AlO-L«ncaster Farming, Saturday, February 6, 1999 OPINION Wearing A Noose Farmers could lose valuable crop protection chemicals, and consumers could see less variety and higher prices at the grocery store if the Environmental Protection Agency continues its current program of pesticide regulation, according to two speakers at the recent American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting. Bill Spencer, a Yuma, Ariz., citrus grower, pointedly said he will be driven out of business if the Food Quality Protection Act, the 1996 law mandated new ways to regulate pesticides, isn’t changed. Wearing a noose around his neck labeled “FQPA,” Spencer said the “law fundamentally changes how you con trol pests and, in turn, makes farming an even riskier busi ness.” If FQPA isn’t “fixed,” Spencer said, farmers wouldn’t be able to control pests or farm profitability. Michael Fumento, a journalist and fellow with the Hudson Institute, said FQPA is a flawed law that was passed unanimously by Congress despite the fact that “nobody bothered to read or debate the bill.” He explained there was a “desperate need to get rid” of the zero-risk Delaney clause that EPA was under a court order to enforce. But along with that and other worthy provisions came some bad ones and other measures “we don’t even know about even now.” Fumento said the way that FQPA is being implemented threatens farmers’ ability to provide the “world’s safest and cheapest food supply.” It will put farmers out of business and increase the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables, he said. Fumento, who wrote the book “Science Under Siege,” blamed a minority of extreme environmentalists for the FQPA predicament. He said they use “unscrupulous” research, know how to work the media and develop allies within the bowels of EPA to get their anti-technology views into regulations. The FQPA is just another in a series of problems con fronting American agriculture with the likelihood that our food in the future will be produced in other countries, coun tries where the same chemicals are used and where food safety regulations are almost nonexistent. This only makes sense if you are trying the create the demise of agriculture in this country and make our people slaves to foreign food. Ephrata Area Young Fanners Annual Banquet, Mt. Airy Fire Hall, 6:30 p.m. Crops Day, Kane Sportsmen’s Monday. i thriKin X Act 6 Nutrient Management Certification/Plan Writing Seminars. Westmoreland/S.W. Pa., Donohoe Center, Greens burg, fertility; certification Feb. 15 and exam, Feb. 22. Basic Dairy Farm Management Workshop, Venango County extension office, 7:30 p.m., also Feb. 22. Pest. Applicator Recertification Meeting, McConnellsburg High School. 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Poultry Management and Health Seminar, Kreider’s Restaurant, Manheim. noon. Solanco Young Farmer meeting, dairy management, Solanco High School, 7:30 p.m. N.Y. Vegetable Conference, Sher aton Four Points Hotel, Syra cuse, N.Y., thru Feb. 11. S4th Annual Pa. Landscape and Nursery Conference, Holiday Inn, Grantville, thru Feb. 10. Act 6 Nutrient Management Certification/Plan Writing Seminars, Crawford/N.W. Pa., Crawford extension, Meadvil- le, fertility; certification Feb. 16 and exam Feb. 23. Lancaster County Crops Day, Farm and Home Center, 9 a.m. Ag Outlook Meeting, Gettysburg Middle School, Gettysburg, 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Cenex Local Membership meet- ing, Dover Fire Hall, Dover, 10 a.m. Pesticide safety meeting, Lincoln Family Smorgasbord, 6:45 p.m. Northeast Regional Fruit Growers Meeting, Ramada Inn, Chinchilla, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Soil Nutrient Management Work shop, Schuylkill County Ag Center, Pottsville, 7 p.m.-9 Keystone Pork Expo, Lebanon Convention Center, Lebanon Fairgrounds, 8 a.m. Regional Potato Meeting, Imperial Room. Mini Mall. Ebensburg, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Winter Fruit Meeting, Schuylkill Now Is The Time By John Schwartz Lancaster County ' ' Agricultural Agent To Look at Ways to Im prove Yields Robert Anderson, Lancaster County Extension Agronomy Agent, offers the following ideas on ways to improve yields and profits. 1. Soil tests are an impor tant key They point out nutrients which are missing and need to be added to bolster yields. They also point out where fertilizer costs may be reduced. 2. Select hybrids and varieties based on perform ance. Use test comparisons that are done close to home under con ditions and management similar to your own operation Start the evaluation procedure early each year since the best varieties usu ally sell out early. 3. Practice pa tience. Do not be in a big hurry to get into the field in the spring. Avoid going into fields anytime during late winter or early spring when soil conditions are not fa vorable. Soil compaction, espe cially shallow compaction will rob yields. Plant as early as pos sible when soil conditions are fa vorable, If soil conditions are not suitable, keep the seed in the bag. To Plant Seeds Correctly Robert Anderson, Lancaster County Extension- Agronomy Agent, offers the following tips on improving yields through proper planting. 1. Plant accu rately. Slow the planter down. Research has shown that the dif ference between planting com at 7 miles per hour (mph) compared to 5 mph may be as much as 10 to 15 bushels per acre in the com bine. 2. Plant enough seed. Through the years, the most consistent variable in com yields is plant populations. Research at Penn State shows that com yields are highest when plant populations approaches 28 to 30 thousand plants per acre The most recent studies show that even 32,000 plants per acre can increase yields 3. Plant uniformly. Adjust the planter so that each seed is planted at the optimum depth. Planting some seeds deep and other shallow often affects when the plant emerge and latter will affect polli nation. The entire field does best when every plant is at the same stage of growth. To Check Equipment Check equipment before head ing to the field. According to Robert Anderson, Lancaster County Extension Agronomy Agent, late winter maintenance that replace broken and worn parts on equipment will decrease the amount of down time during soil County Ag Center, Pottsville, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Delmarva Dairy Day, Hartly Fire Hall, Hartlv. Del.. 9 a.tn.-3 p.m. (Turn to Page A3l) ' preparation and planting Before planting, calibrate the planter metering system. Over ap plying or under applying an insec ticide or fertilizer may affect yields and profits Even when starter fer tilizer is needed, increases in yield usually occur with the minimum amount of fertilizer Over applica tion of pesticides is costly and does not improve results When planting, constantly be LIVING IN TWO WORLDS February 7,1999 Background Scripture: Romans 12:9 through 13:14 Devotional Reading: Psalms 15:1-5 This week we deal with one of the most controversial passages in the New Testament: Romans 13:1-7. A quick reading will illustrate why. There is nothing controversial in Romans 12:9- 21, nor in 13:8-114. But, in between there are seven verses that, along with 1 Peter 2:13-17 and 3:13, have been problemati cal for Christians since they were penned. They do not really answer, but only seem to make much more difficult, the ques tion of the Christian’s relation ship to the state. Had I a choice, I would not have selected these seven verses as the basis for a lesson on “Civic Responsibility,” the title suggested by the Uniform Lesson guidelines. Why? Because, by itself, this passage conveys a very one-sided impres sion that is in vivid contrast to what scholar C.H. Dodd calls “the virulent hatred of Rome that runs through the Revelation of John.” In Romans 13:1-7 Paul embraces the Roman state as “instituted by God” (13:1) to prevent evil and uphold good. In Revelation the state is seen as the enemy of Christianity. As Dodd says, Paul “saw in the Empire the provi dential instrument by which the coming of Anti-Christ was delayed.” In Revelation, John regards the Roman state as the Anti-Christ. ROMANS OR REVELATION? How can we explain and work with these two drastically opposing views? One explana tion is that they were written at different times and the situation in these two periods was very different. Romans was probably written sometime between 54 and 58 AD, at a time when per secution was not part of Rome’s imperial policy. Revelation is thought to have been written sometime between 70 and 91 AD, a period when Roman per secution was definitely imperial policy. By the time of John the church found that “Rome could persecute as well as protect” (John Knox). So who is right, Paul or John? The answer: both and neither. Both were quite justified in their views in the separate and differ ent times in which they wrote. Paul’s dictum, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities” would have been quite inapplicable to the church in the • time of John, just as checking to see seeds are being placed properly and that the planter is closing the furrow and packer wheels are firming the seedbed. By paying attention to details, you should insure best yields and results possible Feather Prof.'s Footnote "In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins. Not through strength hut through persistence " John’s hatred of the state would have been inappropriate in the days when Paul wrote Romans. Neither of them exclusively authoritative for any other situ ations than those out of which they wrote. When Germans in the 1930 s and 40s quoted Romans to confirm the authority of the Nazi government, they were misusing Paul and not for the sake of Christ. When Americans in the 1960 s anathe matized protesters against the Vietnam War with the same pas sages, their use of Paul and Romans was no more authorita tive. ANOTHER REASON But there is still another explanation for their radical dif ference. Even apart from the dif ference in their historical situa tions represented by these two New Testament books, there has been a long-standing tension between state and faith that reaches back into Old Testament times when sages worried that the desire for a king would undercut the authority of God. The underlying theme of Samuel I & II and Kings I & II is: “No king but God.” In the days of the Kings of Israel and Judah prophets were often clearly dis obedient to their rule. During the days of Jesus and the early church there was definite con flict between Christ and his fol lowers with both the Jewish offi cials and Romans. As theologian Emil Brunner reminds us, “It is the State which crucified the Lord Jesus and oppressed the Jewish people.” It was the state that throughout the Roman world compelled its peoples to bestow the Emperor the homage that belonged to God alone. So the tension we see between Romans and Revelation has always been with us. John Knox says: “Under pressure Christians have either granted the ruler too much latitude, or else have refused to concede him what he is fully entitled to claim. As a result they have been unduly subservient in some periods, while in others they have allowed no satisfacto ry place in their thoughts for the necessary functions of the state.” Christians live in both com munities, the state and the king dom, with loyalties to both. The state is instituted by God to bring order, justice and freedom into human life, but, as the Bible has clearly shown, when the state is unresponsive to the divine will, God has the supreme claim to our loyalty. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 B. Main St. Ephrata. PA 17522 -by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Steinman Enterprise William J. Burgess General Manager Everett R. Newswanger Managing Editor Copyright 1999 by Lancaster Farming
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers