AlMjncastor Farming, Saturday, March 4, 2000
OPINION
Not A Farmer vs. Hunter Situation
We may see some objective deer management practices put
into place in the near future if the report from a Lancaster hunt
er’s meeting is any indication of a new trend in thinking about the
subject. Dr. Gary Alt, who heads the Pennsylvania Game Com
mission’s new deer management section, told the more than 300
hunters in the meeting to get ready for fewer deer. The reason?
Too many deer are eating Pennsylvania’s forests to death.
Ad Crable, New Era staff writer, reports that unless hunters are
willing to tolerate fewer deer in the short term and join together to
rebuild healthy woods, they stand to lose their beloved sport to a
non-hunting public on the verge of an uprising.
Motorists are fed up with crashing into deer. And environmen
talists want to see native plants and woods-loving birds and an
ecosystem in balance. But it’s farmers who really lose financially
when they have as many deer in their pastures, hay fields and
cornfields as they have cows in the milking barn.
Up until now, the farmer’s voice has been largely disregarded.
The general public doesn’t care how much the farmer loses in
crop production as long as the beautiful white tail can get fat and
multiply on alfalfa and corn. But now that hunters can’t find buck
in the woods because they don’t have enough food, thinning the
deer herd seems more palatable.
“The expectations go way beyond hunting,” Dr. Alt warned.
“We have very damaged forests. We are either going to fix this
problem, or it’s going to fix us.”
We suspect that many of the deer have left these damaged for
ests for the hay-field feeding grounds many miles away from the
woods. And to be successful, any plan to bring the deer population
into balance with nature will need to take into consideration this
crop-predator phenomena that is also part of the deer manage
ment equation. We hasten to say that many farmers are hunters
and they like to show off the big trophy buck they bagged the first
day of hunting as well as anyone.
This is not a farmer vs. hunter situation. It’s about the need for
proper conservation management of a wild animal specie that has
been deprived of its natural enemies to keep its numbers in con
trol. It’s gratifying that we may now have someone in the proper
place in the state game commission who has a vision to do some
thing about it.
Maryland Jersey Cattle Club
Awards Banquet, Libertytown
Fireball, 10 a.m.
Philadelphia Flower Show, Phil
adelphia Convention Center,
thru March 12.
Northeast Forest Landowner
Conference, PP&L East
Mountain Business Center,
Wilkes-Barre.
Fellowship of Christian Farmers
Luncheon, Wilhelm LTD,
Westminster, Md., 11:30 a.m.
Agritourism: A Farm Alterna
tive, Nixon’s Farm, West
Friendship, Md., 9 a.m.-4:30
p.m.
2000 Philadelphia Flower Show,
Pennsylvania Convention
Center, thru March 12.
Northwest Pennsylvania Cattle
men Meeting, Mercer County
Extension Center, 7 p.m.
Nutrient Management Work
shop, 4-H Center, Bedford, 10
a.m.-noon.
Octorara Young Farmers meet
ing, Forage Management, Oc
toraraHigl^choohTyi^jin.
Solanco Young Farmer Com
puter Education, Solanco
High School, 7:30 p.m.
Horse Pasture Management
School, Lehigh County Exten
sion, also March 14 and 21.
Dairy Day, Limestone Fireball,
Limestone, 9:30 a.m.-3:30
p.m.
Penn Manor Ag Department
Pesticide Use Meeting, Penn
Manor High School, 7 p.m.-9
p.m.
Forest Landowner Workshops,
Warren Public Library, 6
p.m.-9 p.m., also March 9.
Chester County Holstein Tour
To York County and Mary
land, leave Sam Stoltzfus,
Parkesburg, 7:45 a.m.
Mounting A Successful Repro
duction Program, Edgewood
Restaurant, Troy.
Field Crop IPM, Weed, Insect,
and Disease Management,
Lebanon Valley Ag Center, 9
a.m.-4 p.m.
Pa. Ag In 21st Century Second
Annual Conference, Holiday
Inn, Grantville, thru March 9.
Pasture Management School,
Holiday Inn, Phillipsburg,
Schuylkill County Crops Clinic,
Penn State Schuylkill
Campus, Schuylkill Haven, 9
a.m.-3 p.m.
Southwest Pennsylvania Dairy
Day, Mountain View Inn,
Greensburg.
Cooperatives; An Inside Look,
Morrison’s Cove Memorial
Park, Martinsburg, 9 a.m.-
2:30 p.m.
Labor Management On The
Farm, Penn State Lewistown
Center, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
(Turn to Pag* A4l)
To Form Agricultural
Security Areas
In 1981 Pennsylvania passed
the Agricultural Area Security
Law.
Agricultural Security Areas are
a tool for strengthening and
protecting agriculture in
Pennsylvania. These are areas in
which agriculture is the primary
activity. Participating farmers are
entitled to special considerations
from local and state government
agencies, thus encouraging the
continuing use of the land for
productive agricultural purposes.
The local government unit may
not impose ordinances that
unreasonably restrict farm
structures or practices within the
Area, nor may normal farming
operations and practices be
deemed "nuisances" in a nuisance
ordinance. If we are to maintain
farming in townships, local
farmers must take steps to insure
local officials support modern
farming operations. Local citizen
groups opposed to modern
farming practices are hiring
attorneys and consultants to help
them encourage township
supervisors to enact ordinances to
protect against new "factory
farms". The future of your farm
business could depend on you
being in an Agricultural Security
Area with township ordinances
that support agricultural
development and growth in these
Areas.
To Have The Right Attitude
About Vegetable Production
Many farmers are considering
growing vegetables as a way to
increase farm income or an
alternative crop to tobacco.
However, many farmers have the
wrong perception what it takes to
grow vegetables. Many are
approaching vegetable growing as
an extension of the family garden.
This will probably lead to
failure. If you are considering
growing vegetables, you need to
approach this farm enterprise the
same way as any other farm
enterprise. Jeff Stoltzfus, Eastern
Lancaster County School District
Adult Farmer Instructor, gives
these tips to new vegetable
growers. Use plastic mulch. Use
drip irrigation. Spread out your
plantings. Have a plan as to how
you are going to market your
crops. Learn the spray and culture
program for your crops, and
Concentrate on a few crops.
Remember, to be successful in
vegetable production you will
need to invest your time in
learning about vegetable
production, labor to produce crop
and market the crop and money to
buy the necessary equipment and
supplies to produce a marketable
crop. If you are not willing to
make these investments, you
should not consider vegetable
farming.
To Grow Vegetables Correctly
Jeff Stoltzfus, Eastern
Lancaster County School District
Adult Farmer Instructor, offers
the following tips for farmers
starting out in vegetable
production.
1. Use plastic mulch and drip
irrigation. In addition to
better yields and more
uniform fruit, they provide
some weed control, disease
control and optimum
moisture throughout the
season.
2. Know your market. If you
are growing for the auction.
XTT
\ BY IAWktNCt W Al I H OUSt
S3SILS
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IS CHRIST DIVIDED?
March 5,2000
Background Scripture:
1 Corinthians 1:1-17
Devotional Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Paul’s first letter to the
church at Corinth is probably
one which he would have pre
ferred not to have to write. It is a
deeply concerned letter to a
“problem church” courting dis
aster. The situation is doubly
disturbing because this church
was clearly one of Paul’s favor
ites. He himself had founded it
and labored diligently to nurture
it. Now, however, the Corin
thian church was struggling, not
only within itself, but also with
Paul. So, we might expect him to
begin this crucial letter in a
somber or even angry tone.
Paul, however, begins with
thanksgiving because he finds
both good news and bad news
reaching him from Corinth. The
good news was that the church
in Corinth was spiritually gifted,
advanced in their understanding
of Christ, and eloquent in pro
claiming the gospel. For all of
this Paul is deeply thankful to
God and he begins his letter with
praise, instead of reproach: “7
give thanks to God always for
you because the grace of God
which was given you in Christ
Jesus, that in every way you are
enriched in him with all speech
and all knowledge... so that you
are not lacking in any spiritual
gift... ” (1:4,5,7). Paul is saying
in effect, you people are wonder
fully blessed with spiritual
riches.
Now, is Paul merely buttering
them up before he gets down to
brass tacks? Is this just a clever
technique for winning them
back to his leadership? Or is it
indicative that Paul sees some
things in this church that the
people there have been missing.
Is Paul trying to help them see
some strengths and graces that
they are overlooking?
Focusing on the
‘Bad News’
Perhaps you have noticed
that, when there are difficulties
and disappointments in life, we
seem able to concentrate only
what we are losing or have lost.
Because we focus on failure,
defeat and hopelessness, that is
all we see. If you believe you are
going to hear only ‘bad news,’
that is exactly what you are
going to hear. The problem is
not whether there is any bad
news, but whether that is all the
know the varieties the
buyers like. Unpopular
varieties are heavily
discounted.
market customers may like
some varieties that are hard
to sell at the auction.
Concentrate on a few crops.
Many new growers start out
with too many crops and
have difficulty managing
them. Pick a couple of
crops to start with. Add
other crops as your
expertise grows.
Learn all you can about the
crops you are growing.
(Turn to Page A 39)
news there is.
I have known some ‘problem
churches’ over the years and I
have found that Paul is right:
every church has assets as well
as liabilities. If we can’t find
those positives, it is most likely
because we are just focusing on
the negatives. You will never
solve problems and conflicts in
the church so long as you fail to
take your eyes off the negatives.
Having begun with the gooljj
news, Paul turns to the bad news
which can be viewed now from
the platform of the good news.
In other words, the problems of
the Corinthian church can now
be seen from the perspective of
what is right with the Corin
thian church. Paul says, “'For it
has been reported to me by
Cloe’s people that there is quar
reling among you, my brethren.”
This quarreling has caused the
Christian community to split
into factions; Paul’s people,
Apollo’s people, Cephas’s
people and some who haughtily
call themselves “Christ’s
people.”
We Can Over Come
Note that Paul doesn’t regard
this as a hopeless situation. He
still thinks that there is an op-*
portunity to overcome the fac
tions. “I appeal to you, brethren,
by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that all of you agree and
that there be no dissensions
among you, but that you may be
united in the same mind and the
same judgment” (1:10).
Then he asks a question
which is just as necessary today
as it was then: “Is Christ di
vided?” (1:13). If we base our
discipleship on Jesus Christ and
him alone, then we cannot, must
not, be divided, because Christ
himself is undivided.
Whenever there are factions
in the church, we must ask: “Is
Christ divided?” Whenever bar
riers keep us from greeting, em
bracing and joining ourselves in
witness and service with other
followers of Christ in his name,
we must ask ourselves: “Is
Christ divided?” When we iden
tify ourselves and our faith, not
primarily in the name of Jesus
Christ, but of John Wesley,
Martin Luther, John Calvin and
you fill-in the blanks-we must
ask that question and be obed
ient when God thunders or
whispers-“NO!”
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. Buigeaa General Manager
Everett R. Newtwanger Editor
Copyright 2000 by Lancaster Farming
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