AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 17, 1999 IIIWWMO'TtoiWIml ll WWMO'TtoiWIm OPINION Well it looks like farming won one in a battle of the Environmental Protection Agency regulations related to strict new air quality regulations imposed in 1997. The new regulations would illegally burden agriculture with significant costs without producing any health or other benefits. In other words, the regulations were an attempt in a continuing series of attempts to limit the ability of American agriculture to produce an abundance of food and keep America strong. EPA attempted to establish new ambient air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter, creating standards far more stringent than existing regulations. Not only would the additional expensive anti-pollution costs to petroleum, trucking, and manufacturing companies have been passed on to farmers in added input costs on the farm, the regulations to limit dust from agricultural operations was indefensible. To produce lood from the ground you have to have some dust. In court, EPA was ordered to cither articulate an intelligible principle to support the concentration levels it selects for ozone and particulate matter or turn to legislation to address the issue The EPA can not legitimately address fine and coarse particle pollution through a single regulation. EPA will have to establish independently justified standards for each type of pollution. Be assured this new court decision will be challenged. Saturday. .1 ul> 17 Lancaster County 4-H Horse Show, Columbia Riding Club. Pa. Hoof Trimmers Association picnic, Paul Neer home, Belle ville, 10:30 a.m. Chain Saw Safely Demonstration, Meet Lehigh Valley Velod rome, 8 a.m.-noon. York County Beekeepers picnic, 21st Annual Lancaster County Youth Conservation School, Northern Lancaster County Game and Fish Protective Association Club Grounds, West Cocalico Township, thru July 24. thru July 24. West Central FFA Dairy Show, Butler County Fairgrounds, Prospect. Federal Order Reform Update, Walker Township Building, 8 pjn.-10 p.m. Boss's Fore FFA Golf Tourna ment, Fox Chase Golf Course, State Fruit Research and Exten sion Center, Biglerville. Plainfield Fanners Fair, Nazareth, thru July 24. Southeast FFA Dairy Show, Lcba- co Fairgrounds. Jefferson County Holstein Show, Jefferson County Fairgrounds, Brookville, 9 a.m. Lycoming County Holstein Show, Lycoming County Fairgrounds, Hughesville, 10 a.m. York County Holstein Show, York Fairgrounds, York, 10 a.m. Grazier Field Meeting, George Martin Farm, Lewisburg, 10 a.tn.-noon. Won One ❖ Farm Calendar * I hursdin. .luh 22 Cattle Feeders Summer Meeting, Diffcnbach Auction, New Hol land, 7 p.m. Progress Through Communica tions For Ag Committee Annu al Tour of Local Ag and Forest Facilities and Picnic, begins at Hoopcs’ Family Fox Hill Farms, Ulysses, 1 p.m. Picnic dinner and program at Fox Hill Farms, 7 p.m. Lancaster County Holstein Show, Solanco Fairgrounds, Quarry ville, 10 a.m. Maryland Commodity Classic, Queen Anne’s County 4-H Park, Ccntrcville. 1999 Mercer County Farm Safety Day Camp, Leslie N. Firth »kvill ionship Show, Fairgrounds, Franklin, 9:30 ajn. Cecil County Fair, Fair Hill, thru My 31. Com Herbicide Plots Field Day, Dan and Vetc Woods, Edinbor (Turn to Page A 34) Editor: I was in 4-H during the 1950 s and ’6os and collegiate FFA in the 70s. I was a 4-H specialty leader (taught dairy judging) in the late 70s and now am leader of a generalized interest 4-H club. During the 1980 s I attended many shows and fairs as a spec tator. I noticed something very wrong in the bam areas. Too many times parents or other To Look at Alfalfa Harvest According to Robert Anderson, Lancaster County Extension Agronomy Agent, new seedings of alfalfa made this spring are beginning to come into bloom but are short. This is making harvesting a little difficult in many areas. Many farmers are wondering whether to harvest or wait for the plant to get more height. Alfalfa plant growth habits have the plant sending a signal to the roots to begin producing new stems when the plant begins to bloom. Thus, when the plant produces flower buds, it will grow very little. The feeding quality of the plant will begin to increase in fiber and decrease in protein. With these facts in mind, the best approach to managing both new seeding and established alfalfa stands that is short but has begun to bloom is to mow it. If there is sufficient alfalfa to make hay then bale it otherwise leave it in the field. To Control Leafhopper An increasing number of alfalfa fields are showing damage to potato leafhopper, according to Robert Anderson, Lancaster County Extension Agronomy Agent. He recommends that all alfalfa fields which have been mowed recently and will not be mowed in the next 7 to 10 days to be sprayed for leafhoppers. If fields wiill be mowed beyond the 10 day period and are showing leafhopper damage, you should consider mowing them early and spraying the stubble after harvesting. Remember, leafhoppers cause stunting of the alfalfa plant and the plant will not grow out of the damage until it is cut and sprayed. To Look at Emergency Forage Crop If dry weather continues, additional forages may be needed, reports Robert Anderson, Lancaster County Extension > , . , ft* , 1 - % t , * .5 *$ * ❖ Fari p'ltr. d\ - '• V H adults are doing the actual grooming for the youth. From all I learned, this is illegal. Now I wonder about other areas - cooking and sewing in particular. When I was in 4-H my par ents only help was “verbal encouragement,” When I made my 4-H uniform dress and jack et, my aunt, who was a profes sional seamstress, talked me (Turn to Page All) Agronomy Agent. The Brassicas are a family of plants that include rape, kale, turnip and swede. They are well adapted to forage production. Growth characteristics and maturity differ between the different brassicas. They contain high levels of crude protein and digestible energy. The fiber content of brassicas is very low. Animals being feed brassicas as forage should supplemental hay. Brassicas should not make up more than two thirds of the animal's diet Brassicas may be seeded through mid summer and THIS IS A TEST! July 18,1999 Background Scripture: Genesis 22:1-18 Devotional Reading: Daniel 3:16-26 I have been writing Bible Speaks for 33 years. So, under standably, I have encountered many of these texts and written about them with some frequen cy. That doesn’t include the times I have also encountered them in my own Bible study, preaching and teaching. That is certainly true of the story of Abraham, Isaac and the sacrifice on Mount Moriah. Yet I am often surprised to find that, upon reading these itexts again, something entirely new arises from them to please, puzzle or trouble me. So, today when I re-read Genesis 22,1 was perplexed to find a problem that had previously escaped me. I tried to put myself in Abraham’s place and decided that, even on my best day before my Creator, I couldn’t even begin to do what Abraham did and was prepared to do. It is not that I decided that there were some things in this world I could not sacrifice to God, but that the fratricidal killing of a loved one is some thing I could never believe to be the will of God, even if my dreams and vision told me that is exactly what he wanted of me. ABRAHAM THE ROBOT? Earlier today I was troubled also by Abraham’s attitude. There are no questions, no pleas for clarification, no protests. God wants to take away Abraham’s most precious possession, his beloved son Isaac, and we are told simply, “So Abraham rose early in the morning... and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac” (22:3). Follow the story to its climax atop Mount Moriah and you will see the same zero-level attitude of complete, unquestionable com pliance. Abraham is performing like a puppet or robot! How can this be a test of his faith, asking him to do something so repug nant and immoral? Abraham didn’t complain to God, but I did! I was annoyed with Abraham, the writer of Genesis, the Uniform Lesson committee that selected this passage under the heading, “A Test of Faith,” and most of all with God! And because I was willing to voice my irate protests, God perhaps gave me some answers that have never into August for fall and early winter grazing or green chopping. Some recommendations to follow are: 1. Seed in well drained fields. 2. Do not seed deeper than one half inch. 3. In sod, a herbicide that will suppress the sod is desirable, and 4. Apply 75 pounds of nitrogen to stimulate growth. receive Feather Prof.'s Footnote: "It does not matter where you are in life. It is the direction you are headed that counts." occurred to me before! First, it occurred to me that, given the culture in which Abraham lived, a culture where child sacrifice was practiced among his neighbors, maybe this really was a test by God. Today, it would not be a test, for we know, as maybe Abraham did not know, that God would abhor the sacrifice of a child much more than we. Despite the dif ferent current varieties of Christian faith and our doctri nal differences, today, no one bearing the name Christian would consider for one moment that God wanted the sacrifice of a precious human life. But Abraham did not know what we know, for he came before, not after, Jesus Christ. God could very well be testing to see whether Abraham could give up to God his most prized posses sion. TESTING GOD Secondly, I began to wonder whether this incident in Genesis' 22 might also be Abraham’s attempt to test God. That mights explain his unquestioning, unprotesting attitude. Perhaps he never intended to slay his son on Mount Moriah, but wanted to see how far the Lord might per mit him to go! I know that may sound incredible to you, but think of it: just as God needs to test us, do we not need also to test him? That is, do we not also need to know what kind of God we worship and serve? I can worship and serve only the God revealed to me in Jesus Christ and no other! Regardless of these ques tions, the key to the story is found in Abraham’s words uttered in faith before he knew the outcome. Isaac asks, “Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” and Abraham replies, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” Moments later, when he discov ered God’s true intentions, he found that the Lord had, in fact, provided for himself the sacri fice. And he “called the name of that place The Lord will pro vide.” (22:14). That was the key to Abraham’s faith, as it must be also to ours: “The Lord will pro vide.” Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St.. Ephrata, PA 17522 -by Lancaster Farming. Inc. A Steinman Enteiprise William J. Burgess General Manager Everett R. Newswanger Editor Copyright 1999 by Lancaster Farming
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