AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January
OPINION
About The Farm Show
For many farmers, nothing could better usher in the new
millennium than a trip to the Pennsylvania Farm Show in
Harrisburg. Of course, the shift from a strictly-agriculture
show of the past to a consumer education show of the future is
noticeably in progress at this turn of the century. But farmers
and agribusiness will always have a high stake in the success
of the Farm Show.
First, the sheer number of entries of livestock, farm youth,
horticulture, and other commodities make it a farmer's show.
With record premiums of $263,841, the Farm Show will
feature more than 9,000 entries in 33 departments. This
includes 589 beef cattle, 520 dairy cattle, 225 dairy goats, 149
horses, 1,700 chickens, 624 rabbits, 900 sheep, and 663 hogs.
The farm families behind all these entries guarantee that the
agriculture community at large will attend the show.
Secondly, the international visitors that are invited by the
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture each year provides
an imperative reason for agribusiness to be represented at the
show. As agriculture becomes more and more part of a
worldwide economy, this feature of the Pennsylvania Farm
Show becomes increasingly important.
But other needs of agribusiness must also be addressed.
Since the show in recent years has been expanded to
accommodate the consumer public over the first weekend of
the show, the time and expense needed for agribusiness's to
man their booths has become greater than it is worth. This is
especially true since a larger percentage of the people now
visiting the show are not potential agribusiness customers.
In future shows (hopefully as soon as next year)
agribusiness must be accommodated with the opportunity to
set up their booths for two or three special agriculture
emphasis days held in conjunction with and at the
Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg.
Items of historical significance are to be placed in a 2000
Farm Show time capsule this year. The idea is to preserve
memories for future generations to view when the capsule is
opened in the year 2025
We can only hope that by the time this capsule is opened in
25 years, the Pennsylvania Farm Show has not become the
Pennsylvania State Fair and the real farm show is held
someplace else.
Pennsylvania Farm Show, Farm
Farm Show, Family Living
Pasture and Soil Fertility Meeting,
Clarion County Extension
Office, Shippcnvillc, 7:30 pjn.
Fulton County pesticide recertifi
cation meeting, McConnclls
bi High School, McCr
Leadership and Communica
tion Skills Workshop, NYS
Dept, of Agricultural Markets,
Albany, N.Y., 10 ajn.-4 p.m.
Morrison’s Cove Produce Auction
meeting, Martinsburg.
FSA Production Workshop, Leba
non Valley Ag Center, 10
a.m.-3:30p.m., also Jan. 13,25,
and Feb. 8 and 16.
Ephrata Area Young Farmers pes
ticide meeting, Lincoln Village
Smorgasbord, Ephrata, 6:45
pm.
Eastern Landscapc/Nurseiy/Turf
Seminar, Valley Forge Con
vention Center, thru Jan. 13.
\\ rtlncvdin . .I:imuii > 12
1 hui s(la> . ,laiuiai> 13
Mexico Vegetable Growers meet
ing, Mexico.
Drought Recovery Financial
Series, Holiday Inn, Beth-
For You!, Cochranville Fire
ation Annual Meeting, Old
Country Buffet, Harrisburg,
New Holland Vegetable Day,
Yoder's Restaurant, New Hol
land, 9:30 ajn.-3:30 p.m.
Regional Agronomy Day, Licking
County Joint Vocational
School, Newark, Ohio, 8:30
ajn.-3 p.m.
36th Annual Meeting of the Farm
and Home Foundation of Lan
caster County, Farm and Home
Center, 6:30 pjn.
Vegetable Growers Roundtable
Discussion, York County 4-H
Center, Bair.
Internet For Ag, York County
(Turn to Page A3l)
To Form Ag Security Areas
If you are not currently in an
Agricultural Security Area and
plan of farming, you should
seriously consider forming or
joining an Agricultural Security
Area. The Agricultural Security
Area gives farmers additional
protection to conduct their
farming operations.
An Agricultural Security Area
does not limit land use options to
the farmer or place any
restrictions on his deed. The area
designation informs people that
agriculture is the primary use of
land and government is to
promote agriculture by enacting
ordinances that support and Inventor Thomas A. Edison
encourage agriculture. With the 88 88 h®d about whether all
increasing populations in rural Jus fafiurcs to invent a workable
areas, township supervisors are bght bulb didn’t discourage him
being forced to consider and cause him to give in
ordinances that will limit the venter replied dial he didnt think
sustainability and profitability of all those efforts as 1,000 fail
farms urcs. He regarded them as discov-
Now is the time to work with rvK^K ma^e *
other farmers in your township **B™ bu . . .
and form Agricultural Security Sometime, perhaps we ought to
Areas to insure the future take that same attitude with our
farming in your township. • prayer bWS. Eeforc JesUs tau^it
To Develop Good Public his dIBC, P l ® B how to pray, he first
Perception instructed them on how not to
According to Pat Wood, P«y: when you pray, you
William J. Green and Associates, be like thehypoentes; for
agricultural community is playing love to st “ d and pray m the
for very high stakes. Losing can B y™«oPjes at the street corn
lead to more onerous local «• thatdieymaybe seen bymen
ordinances, more litigation, CM* 6:5). And m praying do
stricter state reeulations and even *** U P P* l ™ B ® B 88 the Gen
stneter state regulations ana even . f think they will be
a statewide moratorium on new .
and expanded farms. A writer to heard for their many words (6:7).
the Harrisburg Patriot News Jesus is aware that hu disciples
recently called for stringent have some negative images of
controls to "be a campaign issue He is tellmgjem
for anyone who is re electing a that ’ w . ha I * Cy ***?? “
candidate from a rural district,” an m **
omen of political battles to come. ** P«yer. First, he teaches them
When public sentiment gets that prayer is a matter of humdity,
emotionally charged, even your «* P nd f' ® Cware *******
best political friends may find it £ ur 10
hard, if not impossible, to step be seen by them (6:1). The pur
forward in defense of modem P 0 of piety in general land payer
agricultural methods. Farmers m particular is not to draw atten
have the choice of two strategies: bon » oumelves. Yet, that is ob
1. Pray for the best or 2. Employ v f ousl y moUva f P® o ? l ®* o
good public affairs and media ? ve contributions (ahns). so that
practices. Most of the agricultural lhe * Win *** adnuratlo n of
community is accustomed to P®^ I ®'
simply raising food and keeping a
low profile. But that will not work
any more
i 5
Today, you need: 1. To do the
right thing and be perceived as
doing the right thing. 2. To have a
public and media affairs plan
before you ever apply for a permit
to site or expand a facility. This is
as important as all of your other
preparations, and 3. To know and
communicate with your
neighbors.
If you are not working with
the community, it can work
against you. There are many
resources to help avoid
controversy and improve
community and media relations.
Take advantage of them.
To Develop Trust
In a recent newsletter, Barry
Shaw, Wenger Feeds, stated a
new era has begun for American
agriculture. Much of the success
in the future will depend on how
quickly agriculture can come to
terms with the food chain
concept Farmers are no longer
isolated producers of a
commodity.
Today's standards require
accountability. Farms have
matured into sophisticated
businesses. To compete in today's
food system, alliances and
partnerships are being developed.
For these to be successful trust
must be earned. The real
leadership challenge today is
winning trust, according to Shaw.
Trust is built over time through
shared experiences.
Trust is much easier to break
than to establish. You build trust
Br LAyVHtNU W AMHUUSt
‘isms
HOW NOT TO
PRAY
January 9, 2000
Background Scripture:
Matthew 6:1-15.
Devotional Reading:
Luke 11:1-13.
Like Hypocrites
The term hypocrites appears in
verse S: “... you must not be like
the hypocrites.” Until recently, I
thought that when Jesus spoke of
hypocrites he meant people who
pretend to be what they are not.
Actually, Jesus did not likely use a
word in Aramaic or Greek that
means what the English word
hypocrite means: one who acts a
false part in life. It comes from the
Greek theater and means one who
acts a part in a play, but not in
sincerely.
No, Jesus accused the Phar
isees. not of deceiving others, but
of deceiving themselves. Their
problem was that they actually
thought they were better than
others because they actually be
lieved themselves to be good and
by achieving results, always with
integrity and in a manner that
shows real personal regard with
the people with whom you work
(suppliers, employees,
customers). Once trust is
developed, you are better
prepared to embrace the never
ending series of changes that life
throws at you.
Trust is the reflection of your
core values. As you build
alliances and partnerships with
businesses and individuals, look
for ones that have the same core
values you have. Trust will be the
binding factor that enables people
to grow together successfully.
Feather Prof.'s Footnote: "On
the road to success, you may be
sure of one thing. There is never a
crowd on the extra mile. "
pious. They approached prayer
from an attitude of pride, not
humility. What they were inside
was a far cry from the image they
projected in public.
Secondly, Jesus teaches his dis
ciples that prayer is not based
upon eloquence but sincerity.
Once again, the disciples had
some negative images which Jesus
was trying to destroy: “And in
praying, do not heap up empty
phrases.” In this instance Jesus
specified the Gentiles, but I ima
gine there were lots of Jews who
also “think they will be heard for
their many words” (6:7).
Empty Phrases
sn
This is one of the great miscon
ceptions people have concerning
prayer that it must be done elo
quently and at some great length.
Many people believe that they
have difficulty expressing them
selves well and therefore shy
away from praying in public and
maybe even in private. They think**
of prayer as a composition of
some kind, rather than a vitatj
transaction „ betweetT thbtAselvefP
' and the Almighty. Effective
er is not dependent upon goot|«
grammar, vocabulary or clever
ness. That’s why the prayer he
gave them as a model, the Lord’s
Prayer, is so effective: it is simple,
expressive and brief.
Thirdly, with the Lord’s Prayer
as a model, Jesus is teaching the
disciples that prayer is not only
getting, but giving, too. Then, as
now, most people thought of pray
er as essentially asking God for
something, coming to him with a
sanctified shopping list But the
model prayer begins with giving
praise, thanksgiving and submis
sion: “Our Father, who art in
heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Only then does the model pray
er come to what we want from
God: “Give us this day our daily
bread; and forgive us our debts, as
we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.” So long
as we think of prayer only as a di
vine internet where we can get
what we want, our prayer life will
be frustrating and discouraging.
God is more than a celestial pizza
delivery man.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stemman Enterprise
William J. Burge** Genera) Manager
Everett R. Newtwanger Editor
Copynght 2000 by Lancaster Farming