AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 29, 1993
OPINION
Make Sure An Accident
Doesn't Happen To You
We arc into the harvesting season on the farm and often far
mers push themselves to get the crops in the bam before the
weather breaks. This is good farm management, but it also puts a
stress on the operator to take timesaving shortcuts that may just
be the ticket to a serious injury or even death.
Agriculture is the second most hazardous industry in the
United States, with a death rate of 21 per 100,000 workers, com
pared to mining with 25 per 100,000. The National Safety Coun
cil estimates that in 1996 alone, 710 people died and 150,000
were permanently disabled by injuries sustained on farms and
ranches in the United States.
According to Tom Bean, Ohio State University Extension
safety leader, you can help your safety situation by replacing any
missing guards and shields on equipment, conducting a general
farm cleanup to avoid accidents, store hazardous pesticides in a
proper location, repair any broken steps or flooring to prevent
falls, and check and replace fire extinguishers for buildings or
equipment and locate these extinguishers where they may be
needed.
Other areas of concern include silo gas, grain bin safety, sun
and heat exposure, and safety for children. In addition, farmers
move equipment from farm to farm. Farm traffic on roads and
highways causes accidents too. Think about getting your lighting
and marking upgraded on farm equipment and tractors before you
take to the road. Remember, almost all farm accidents could have
been prevented with a little common sense applied in time. Make
sure an accident doesn’t happen to you or your family.
%
Saturday. August 29
Second Annual Harrisburg Grange
Fair, Harrisburg, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Maryland State Fair, Timonium,
Indiana County Fair, Indiana, thru
The Great Allentown Fair, Allen
town Fairgrounds, thru Sept. 7.
Erie County Fair at Wattsburg,
Wattsburg, thru Sept. 6.
Greene-Dreher-Sterling Fair,
Newfoundland, thru Sept 7.
Big Knob Grange Fair, Rochester,
thru Sept 5.
Northumberland County Conser
vation District farm meeting,
Pine Hurst Acres, Riverside, 5
p.m.
Vegetable Grower Meeting, Trax
Stoneboro Fair, Stoneboro, thru
Sept. 7.
Sullivan County Fair, Forksville,
thru Sept 7.
Wyoming County Fair, Tunkhan-
Fairgrounds, Meyersdale, 7
p.m.
Allegheny County Fair and Expo,
Pittsburgh, thru Sept. 7.
Vegetable Study Circle, Kutztown
Produce Auction, 7 p.m.
Northumberland County Conser
vation District Farm Meeting,
Mark and Paul Kieffer Farm,
Washington Township, 5 p.m.
Farm Open House at Milky Way
❖ Farm Calendars
Northwest District Dairy Show,
Crawford County Fairgrounds,
Meadville.
Mon Valley District Dairy Show,
Washington County
Fairgrounds.
Juniata County Fair, Port Royal,
Spaitansburg Community Fair,
Spartansburg, thru Sept. 12.
G ' Fr‘ Ebensbr
Waterford Community Fair,
Waterford, thru Sept. 12.
Ox Hill Community Fair, Plumvil
le, thru Sept 12.
West Alexander Fair, West Ale-
Stahl, police chief. Clay Town
ship. 7:30 p.m.
Jamestown Community Fair,
Jamestown, thru Sept 12.
Claysburg Farm Show, Claysburg,
thru Sept. 12.
Twilight Meeting For Produce
Farmers, Karns Market,
Luzerne County Fair, Dallas, thru
Sept. 13.
Pike County Fair, Matamoras, thru
Sept. 13.
Bellwood-Antis Farm Show, Bell
wood, thru Sept. 12.
Agribusiness Breakfast, McCon
nellsburg American Legion
Post 561, 8 a.m.
Water Clinic, Fulton County
Extension Office, McConnells
burg. 10 a.m.-noon.
To Plan Corn Harvest
Com has passed the silking
stage in many fields, according to
Robert Anderson, Lancaster
County Extension Agronomy
Agent This year silking was
slightly behind normal in many
fields but should not cause any
problems. However, some fields
which are or have just silked may
run out of summer before reaching
maturity
Under normal summer grow
ing conditions, com requires ap
proximately 64 days from silking
to reach maturity The com kernel
goes through various developmen
tal stages from silking through
maturity or black layer formation
At black layer formation, the
com plant has reached its full po
tential and only requires heat to
dry down the kernel Thus, com
silking later than the first week ot
August may not reach maturity
before frost occurs Fields which
will reach maturity late may best
be used as silage
To Understand New Plant
Genetics
One day the use of pesticides to
protect crops from insects and dis
eases may be a story we tell our
grandchildren Robert Anderson,
Lancaster County Extension
Agronomy Agent, reports plant
breeding through genetically engi
neered plants are bringing agricul
ture closer to the elimination of
pesticides
Plants are being genetically al
tered so that they are naturally re
sistant to certain insects and dis
eases. This results in a cost effec
tive and environmentally fnendly
Prince George’s County Fair,
Prince George’s Equestrian
Center, Upper Marlboro, thru
Sept. 12.
Clear Spring Community Show,
Clear Spring High School,
Clear Spring, thru Sept. 12.
Twilight Meeting For Produce
Farmers, Oregon Dairy Market,
Lititz, 7 p.m.
Nittany Antique Machinery Asso
ciation Inc. of Central Pa.,
Penns Cove, Centre Hall, thru
Sept. 13.
Small Grain Roundtable, Hilltop
Restaurant, Shade Gap, noon-2
n.m.
Hay Creek Fall Festival, north of
Morgantown. 10 a.m.-S p.m.,
thru SepL 13.
Ballenger Community Show, Fre
derick, thru Sept. 12.
Wicomico County Fair, Wicomico
Youth and Civic Center, Salis
bury, thru SepL 12.
Damascus Community Fair,
Damascus Volunteer Fire DepL
Activity Grounds, Damascus,
thru SepL 13.
York Fair, York, thru SepL 20,
way to produce food and fiber
without the use of pesticides.
Com and soybeans were
among the first crops to be ge
netically altered. Recently, it was
announced a transgentic potato
will soon be on the market. This
potato is resistant to insects, par
ticularly the Colorado potato bee
tle.
To Follow Safety Rules
Jeff Stoltzfus, Eastern Lancas
ter County School District Adult
Farmer Program offered several
fall harvesting safety tips every
farmer should follow.
PTO shafts spin at 9 or 16
times per second at full speed.
Once it catches your clothing, you
do not have a chance. Make sure
all shields are in place. Do not
step over a rotating PTO shaft.
Keep all children away from silo
and machinery. There are plenty of
YOU ARE THE TEACHER
August 30, 1998
Background Scripture:
Proverbs 4 1-5, 6 20, 10 1,22 6,
31:26-28
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 128 1-6
I am always wary of sweeping
diagnoses and prescriptions for
societal ills. So, when I read a
letter to the editor that pontifi
cates that the reason for juve
nile delinquency and crime is
always directly traceable to the
failure of the parents, I want to
object. I have known wonderful
children to come from very trou
bled children to come from the
homes where parents were lov
ing, wise and responsible
Still, I must agree that many
children today are lacking in the
values that make for a stable
and wholesome society. Is it
because the parents are not try
ing to teach good values, or is it
because the peer groups and cul
ture are much more effective in
shaping their values? Many
spend more time in front of a
television set than they do in the
presence of their parents. They
are exposed to values that are at
least part of the problem.
I think part of it is also the
society to which we expose them.
If we don’t like and and are
uncomfortable with the values
we see in children and today,
might it not be our contempo
rary society we are seeing
reflected in their lives? The
problem might not be that they
are rejecting our society, but
that they have embraced it.
Maybe we see mirrored in them
a selfish, incompassionate, hos
tile and materialistic way of life.
The Reasons We Fail
Still, I would agree that none
of us are doing a particularly
effective job of teaching our chil
dren and youth values, morals
and spiritual principles. Some
parents are obviously too busy
with their work or own good
times. Others may not be teach
ing values because they don’t
have any to impart. Some may
not want to “force” their values
on their children as thy may
believe their parents tried to
force them. Others may not try
to teach values because the
believe professionals—school
teachers, pastors, counselors—
less dangerous opportunities to
teach children about the values of
work.
This month a mother was
driving a tractor when her 5 year
old son fell off and was run over
He survived with a broken pelvis
and is expected to fully recover
His mother has nightmares and
has not had a full night's sleep
since the accident.
Children under 10 do not be
long on tractors. Blower accidents
usually occur when the pipe clogs
up and someone is trying to
loosen it. Never stand on a blower
when it is running. Turn it off and
then clear the pipe. Lets keep this
harvest season an accident free
season.
Feather Prof, 's Footnote: "Do
not follow where the path may
lead. Go instead where there is no
path and leave a trail."
are equipped to do so and they
are not.
Proverbs tells us, “Train up a
child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not
depart from it” (22:6). While
there are certainly numerous,
even glaring exceptions, still, as
a rule, children will become bet
ter adults when parents and
others make serious and persis
tent efforts to teach them values
they hold to be vital.
I believe that an important
reason parents fail in this role
today is because they feel so
inadequate. If that is true, then
the churches, schools and insti
tutions have failed to prepare
them for this most important
job.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
Thinking back to the days
when my offspring were chil
dren and youth, I realized I
missed a lot of good opportuni
ties to teach my children. I took
too much for granted. I wish nov£.
that, when I made certain deci
sions or choices, I had explained
the values that lay behind them.
When I made mistakes, I wish I'
had been more vocal in explain
ing why I was wrong. I think I
assumed that since I preached a
sermon every Sunday, my chil
dren would know what I
believed and what was impor
tant to me. No so, I realized now
In a beautiful passage in
Proverbs 31, we get a depiction
of the ideal wife: “Strength and
dignity are her clothing, and she
laughs at the time to come. She
opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is
on her tongue” (v. 26). My moth
er taught me kindness; I wonder
whether I did.
Parents, however, cannot do
the job all by themselves. Henry
Rische in American Youth m
Trouble, says: “We’re the first
generation that has ever said to
parents, ‘You and you alone
must care for children.’ When I
was a little boy, I could get fed at
forty houses and probably
spanked in twelve. Lots of peo
ple took care of me.’ ”
If parents are going to be suc
cessful in teaching children of
today, all of us need to be a part
of the teaching team.
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 Faifh'ng