AlO-Lencestcr Farming, Saturday, October 17, 1996
OPINION
No “Nuked” Food
American consumers would likely purchase irradiated food
products but are not sold on the safety of the technology and
would not hesitate to change their minds if news accounts sug
gest irradiation is unsafe, a recent survey by CMF&Z and the
International Food Safety Council, a restaurant and foodservice
industry coalition, shows.
Sixty-five percent of consumers surveyed said they are
aware of irradiation, up 20 percentage points from a year ago
and up 34 percentage points from 1996.
Seventy-one percent of the consumers who are aware of irra
diation said they were likely to purchase irradiated meat and 69
percent said they were likely to purchase irradiated produce.
Both percentages are slightly greater than a year ago when 64
percent of consumers surveyed said they were likely to pur
chase irradiated meat and 66 percent said they were likely to
purchase irradiated produce.
However, fewer than one-half of the consumers questioned
in the survey 46 percent said they believe irradiation is a
“very effective” tool in improving the safety of meat and 43
percent said they believe the technology is a “very effective”
tool in improving the safety of produce.
While irradiation ranks below E-coli, salmonella and hepa
titis as an issue of concern to consumers, 64 percent of those
surveyed identified irradiation as a food issue conem, and 60
percent said they would refrain from purchasing irradiated
foods on the basis of negative media stories.
“The survey results show that irradiation proponents have
done a good job in building public awareness of the tech
nology. However, consumer willingness to purchase irradiated
products is fragile and could evaporate in the wake of negative
media reports on irradiation,” says Bill Brewer, public relations
counsel for CMF&Z’s Food Practice Group. “Irradiation pro
ponents clearly have more work to do to seek credible, third
party allies to build a case for the safety of this technology.”
liie CMF&Z-Food Safety Council survey showed a large
gap between consumers and editors on the likelihood of con
sumers to react to negative media reports. Only 25 percent of
the editors surveyed said their readers would take action in re
sponse to negative stories about irradiation, while 60 percent of
consumers said negative stories about irradiation, while 60 per
cent of consumers said negative media reports on irradiation
would cause them to refrain from consuming irradiated food.
To begin the wide use of irradiation to compensate for bad
food handling practice would be a mistake. Agriculture has
enough problems with negative publicity without giving our
opponents the opportunity to say the food we put on the nation
al dinner table has been “nuked.”
Southeastern Pa. 4-H Leaders For
um, Montgomery County 4-H
Center, Creamery, 9 a.m.-2:15
p.m.
Maryland’s First Limousin Club
Calf Sale, Four States Lives
tock Sale Grounds, Hager
stown, Md., 7 p.m.
Blue Mountain Antique Gas and
Steam Engine Association
Annual Fall Harvest and Saw
mill Show, Jacktown Commun
ity Center, Bangor, thru Oct.
18.
Pasture Tour For Southern Mary
land Graziers, contact St.
Mary’s County extension
office.
Northwest Pa. Nursery Tour,
Johnston's Evergreen
Erie. 9 a.m.-noon.
■ hi in
Sunday, Oclohti'JX
Horse Show For Riders With Disa
bilities, Thomcroft, Malvern.
❖ Farm Calendars
21st Annual Mule Show, Club on
Ben Davis Rd., Powellville,
Md., 10 a.m.
Somerset County Beef Producers’
Picnic and Quality Assurance
Meeting, Errer Hill Farm, 1
No-Till Symposium, held on open
ing day of ASA, CSSA, and
SSA meetings, Baltimore, Md.
Md. and Va. Milk Producers Meet-
burg, thru Oct. 24.
Chester County Holstein Club
Annual Meeting and Banquet,
West Fallowficld Christian
School, Atglen, 6:45 p.m.
Md. and Va. Milk Producers Meet
ing, Ruritan Building, New
London, Va., noon.
Md. and Va. Milk Producers Meet-
To Know Soil Fertility
A soil test for each field is
good sound management when it
comes to crop production, accord
ing to Robert Anderson, Lancaster
County Extension Agronomy
Agent. A soil test is one tool
which will allow farmers to
minimize fertilizer purchases
while meeting the fertility needs
of the crop. A soil test will meas
ure the amount of nutrients avail
able from soil reserves. Also, soil
testing labs run by college of ag
riculture in each state is best able
to make recommendation on addi
tional nutrients needed to produce
the crop and projected yield
The agricultural colleges have
many years of yield response data
to base their recommendations.
Because yield response varies from
different areas, the college m the
state where the farm is located is
usually best able to make good
recommendations.
To Do Soil Tests
Robert Anderson, Lancaster
County Extension Agronomy
Agent, reminds us that fall is per
haps the best time to test soils for
fertility. Taking soil samples at
this time of year allows ample
time for laboratory analysis, in
terpretation of results and develop
ing a nutrient management strat
egy for the use ol manure and pur
chased fertilizer.
A few simple guidelines for
taking soil samples are: 1. Take
cores from at least 15 to 20 ran
dom spots throughout the field; 2.
Any one composite sample should
not represent more than 30 acres
of land which has been managed
as a unit; 3. Sampling areas
should be based on soil type and
management history, 4. Areas
within a field which have drasti
cally different yield potentials
should be sampled separately; 5.
Avoid taking cores from problem
areas within a field; 6. Take sam
ples to the normal plow depth
used m the field; and 7 No till
field samples should be sep-irated
into two composite samples (0 to
ing. Stone’s Cafeteria, Christ
HQEBBSESSDEOi
Commercial Vegetable Growers
Meeting, Walker Grange Hall,
Port Royal, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Cambria County Extension annual
meeting, St. John Vianney
meeting, Ephrata High School,
7 p.m.
Beef Quality Assurance Meeting,
Middleburg Livestock Auction,
7 p.m.
Md. and Va. Milk Producers Meet
ing, Middletown Fire Hall,
Middletown 7 nm.
(Turn to Page A 35)
2 inches and 2 inches to 8 inches).
The shallow sample is most im
portant as it relates to acidity. Af
ter drying and mixing the compos
ite samples send them to a reputa
ble laboratory for analysis To
monitor the impact recommenda
tions have on soil fertility levels,
use the same laboratory over a pe
riod of time.
To Avoid Lead in Drink-
ing Water
If your drinking water is con
taminated with lead, this can have
serious health implications, ac
cording to Leon Ressler, Lancaster
County Extension Environmental
Agent. Excessive levels in blood
contribute to various health prob
lems including mental retardation,
interference with kidney and neu
rological functions and hearing
loss in children. Children are es
pecially sensitive to lead.
Although lead occurs naturally
in some water supplies, its pres-
THE ARROGANCE OF
POWER
October 18, 198
Background Scripture:
I Kings 12
Devotional Reading:
Matthew 27:15-26
It is tempting for us to assume
that Rehoboam and Jeroboam
were simply evil men doing what
evil men do best: evil! But to put
their thoughts and actions into
perspective, we must realize that
probably, neither of these mqn
thought of themselves as evil.
Like us and leaders in our own
time, they probably both honestly
believed in the rightness of their
actions. Most evil people do not
start out to be evil, but simply be
come evil in the arrogant way in
which they exercise power.
Actually, I am more fearful of
the person who is unreservedly
certain that he is doing the smart
thing than the one who knowingly
sets out to do evil. The former is, I
think, the most dangerous, be
cause he or she does not realize
and acknowledge the human capa
city to be and do wrong. One of
my seminary professors. Reinhold
Niebuhr has written that, “Power
always thinks that it has a great
soul and vast views beyond the
comprehension of the weak; and
that it is doing God’s service when
it is violating all His laws" (The
Irony of American History). I can
imagine that both Rehoboam and
Jeroboam entertained the assump
tion that they were “doing God’s
service" as Niebuhr put it.
THEY HAD CHOICES
It is also significant to me that
neither of these men were forced
to make the choices that proved so
disastrous. Rehoboam, the son of
King Solomon, was assured of the
support of the entire 12 tribes of
Israel if he would but “lighten the
hard service of your father and his
heavy yoke upon us . . .“ (12:4).
Nor could Rehoboam blame his
bad decision on his court, for he
had a choice between the wise
counsel of his elder advisors and
the harsh words recommended by
his young advisors.
Note the arrogance of their re
ply; “. . . this you shall say to
them: My little finger is thicker
than my father’s loins. And now,
whereas my father laid upon you a
heavy yoke, I will add to your
ence can also be attributed to
plumbing. Soft, acidic water pass
ing through lead pipe or contact
ing a lead soldered joint for a pe
riod of hours can dissolve enough
lead to cause concern. Homeown
ers should use lead free solder
when making repairs.
The amount of lead dissolved
in water from lead pipes or solder
is the highest when the water has
been held in the pipe for several
hours. Therefore, it is best not to
drink the first water from the tap
each morning since the water has
been held in the pipe for several
hours. Run the tap for 3 to 5
minutes before drinking or using
it for cooking. Also, since hot
water dissolves lead rapidly, do
not use it for cooking or preparing
infant formula.
Feather Prof, 's Footnote: "It is
a funny thing about life. If you re
fuse to accept anything but the
best, you very often get it."
yoke. My father chastised you
with whips, but I will chastise you
with scorpions" (12:11). Did these
men really believe words such as
these would bring the nation under
Rehoboam's control. Apparently
they did. As harsh as those wdrds
sound, they are possibly no more
cynical than the advice some ad
visors and consultants give to
political figures in our own time.
The case of Jeroboam was dif
ferent. None of the tribes, except
that of Judah (and Benjamin),
would submit to Rehoboam, who
had practically handed the rest of
Israel to Jeroboam on a silver plat
ter. And he made a good start:
warned by a prophet not to raise
an army to conquer Rehoboam
and the men of Judah, he canceled
his invasion plans. So far, so good.
POLITICAL GROUNDS
But Jeroboan soured a good be
ginning with a disastrous ending.
Assured of the support of the 10
tribes of Israel, Jeroboam made a
religious decision on political
grounds and it proved to be disas
trous. Fearing that if his people re
turned to Jerusalem to worship as
they had since the time of David,
they would want to defect to Rc
hoboam, he decided to keep them
from Jerusalem by setting up
places of worship in both Dan and
Bethel. Cocky with power, he also
decided not to use the God-ap
pointed Levites as priests and re
placed traditional worship with
obeisance to calves of gold. I’ll
bet he thought that was a really
clever idea!
William J. Gaynor, a mayor of
New York City, has said, “We
have more to fear from the growth
of arbitrary power in officials than
from all other vices and crimes
combined." Power is a drug that
numbs our sensibilities and befud
dles our brains. Among antitrust
lawyers there is a saying: “Show
me the power and I will show you
its abuse.” Why, because, neces
sary as it is to lead and govern,
power tends to corrupt human na
ture.
Whether practiced in the state
house, the White House or your
house, it can be dangerously in
toxicating.
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. Burges* General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1998 Lancaster Farming