con
tinued decline in pesticide use on
our nation's farms since topping
out in 1979 Over the 1979-1995
period, use of insecticides to pro
tect the nation's fruit and vegeta
bles has dropped more than 50 per
THE BOTTOM LINE
August 2, 1998
Background Scripture:
Proverbs 8
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 1:1-6
In the Book of Proverbs,
there are essentially two voices
that speak. Sometimes it is the
voice of the "wise man.
Sometimes it is the voice of "wis
dom" personified as a woman.
Thus in Proverbs 8, it is the
winsome woman who is speak
ing wherever she finds people to
listen: On the heights beside the
way, in the paths she takes her
stand; beside the gates in front
of the town, at the entrance of
the portals she cries a10ud..."
(8-2,3).
The writer tells us a lot m
these few lines. Some people
then believed—as some do
today—that wisdom is really an
exclusive attainment of the few,
that it is not intended to be pos
sessed by all In sharp contrast,
however, wisdom proclaims her
message, not in a secluded spot
where only a select few will
hear, but at the very crossroads
where all may hear and receive
the message. "To you, 0 men, I
call, and my cry is to the sons of
men" (8:4). Using the term "sons
of men" indicates that her call is
not only to the people of Israel,
but all humanity. The reception
to that call may be limited, but
the call is not
This wisdom is straight for
ward, never devious: "All the
words of my mouth are right
eous; there is nothing twisted or
crooked in them." That is the
gap between information or
learning and wisdom.
Information may often be used
for devious purposes and learn
ing may well be perverted to
selfish ends, but true wisdom
cannot be perverted
COSMIC WISDOM
Wisdom goes on to poetically
proclaim her unique relation
ship with God; "The Lord creat
ed me at the beginning of His
work, the first of His acts of old"
(8:22) Before the cosmic depths
existed, before there were moun
tains, hills, fields, heavens or
even dust, wisdom existed
Upon reading Proverbs 8
some may become alarmed
because it may seem that wis
dom purports to have been
cent spurred by the adaptation by
farmers of Integrated Pest Man
agement (IPM)
In order to challenge these crit
ics m the public policy arena, it is
important farmers adapt and prac
tice best management practices,
IPM, develop and file nutrient
management plans, etc By show
ing we are sensitive to consumer
concerns and are developing ap
propriate actions, we will be able
to respond to our critics Other
wise, our critics will have their
views adopted The future of farm
ing will be based on our actions.
So take the time and scout your
fields and use pesticides only
when you need them
Feather Prof's Footnote
"Quality is never an accident,
lather the result of high inten
tions. sincere effort, intelligent di
rection and skillful execution "
another divine being present
with God at the creation. Some
Biblical scholars believe that the
Canaanites worshiped a goddess
of wisdom. But the writer of
Proverbs sees that, what the
Canaanites worshiped as a god
dess, was simply an attribute of
the one God.
We come now to the most dif
ficult words of wisdom in this
chapter, "Take my instruction
instead of silver, and knowledge
rather than choice gold; for wis
dom is better than jewels, and
all that you may desire cannot
compare with her" (8:10,11).
What is difficult about these
words? Surely we all agree with
them!
LIP-SERVICE
I don't think so. Without a
doubt, we give lip service to
them. But most of us—myself
included—live in a way that
indicates that money and mater
ial things are the basis of our
society. Personal, public and
national policies seem to be
determined by just one thing:
money. What is the bottom line
when we attempt to determine
that value of something? Money
value as determined by price or
profit.
Some time ago I overheard a
man say that he had recently
been responsible for a "whole
sale housecleaning" in the
church he attends and is a mem
ber of the governing board.
Referring to some older mem
bers of the church staff, he said
"We're going to be saving a lot of
money now that we're rid of that
deadwood!" I couldn't help won
dering whether he ever consid
ered the human as well as mon
etary values.
I believe in enterprise and
profit, but not to the exclusion of
wisdom and compassion. I
believe in asking if something is
"cost effective," but not at the
price of human values. Indeed, I
believe capitalism and free
enterprise can be extolled only
when they are guided by human
conscience. The bottom line is
not silver, gold, jewels or- any
thing material: it is the wisdom
that recognizes the sovereignty
of a God who commands love,
not profit.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
-by
Lancaster Farming, Inc
A Steinman Enterprise
William J. Burgess General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1996 by Lancaster Farnvng