AlO-LancMler Farming, Saturday, November 13. 1999
OPINION
Animal Agriculture Essential
To Ensure Adequate
Global Food Supply
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology
(CAST), an international consortium of 38 scientific and
professional societies, released a report in which an
international task force of 13 scientists discusses projected
demand for human food and the importance of animal
agriculture in meeting these needs. These scientists
represented a wide range of enviionmental and agriculture
viewpoints. And they concluded that animal agncultuie is an
integral part of food-producing systems, with foods of animal
origin representing about one-sixth of human food energy and
one-third of human food protein on a global basis.
The report highlighted one assessment of the role of
animals in food production that is usually overlooked. On a
global basis, less than three kilograms of grain are required to
produce a kilogram of meat from and of the species and less
than one kilogram of grain is needed to produce a kilogram of
milk and eggs. On the average, ruminants (cattle, sheep, and
goats) return more human food per unit of human-edible feed
consumed because most of their feed is materials that cannot
be consumed directly by humans. Of course, poultry and hogs
are most efficient on the basis of total feed intake.
We believe animal agriculture will continue to be an
important part of food-producing systems. Investment in
agricultural production research and development and
implementation of policies that encourage production while
protecting the environment will be essential to achieve the
goal of an adequate global food supply
November 13 |
26th Berks County Farm Tour,
sponsored by Berks County
Farm Bureau, noon-S p.m., thru
Nov. 14.
| Sunday. Nom-ihlht 14
North American International
Livestock Expo, Louisville,
meeting. Mentoring, Ephrata
High School Cafeteria, 7 p.m.
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Annu
al Meeting, Hershey Lodge and
Convention Center, thru Nov.
17.
Northeast Regional Greenhouse
Seminar, Luzerne Community
College Conference Center,
niiim, Ramada Inn, Altoona,
thru Nov. 17.
Ag Symposium, The Casino At
Lakcmont Park, Altoona, 9:30
ajn.-3:15 pjn.
Dairy Management Conference,
Holiday Inn, Indiana, 10 ajn.-3
p.m.
Westmoreland County Farm-City
Dinner, Mountain View Inn,
Gteensburg, 7 p.m.
Northampton County DHIA-
Holstein Association Annual
Meeting and Banquet, Blue
Valley Farm Show, 7:15 p.m.
Pa. Certified Organic Meeting,
Farm Show Complex, Harris-
AD ADC DisL 18 meeting, Yod
er’s Restaurant, New Holland,
❖ Farm Calendar*
tion Annual Meeting, Ontalaw-
ncc Grange Hall, Leesport, 7
p.m.
Northampton County Holstein
Association Annual Meeting,
Blue Valley Farm Show Com
plex, 7 p.m.
Jefferson County Holstein Annual
Meeting, New Anchor Inn,
Mercer County Holstein Annual
meeting, extension office, Mcr-
Passing On The Farm Workshop,
Mercer County extension
Lancaster Chamber of Commerce
and Industry’s Annual Agricul
ture Industry Banquet, Lancas
ter Host Resort, 5:30 pjn.
Columbia County Clean and
Green Program, Columbia
County Ag Center, Lightstreet,
Thurschn. November 25
Happy Thanksgiving!
[MictaterFmmin^^Rc^dos^.
National 4-H Congress, Memphis,
Association annual meeting.
United Methodist Church,
Robert Anderson, Lancaster
County Extension Agronomy
Agent, reminds us soil testing is a
very important activity. A regular
program of testing farm fields is a
must m today's regulatory
environment After a few years of
regular testing to establish a base
line information on fields, it is not
necessary to test every field each
year
Anderson suggests the field
should be tested every time the
crop to be grown changes It
crops are not being rotated, then
the field should be tested every
third or fourth year. This allows
you to momtoi the nutrient levels
m the soil If the level of nutrients
increases over time, feitilizer
applications may be reduced. If
nutrient levels are tailing,
additional fertilizer may be
needed to keep soils productive.
When taking soil samples,
send them to the same lab each
year This gives you more
accurate data to look at soil
fertility trends over years
Pennsylvania farmers should
consider sending their samples to
the Penn State lab. Fertilizer
recommendations made by Penn
State are based on research done
in • Pennsylvania under
Pennsylvania growing conditions
*
Glenn Shirk, Lancaster County
Extension Dairy Agent, remind us
if cows have been having low fat
tests, appetites are sluggish, lose
too much flesh and lose flesh too
quickly, fail to peak well and drop
off milk too quickly, are "loose"
and passing undigested gram and
fiber in their feces, tend to be
ketotic and develop lammitis,
chances are they may be
consuming too much gram or
piotein
These pioblems aie costly
With today's slim margins, there
is no room for costly mistakes
Test your forages for nutritive
value and consult a trained
nutritionist for specific
lecommendations Formulate a
balanced ration and feed it
properly Aim to maintain an even
level of high activity m the lumen
throughout the day Total mixed
rations may help you accomplish
this
Otherwise, avoid feeding large
slugs of gram at any one time
Limit intakes to about 6 to 8
pounds per feeding Try to feed
some forages before feeding
gram.
Excess piotem in the ration
and in the blood stream is
expensive and unhealthy,
according to Glenn Shirk,
Lancaster County Extension
Dairy Agent. One good way to
monitor protein metabolism in
dairy cattle is to use the milk urea
nitrogen (MUN) test on individual
cows on a regular basis This may
be done through the DHIA
program Normal MUN vales are
12 to 16 mg/dl Higher levels
mean.
1 Too much protein is being
ted
To Do Soil Testing
to Balance Cow Rations
To Test For MUN
2 Rumen degradable protein
levels are high 3 Too little
rumen degradable energy is being
fed Thus, not all of the rumen
degradable protein can be utilized
and some of it spills over into the
blood stream as urea nitrogen
This is a costly situation for
several reasons
1 More purchased feed ends
up being excreted and wasted
2 A considerable amount of
energy is needed to metabolize
and excrete the excess protein.
Less energy is available to the
cow. As a result, milk production,
body condition and conception
suffer. MUN values generally
increase when rations contain
increased amounts of haylage,
lush pastures and rapidly digested
protein supplements such as
DRYING UP YOUR JORDAN
November 14,1999
Background Scripture:
Joshua 3
Devotional Reading:
Joshua 4:15-24
I could write a whole column
on Joshua 3 and skillfully avoid
the point at which you the read
er may stumble. I could talk
about how God confirmed
Joshua’s leadership. I could
write about how the faith which
the people displayed in obeying
Joshua’s command. I could
ignore completely the difficult
questions raised by this passage.
The story is not as complicat
ed as it appears. Joshua called
the people together to tell them
that their crossing of the flooded
Jordan River would be a sign of
God’s presence. Twelve men—
one from each of the tribes—
were to be selected. When the
priests’ feet touched the flood
waters of the Jordan, wherever
they stood, the waters would be
backed up so that the people of
Israel could walk across.
It is a fascinating and inspir
ing story, but it leaves us with
some nagging questions. Did
God really dry up the Jordan
River so that the Israelites could
cross over? Or is this simply a
mythical retelling of an actual
event in which the people wit
nessed God’s help? Shall we look
for similar miracles today? And,
if God does not give us signs
such as these, what does that
mean?
SIGNS & WONDERS
First of all, I need to remind
you that the term “miracle” is
not a common term in the Bible.
In my RSV concordance there
are only twelve verses in which
a word in Hebrew or Greek is
translated as “miracle.” In fact,
even these translations are not
accurate renderings of the origi
nal words. Some Bible transla
tions do not use the word “mira
cle” at all. In neither the Old or
New Testament was there a con
cept of “miracle,” which is today
popularly understood as a
supernatural event. The terms
“supernatural” and “natural”
had no meaning in Biblical
times.
Instead, the usual rending of
such events was “signs and won
ders” and my Bible dictionary
speaks of it as an “event... in
which one sees an act or revela
tion of God.” The three principal
New Testament words for mira
cles are dunameis (“powers” or
“acts of power,” “mighty works”),
terata (“wonders”) and semeia
soybean oil meal and urea This is
especially true when there is not
an accompanying decrease in the
use of protein supplements and an
increase in the amount of rumen
degradable energy being fed, such
as high moisture corn, barley,
wheat, molasses, etc Low levels
of MUN may result from feeding
too little protein, too little rumen
degradable protein or too little
energy This is more apt to occur
on rations containing considerable
amounts of hay, especially low
protein and low energy hay.
Feather Prof.'s Footnote
"lntegrity is one of several paths.
It distinguishes itself from the
others because it is the right path
and the only one upon which you
will never get lost."
(“signs”). The question as to
whether these signs and won
ders violated the natural
order—the problem with which
we wrestle—never occurred to
them.
So, in both the Old and New
Testaments people saw God at
work in wonderful events which
were beyond their ordinary
experience. If that is what you
mean by “miracle,” that I have
no problem in confirming that
God still performs signs and
wonders today. He may have
divided the Red Sea for Moses,
stopped up the Jordan for
Joshua, and multiplied the
loaves and fishes for Jesus. I
don’t doubt that these things
can happen. At the same time I
don’t believe they have to hap
pen today in order for us to see
God in the signs and wonders he
does perform in our midst-.
GOD’S PRESENCE "
I have never seen’ anyone
walk on water, but I have seen a
man walk on coals so hot I could
not approach them. I have
known people who believe that
they received a healing by
means which appeared to them
to be a sign of God’s love and
care. I knew a woman who was
so accurate in prophesying air
plane crashes that the FAA gave
her a direct line to report her
visions. You see, it is not the pos
sibility or impossibility of the
events that makes them “signs
and wonders,” but the extent to
which we can see in them the
presence of God.
My call to the ministry 48
years ago, an indescribable
experience on a high speed trol
ley line between Philadelphia
and Norristown, PA, was a mys
tical experience that changed
my life. I can’t tell you whether
it was “natural” or “supernatur
al”: but I think I would be con
tent to call it “supernormal”
beyond my normal experience. I
realize that psychologists might
explain it away, but all that mat
ters is that in that experience I
heard God speak to me.
So, the question remains:
must God perform “impossible”
extravaganzas in order to reveal
himself to us? Must God dry up
your own Jordan River in order
to give you a sign for your life? I
think not. If he does, that is a
bonus, but in the meantime look
for the “signs and wonders” he
places all about you.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Slemman Enterprise
William J. Burge** General Manager
Everett R. Newtwanger Managing Editor
Copyright 1999 by Lancaster Farming