AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 15, 1998
OPINION
All Roads Lead
To Happy Valley
The annual trip to Rockspring in Centre County is on the sche
dule for all agriculturalists in Pennsylvania and surrounding
states who want to be part of the premier scientific research and
new technology event of the year. Ag Progress Days, sponsored
by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, again promises
to provide the showcase of what’s new in agriculture.
The theme, “Growing Pennsylvania: A Precision Business,”
focuses on how computers, space-age tools, and technology can
improve how we grow our crops and manage our natural resour
ces. Several new displays will explore precision agriculture and
its role on Pennsylvania farms.
There will be something for everyone. For example, a special
version of the show for children, called SciQ Jr., is played daily.
Patterned after television game shows, SciQ is hosted by local
radio personalities and contestants are chosen from the audience.
Of course, many farmers go to Ag Progress to see the new trac
tors and farm equipment in operation side by side in the fields.
The crops look good this year, so the field demonstrations will be
of special value to those who want to make these comparisons.
And Ag Progress is a social event too. The Dairy of Distinction
winners meet. The Alumni Association also meets. And Govern
ment Day brings together officials of Penn State and national,
state, and local government.
So, again, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, all roads
lead to Happy Valley. We hope to see you there.
Mow-In, Christ Lutheran Church,
Stouchsburg, 9 a.m.
Howard County Fair, Howard
County Fairgrounds, West
Friendship, thru Aug. 22.
Washington County Ag Fair,
Cameron County Fair, Emporium,
thru Aug. 22.
McKean County Fair, Smethport,
thru Aug. 22.
Bullskin Township Community
Fair, Woodale, thru Aug. 22.
Franklin County Fair, Chambers
burg, thru Aug. 23.
Fulton County Fair, McConnells
burg, thru Aug. 22.
Huntingdon County Fair, Hunting
Northeast District Dairy Show,
Tioga County Fairgrounds,
Whitneyville.
Dayton Fair, Dayton, thru Aug. 22.
Lawrence County Fair, New
Castle, thru Aug. 22.
Harford Fair, Harford, thru Aug.
22.
Ag Progress Days, Rockspring,
thru Aug. 20.
Huntingdon County Holstein
Show, Huntingdon Fair
grounds, Huntingdon, 9 a.m.
Pa. Holstein Northeast Champion
ship Show, Troy Fairgrounds,
Troy, 10 a.m.
Dairy-MAP On Tour at Ag
Progress.
Hay Show, Ag Progress Days.
Blue Valley Farm Show, Bangor,
thru Aug. 22.
Perry County Community Fair,
Newport, thru Aug. 22.
Dale and Dan Goodyear Host Tul
pchocken Young Farmers, 7:30
p.m.
* Farm Calendar ❖
Blue Valley Youth Show.
Pa. Dept. Of Ag Meat Animal Eva
luation Center 23rd Annual
Performance-Tested Boar Sale,
Ag Arena, Penn State, 6 p.m.
Perry County Holstein Show, Per
ry County Fairgrounds, 9:30
a.m.
Dairy-MAP Annual Alumni Ice
Cream Social At Ag Progress, 3
p.m.-4 p.m.
Pa. Ag Republican Chicken Bar
beque, VFW Picnic Grounds,
Wye Field Day, Queenstown,
Berks County Grazing Walk,
Nevin and Audrey Mast, Oley,
10 a.m.-noon.
Great Pocomoke Fair, Pocomoke
City, thru Aug. 22.
Washington County Holstein
Show, Washington Fair-
grounds, Washington.
Franklin County Holstein Show,
Franklin Fairgrounds, Cham
Montgomery County Ag Fair, Ag
Center, Gaithersburg, thru Aug.
29.
Susquehanna County Holstein
Show, Harford Fairgrounds,
Harford, 10 a.m.
Westmoreland County Fair,
Pa. Holstein Central Champion
ship Show, Huntingdon Fair
grounds, Huntingdon, 6 p.m.
Warren County Holstein Club
Sale, Warren Fairgrounds,
Pittsfield, 11 a.m.
South Central District Dairy
Show, Farm Show Complex,
Harrisburg.
Crawford County Fair, Meadville,
thru Aug. 29.
To Attend Ag Progress
Days
Next week features one of the
premier agricultural events in
Pennsylvania, Penn State Col
lege of Agncultuial Sciences' Ag
Piogress Days This thiee day
event features educational exhib
its. machinery demonstrations and
lours ol the icsearch plots
More than WO commercial
and non commercial exhibitors
and the latest m compulei and sat
ellite technologies will he 1 ca
lmed Tentative field demonstra
tions include combine haivesting,
sweet corn hai vesting coin chop
ping mowing and baling
I annlv activities planned arc
stoivtellmg insect /00, cut llovvei
beds and mteiactive displays lor
kids Plan to attend meet tnends
and learn about the latest happen
ings at Penn Slate
\g Piogiess Da\s is August
18 -20 at Rock Spnngs (9 miles
southwest ol Stale College on
Route 4M Admission and paikmg
is liee Houis are 9 AM - 5 PM
Tuesday and Thursday and 9 AM -
8 PM Wednesday
To Look At Biofilters
Leon Resslcr, Lancaster
County Extension ‘Environmental
Agent, reports recent work by Dr
Dick Nocolai, University ol Min
nesota, is demonstrating the po
tential biolliters have to reduce
odors from swine operations
Building air is blown through
the pit beneath the floor and ex
hausted through the biofilter The
biofilter is made of a 50/50 mix
tuie of wood chips and yard waste
compost Wooden shipping pal
lets are used as the support struc
ture lor the filter material Plastic
netting on the pallets and over the
compost mixture helps keep the
organic medium in place
Susquehanna County 4-H Lives
tock Clubs 4-H Livestock Auc
tion, Harford Fairgrounds, Har-
West End Fair, Gilbert, thru Aug.
29.
Williamsburg Community Farm
Show, Williamsburg, thru Aug.
29.
Somerset County Fair, Meyers
dale, thru Aug. 29.
Garden Tractor and ATV Pull,
Southeast District Dairy Show,
Kutztown Fairgrounds.
Hookstown Fair, Hookstown, thru
Aug. 29.
Mounlain Area Fair, Farmington,
thru Aug. 29.
Elizabethtown Fair, Elizabeth
Northeast District Jersey Show,
Troy Fairgrounds, 9:30 a.m.
2nd Annual Ephrata Agway/
(Turn to Page A 47)
Microorganisms in the biofilter
consume the odorous gases before
they are vented to the outside
Since bioiiltcrs are living sys
tems. they must be managed to
keep the oigamsms alive Early
results on the University ot Min
nesota biolilter have been encour
aging When first installed the
biofilter reduced odors 61 per cent
The odors were reduced 90 per cent
id a second test and a third test
showed a 97 per cent reduction in
odors The odor reduction in
creases as the microorganisms
multiply and adapt to the food
source
To Buy Hay Based on
Tests
Robert Anderson, Lancaster
County Extension Agronomy
Agent, reports two different stud
ies were conducted comparing
what farmers saw and the actual
Background Scripture:
Proverbs 11 12, 13; 12 18; 13 3,
15 1, 2 ,23 23, 28, 16 24; 17 27,
21 23; 26,21, 28
Devotional Reading:
James 3 1-12
When I was about ten years
old, I spent a lot of my lazy days
of summer at the town play
ground where there was a lot of
organized activity, including a
baseball team that played in a
township playground league I
was a bit too young to be on the
team, but I took pride in its
accomplishments
One day, a few of the older
boys were talking about a game
that was scheduled to be played
that evening Joining in the
camaraderie, I asked, "Do you
think we will win?" I'll never for
get one older boy who turned to
look at me with an Olympian
sneer and said; "Where do you
get this 'we' stuff? I realized
then that he was telling me I did
not belong It was a painful
experience that I have never
completely forgotten I have
long since forgiven him, whoever
he was
I don’t know who first said,
"Sticks and stones may break
my bones, but names will never
hurt me." It was a good enough
rhyme, I suppose, but an erro
neous precept I have known so
many people who have been
very hurt by careless or mean
words Someone once said to me,
"Well, sticks and stone can hurt
us physically, while words can
only hurt our feelings.: But even
that is erroneous; spoken or
written words can sometimes
cause physical pain, too, because
feelings are often transformed
into physical symptoms
EMBELLISH THE TRUTH
If we want to be followers of
Christ, we had better watch our
mouths' It is easier said than
done (no pun intended) One
man told me he had always
found it possible to keep the Ten
Commandments, except Thou
shalt not bear false witness
I don t mean to he he told me,
but when I'm talking about mv
neighbor I find it haul not to
embellish the truth, in my
favor
Sprinkled throughout the
Book of Puwerbs is a rich assort
ment of warnings about the dan
ger of not controlling what
comes out of our mouths
"He who belittles his neighbor
lacks sense...He who goes about
(ceding \alue of the hay based on
forage analysis
In the first study, 200 fanners
were asked to evaluate (our bales
of hay Only 20 per cent selected
the bale with the highest quality
The lowest quality bale was se
lected by 45 per cent as being the
best
The second study looked at hay
sold at auction The hay sold
based on what the buyer saw had
very little correlation between
price and feed value For example
one load with 20 per cent protein
sold tor $lOO per ton while a load
with a 8 5 pci cent protein sold
tor $l2O per ton
Lesson to learn, whenever
possible buy hay based on Image
analysis, not its looks
Featlwi Prof \ Footnote ' The
toots of ptogress ate noun shed h)
dnetsits "
as a talebearer reveals secrets "
(11.12)
"There is one whose rash
words are like sword thrusts "
(12:18)
"He who opens wide his lips
comes to ruin " (13.3)
A harsh word stns up
anger the mouths of fools pour
out folly " (15 1,2)
"As charcoal to hot embers
and wood to fire, so is a quanel
some man for kindling sfnfe"
(26 21)
'A lying tongue hates its vic
tims, and a flattering mouth
works ruin " (26 28)
FROM MIND TO MOUTH
Belittling others, spreading
falsities, speaking rash winds,
uttering harsh judgements,
quarreling, lying, flattering -these
are all ways in which we cause
others pain by the words that
come from our mouths The
source of these evil words, of
course, is not the mouth but the
mind and spirit Our mouths
only reflect what is inside us
The mouth, however, can be
used or good as well as for evil
Proverbs is just as explicit in
cataloguing these. Instead of
belittling, a man of understand
ing remains "silent" and "he who
is trustworthy in spirit keeps a
thing hidden" (11:12, 13) While
he who speaks rashly injures,
"the tongue of the wise man
brings healing" (12:18). While
the man who does not restrain
his tongue brings ruin upon
himself, "He who guards his
mouth preserves his life" (13 3)
Harsh words stir up anger, but
"A soft answers turns away
wrath" and "the tongue of the
wise dispenses knowledge" (15
1,2). "He who restrains his
words has knowledge, and he
who has a cool spirit is a man of
understanding" (17 27) "He who
keeps his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself out of trouble"
(21:23)
By watching carefully what
we say, we help and heal others
instead of hurting them With
soft, peaceful words we can dis
sipate anger and hostility We
can save others from ruin and
share knowledge. And, if we do,
our own lives will be blessed as
well
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. Burgess General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Managing -ditor
Copyright 1996'by Lancaster Fjnvrg