AlO-lincaster Farming, Saturday. NovemDf 28, 1898
OPINION
Economic Reality
In recent weeks, the well-accepted truism that agriculture is
Pennsylvania’s number one industry has been called into ques
tion. Figures presented from statistics compiled by the Bureau of
Economic Analysis in the U.S. Department of Commerce for
1996 show that primary metals, industrial machinery, chemicals,
and health care all chipped in more money to the gross domestic
product than agriculture.
While admiting that figures for the rippling effect of any one
industry is hard, maybe impossible to nail down, we believe the
importance of agriculture in all segments of the economy is obvi
ous. Since food and fiber production starts from the land, the most
basic platform of the economy, up through the food on the table
and the value-added products from this chain of manufacturing,
service, and distribution, a lot of agriculture’s value is hidden in
the value of the published figures for other sectors of the
economy.
In economic reality, it’s probably a case where the claims of
importance by each segment of the economy would add up to
more than the total business and employment activity. However,
if other segments of the economy want to claim “most important
status” in the economy, that’s OK by us as long as everyone real
izes that where the people are starving, there are no economic fig
ures to discuss.
S;itiii-fla>. Nom-ihlht 2X
29 |
Cecil County, Maryland 4-H Pro
ject Fair, Calvert Grange Hall, 1
p.m.-S p.m.
Tuesday. Dc-ctiiilht 1
\\ cclnotlay. Dcci-iiilht 2
32nd National Young Fanner’s
Educational Institute, Dou
blcTrec Hotel, Omaha, Neb.,
thru Dec. 6.
Farm Financial Management
Workshop, Wye Research and
Education Center, Queen
stown, Md., 9:30 a.m.-3;30
p.m., repeats Dec. 9, 16, and
Beaver County DHIA Banquet,
extension office, 7:30 pm.
Basic Computer Operation For
Farms and Small Business,
Washington Extension, 9:30
TMR Feeders Workshop, Franklin
County Extension Office 4-H
Center, 9:45 am.-2:30 p.m.
Lebanon County 4-H Dairy
Achievement Banquet, Leba
non Expo Center, 7:30 p.m.
Computerized Farm Record Keep
ing, Main Course Restaurant,
Cedarbrook Golf Course, Belle
Vernon, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
RISA’s Annual Community Meet
ing, Exploring Diverse Farm
Marketing Opportunities, Yod
er’s Restaurant, New Holland,
Suiulit^. iK > ■•in 1 ( i
Maryland Farm Bureau 83d Annu
al Meeting, Ramada Inn Con
vention Center, Hagerstown,
❖ Farm Calendars
Beginners, Huntingdon County
extension office, 9:30 ajn.-3
p.m.
New York Farm Bureau Citizen
ship Award-Contcst, New York
Farm Bureau annual meeting,
Radisson Plaza-The Hotel Syr
acuse, thru Dec. 10.
Daily Options Pilot Program
Meeting, Tulpehocken Junior/
Mid-Atlantic Crop Management
School, Princess Royalc
Oceanfront Hotel and Confer
ence Center, Ocean City, Md.,
thru Dec. 10.
Daily Feeding Systems Confer
ence, Radisson Penn Harris
Hotel and Convention Center,
Camp Hill, thru Dec. 10.
Solanco Young Farmers meeting,
Farm Safety, Solanco High
School, 7:30 'pm.
Regional Greenhouse Meeting,
Huntingdon County Coopera-
tive Extension office.
Huntingdon.
Practical Biosccurity for Poultry,
13 th Regional Meeting, Uni-
versity of Delaware, Newark,
Del., 7:30 a.m.-3;30 p.m.
Western Pa. Regional Vegetable
Conference, Days Inn, Butler.
Poultry Plentitudc, University of
Delaware, Newark, Del.
Berks County DHIA Banquet, Ag
Stemog^CcntCTjiooo^^^
Dauphin County Agronomy
Workshops, Elizabcthvillc
Public Library, Elizabcthville,
different morning and after
noon sessions, 10 a.m.-2:30
p.m.
Westmoreland County Coopera
tive Extension Association
Annual Meeting, Donohoe
Center, 7:30 p.m.-9:30 pjn.
Dairy Options Pilot Program
Meeting, Berks County Ag
Center, Leesport, 1:30 pjn.
Dairy Options Pilot Program
To Protect Venison
Quality
Venison quality depends on
how it is handled, according to
Robert Anderson, Lancaster
County Extension Agent. The
deer hunter is the key person re
sponsible for the quality of his
venison.
Preserving the carcass quality
starts with the right tools and an
understanding of what to do. The
best venison quality is obtained
with proper field dressing. While
still in the field, excessive blood
should be removed along with the
digestive track and other internal
organs . The body cavity should
be washed as soon as possible
with clean water.
Any organs to be kept should
also be washed thoroughly. Cool
the carcass quickly. Avoid trans
porting on the hood of a vehicle
where the carcass will warm up.
During warm weather, keeping the
carcass cool is critical in avoiding
meat spoilage
To Control Insects
Tim Elkner, Lancaster County
Extension Horticultural Agent,
reminds us many insects are
searching for a warm, shelter loca
tion as winter approaches. Many
people discover that these insects
find their homes the ideal spot for
a winter vacation
According to entomologists,
the best control method is to seal
insects out Inspect the perimeter
Meeting, Kutztown High
Core Pesticide Training, Mercer
County Extension, 1 p.m.-4
p.m.
Adams County DHIA Banquet,
York Springs Fire Hall, 7 p.m.
Daily Options Pilot Program
Meeting, Ag Classroom, Oley
Valiev High School. 7:30 tun.
Clear Toy Candy Demonstration,
Cake and Kandy Emporium,
East Petersburg, 11 ajn., 1
p.m., and 3 p.m., also Dec. 13,
11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Methane Digestion Open House,
Ephrata Area Young Farmers
Christmas Event, Ephrata
Middle School, 6:30 p.m.
Solanco Young Farmers meeting,
Computer Education: Navigat
ing Windows, Solanco High
School, 7:30 p.m.
Passing Chi The Farm Workshop,
Lighthouse Restaurant, Cham
bcrsburg. 9 a.m.-3:30p.m.
of your house for cracks, espe
cially those at or just above the
ground level. Tiny pests can slip
unnoticed through holes around
utility cables and windows.
Seal all openings you find.
Besides shelter, some invading in
sects also are looking for secure
nesting sites. To make your home
less accessible to them, keep
house hugging shrubs trimmed.
Move mulch away from the foun
dation. Do not stack firewood
against the house. Inspect fire
place logs for hitchhiking insects
before bringing them in.
To Control Mice
Fall is also the time when
mice seek warmer shelter and a
guaranteed food supply, according
to Tim Elkner, Lancaster County
Extension Horticultural Agent.
These tiny rodents cause damage
with their gnawing and spoil food
supplies with their droppings.
Prevention is the best control.
Seal all entries into the house.
CELEBRATION!
November 29, 1998
Background Scripture:
Nehemiah 8 through 9
Devotional Reading:
Galatians 3:23-29
There is a heated debate
going on today Christianity
between the advocates of con
temporary and tradition styles
of worship. The criticism of con
temporary worship is that it is
not worship because it is focused
on the needs of the worshipper,
rather than the adoration of the
Lord. On the other hand, tradi
tional worship is criticized
because it is not conversant with
the needs and styles of many of
the people we want to win to
Christ.
I will not add tot he debate,
except to say form a purely per
sonal standpoint that I don't feel
it is necessary to choose the one
and deny the other. I have expe
rienced both kinds and found
either can be either quite pro
found or quite superficial. In
fact, I believe it would be ulti
mately harmful if one style
should prevail over the other.
CONSISTENTLY GRIM
One of the contributions of
contemporary style worship to
Christian life today is its
emphasis upon celebration.
Traditional worship has often
seemed too devoid of this essen
tial mood. My earliest recollec
tions of worship, as a first-grad
er in what was the first of sever
al "home churches," was that the
mood was consistently grim—
grim clergy leading somber peo
ple in sad hymns, ominous scrip
tures and despairing sermons.
(Yes, I realize that my recollec
tions may not be quite accurate
or fair.)
It was not until as a 9th grad
er that, because my girlfriend
Jackie got me to go with her, I
joined the youth fellowship of
Park Evangelical Church in
Reading, PA, and came to real
ize that people could both be
spiritual and have a good time.
Up until that time it had seemed
to me that I had to choose one or
the other. The pastor, Mark
Steirwald, was both spiritual
Steel wool stuffed firmly into a
small opening makes a good tem
porary barrier against mice. It is
also helpful to limit their poten
tial food sources.
Store pet food and bird seed in
sealed containers. Clean up spills
immediately. If mice are already
living in your house, set traps in
areas where they are active, par
ticularly along walls and on
ledges.
Signs of activity include dark
grain sized droppings in cabinets
and drawers, hoarded food piles and
nests of shredded paper or cloth.
Bait the traps with peanut butter,
bacon or milk chocolate. Then
check the traps daily to dispose of
the catch and renew the bait. Poi
son baits are not recommended for
homes. They present a danger to
children and dead mice may end up
behind walls or under floors.
Feather Prof.'s Footnote:
"Champions keep playing until
they get it right."
and fun-loving. The other kids I
met there were very much the
same way. Laughter was as
prevalent as prayer. It was a
revelation that changed my life.
THE JOY OF THE LORD
In Nehemiah 8 and 9 we see a
transformation of the people of
Israel returned from exile. Ezra
the scribe and priest read to the
assembled people from "the book
of the law of Moses," Ezra told
the people, "This day is holy to
the Lord your God; do not mourn
or weep" (8:9), for when they had
heard the words of the law,
many of the people had wept.
"Go your way, eat the fat and
drink sweet wine and send por
tions to him for whom nothing is
preprred..and do not be grieved,
for the joy of the Lord is your
strength" (8:10). And the people
"went their way to eat and drink
and to send portions and to
make great rejoicing because
they had understood the words
that were declared to them."
Some days later, but in the
same month, the returned exiles
assembled once again before
Ezra and this time their mood
was different and they engaged
in confessing "the sins and iniq
uities of their fathers" (9:2),
Ezra then prays a long prayer in
which he acknowledges many of
God's saving acts in the history
of the Hebrew peoples, starting
with creation and moving on to
the present. Repeatedly, he con
fesses the stubborn sinfulness of
their ancestors; "But they are
our fathers acted presumptu
ously and stiffened their neck
and did not obey thy command
ments; they refused to obey, and
were not mindful of the wonders
which thou didst perform
among them..." (9:17).
The hear of their worship,
thus, blending both old and new,
joy and confession, was a cele
bration of all that God had done
for them, a recounting of God's
mighty acts in the past, a recog
nition of what he is doing in the
present, giving them the power
to approach the future in the
hope of his steadfast love.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
I E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
-by
Lancaster Fuming, Inc.
A Stemman Enterprise
William J. Burgess General Manager
Everett R. Newswangar Managing Editor
Copyright 1998 Lancaster Farming