AlO-UncMter Farming, Saturday, September 11, 1909 OPINION Preservation 2000? The Preservation 2000 Act that was unveiled this week at Kevin and Audary Rohrer's farm, by state Rep. John Barley, and state Sen. David Brightbill has all the ear marks of an innovative effort to partnership in an effort to support the Commonwealth's most pressing environmental concerns. The act these public officials plan to introduce when they get back into legislative session provides local governments with maximum flexibility in prioritizing their environmental issues. It is designed to provide incentives to counties to further encourage the preservation of open space and farmland, guard watersheds, improve recreational opportunities, protect natural areas and habitats, and address existing environmental problems. Some of the existing environmental problems are listed in a page handed to the press at the time of the announcement. They include, • Acid mine drainage abatement and cleanup efforts, Plugging of orphan oil and gas wells. • Planning, education, acquisition, development, rehabilitation and repair for greenways, trails, open space, natural areas, river corridors, watersheds, community parks, and recreation facilities. Community projects. Remining efforts. Nonpoint source pollution abatement. Local watershed-based conservation efforts. Improvement of water quality impaired watersheds. Water, storm water, and sewer infrastructure projects. • And of course, protection of farmland in accordance with the ag area security law. While presented under the popular banner of farmland preservation, when you read the proposed act, there is a lot more said about all the other "environmental concerns" than farmland preservation. Let's hope this doesn't turn out to be another attempt to save farmland that in effect adds so many environmental restrictions on the farmer that no one could hope to make a living at it. Lets hope ail the other environmental concerns don't take so much money we don't even get the farmland saved. Woods Workshop Program, Cor nerstone Forest Products, 9:30 a.m. Farm-City Day, Herring Farms, Farmington. 3d Annual Celebration of Farm ing, Holcombe-Jimison Farms tead Museum, Lambertville, N.J., 10 a.m.-S p.m., also Sept. 12. PcnnAg Industries Convention, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Balti more’s Inner Harbor, thru Sept. 14. Mercer County Holstein Club picnic, 4-H Park Exhibit Build- Poultry Health and Management Seminar, Kreidcr’s Restaurant, Manheim, noon. Green Township Community Fair, Cookport, thru Sept 18. live Cattle Evaluation, Byerly Brothers Meats, Lewisburg, Sept. 18. Berlin Brothcrsvalley Community Fair, Berlin, thru Sept 18. Denver Community Fair, Denver, thru Sept 18. Sinking Valley Fair, Skelp, thru Sent. 18. and beautification conservation AD ADC Dist 8 meeting. Hidden Inn Pavilion, South Cortright, Quarryville, thru Sept. 17. AD ADC Dist 1 meeting, St. Lawrence Inn, Canton, N.Y., 7 North East Community Fair, North East, thru Sept 18. Oli Vail Cr Expo, West Springfield, Mass., thru Oct 3. Great Frederick Fair, Frederick, Md., thru Sept. 25. Delaware Valley Old Time Power and Equipment Association Days of die Past, Washington versity Haller Farm. Producer Field Trip to Penn State Haller Farm, meets at Comfort Intyßonanza Restaurant at New Columbia exit of Rt IS, north of 1-80 at 8 a.m. Southeast Regional Cattle Asso caidon Annual Farm Tour to Maryland, Holloway Brother Farm, Harford, Md., and Sha dow Springs Farm, Havre de Plant cover crops Cover crops act as a nutrient bank, according to Robert Anderson, Lancaster County Extension Agronomy Agent. Cover crops are capable of using the leftover nitrogen from the previous crop season before it leaches into the ground water. If the corn silage crop did not use all the nitrogen applied, it leaves some unused nitrate nitrogen in the soil profile. A cover crop will capture that nitrogen and use it for crop growth. In the spring when the cover crop is killed with a herbicide or plowed down, the nitrogen is released back into the soil during the growing season for the next crop. In addition, cover crops add organic matter to the soil. Whether the entire plant is left in the field or just the roots, this plant material adds organic matter to the soil. Organic matter adds water holding capacity to the soil. Provides food for soil microbes, improves soil structure and adds to the soil ability to hold nutrients. A little money for seed and a little time to plant are small costs to pay for the many returns that cover crops provide. To Plant Cover Crops for Feed Robert Anderson, Lancaster Grace, Md., leaves Chester 4-H Center 7:30 a.m. and Herr Angus 8:30 a.m. Philadelphia Harvest Show, Horti- culture Center at Fairmount Park, 10 ajn.-5 p.m. Ninth Annual Benefit Auction and Bake Sale for the Clinic For Special Children, Leola Pro- ducc Auction, Lcola, 8:30 a.m. Lehigh Community Livestock Roundup Sale, Schnccksville Fairgrounds, 10 a.m. PDPPS 43d Annual Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Banquet and Coronation, Sheraton Inn, Har- ily Fi risburg, milk punch reception 5:30 p.m., banquet 6:30 p.m. Sustainable Forests Day, Gulyas and Tilley Property, Ulster, 10 a.m. Lancaster County Trust annual picnic, Dwight and Rosie Roh rer Farm, Manheim, 1 p.m.-5 Complex, Harrisburg, thru Sept. 23. Beaver Community Fair, Beaver Springs, thru Sept 26. Lycoming'Fall Crops Day, Gene Sellers Field, Montoursville, 10 {Turn to Page A4l) County Extension Agronomy Agent, reminds us cover crops may also provide additional forage for livestock feed. If the cover crop is harvested as a silage crop, the nitrogen it captures from the soil becomes a source of protein when fed to ruminant livestock. When the cover crop is used to produce silage, not only is the nitrogen kept from leeching into the environment, the silage grown will replace purchased feeds at a very small cost to the producer. Cover crops offer the most advantage when planted immediately after removing com silage or tobacco. To Invest in Assets In a recent book review of the book <underline>Rich Dad, Poor Dad</underline> by Robert Kiyosaki, several observations were made on the differences on how middle class people and rich people view earning money. i r~f ■^^^====r BY LAWRENCE W ALEHOUSE ' f ©a®!LS Jff/ WHEN THE CORN IS PLENTIFUL September 12,1999 Background Scripture: Exodus 13:7 through 14:31 Devotional Reading: Psalms 106:1-12 One of the things that makes much of the Bible so real and timely for me is that most of the people who are depicted in its pages appear to be “real people.” Like Abraham craftily manag ing to save his own skin by pass ing off his wife Sarah as his sister to the Pharaoh in Egypt (Gen. 12, 21); or Lot seeking to divert a crowd of men of Sodom from rap ing his two angelic guests and of fering than instead his two virgin al daughters (Gen. 19). Sarah seething with jealousy and resentment at Hagar whom she herself had given to Abraham as a concubine (Gen. 16). And so on through Genesis. When we arrive at the Book of Exodus this humanness is still evi dent, particularly the fickleness and changeableness of human na ture. No sooner has Moses per suaded Pharaoh to “let my people go,” than the Pharaoh has a stun ning change of mind. “What is this we have done, that we have let Is rael go from serving us?” (14:5). NO GRAVES IN EGYPT? We find the people of Israel no less fickle. With the Pharaoh and his army now in belated pursuit of the people of Israel, the people whom Moses led also have a radi cal change of heart The Israelites turn on Moses with bitter sarcasm: “Is it because there ate no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, in bringing us out of Egypt?” (14:11). Suddenly, they “remem ber” that they had been againsit this exodus thing from the very' beginning: “Is this not what wc said to you in Egypt,‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’?” (I’ll just bet that was what they said in Egypt!). How quickly they forget how terrible was their lot in Egypt forced labor, tyrannical treatment, and a status that got worse and worse as they prospered. “For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in The thesis of the book is middle class people work for money and rich people have money work for them. Most people live their lives chasing paychecks, pay raises and job security. Kiyosaki says there are no get rich quick schemes, but learning the difference between assets and liabilities is very important. Rich people acquire assets. Middle class people acquire liabilities, but they think they are assets. An asset puts money into your pocket. A liability takes money out of your pocket. Financial aptitude is what you do with your money once you make it, how you keep people from taking it from you, how long you keep it and how hard that money works for you. Feather Prof.'s Footnote: "If you are not riding the wave of change, you will find yourself beneath it." the wilderness.” That is not a unique point of view. This is true of individuals as wdL Christ comes offering us the highest kind of liberty, yet many of us, cowed by the prospect of launching out into uncertainty, choose to stay with the bondage we know instead of the freedom we have only glimpsed. So it is, too, with some people who suffer from illness. Offered wholeness, they cling to the sickness that has become tolerable over the years rather than take the risk of being healthy. STAND FIRM! To all of this whining, Moses responds: ‘Tear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today ...” (14:13). This is one of those scriptures that we need to frame and hang in our homes, can, and offices, because it is die key to lift when we encounter opposition, feel trapped or threatened by the challenge to leave the old behind and step off into the new. When ever in our lives we feel that we would rather return to the familiar misery of Egypt instead launching off into the unfamiliarity of the promised land, we need to heed these words: ‘Tear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord n Soren Kierkegaard, Ac Danish theologian, tells a story about a wild goose who flew into a barn yard filled with domestic geese. Perching on the fence, he began to the local geese, “You’re geese and you were created like me to fly far and wide.” He reminded them of their glorious heritage of flight and the glorious freedom that awaited them if they would but use their God-given wings. The geese were very impressed with what the stranger told them and they began to yearn to be like him. They enthusiastically applauded him. But the com was plentiful in the barnyard and its shelter was cozy and warm. So, when he flew away, they remained where they were. That isn’t a stray about just geese, is it Sadly, it may be our stoiy too. Lancaster Fanning Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main Bt.> Ephrata, PA 17522 -by Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Steinman Enterprise William J. Burgess General Manager Everett R. Newswanger Editor Copyright 1999 by Lancaster Farming
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