AIQ-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 8, 2000
Cheese Whey In The Gas Tank
Won led by rising has prices 7 Top off the tank with paper pulp. Fill
‘er up with maple chips Drive down the freeway using cheese whey
As average U.S. gasoline prices soar beyond $l.BO a gallon, propo
nents of using bio-based fuels and chemicals are gaming momentum.
Gasoline-replacement research in the past has focused on ethanol
derived from corn, but no agricultural engines are beginning to under
stand how biomass waste also can be used a a substitute for petrole
um
Larry Walker, Cornell professor of agricultural and biological
engineering, and his students are using enzymes to break down solid
biomass waste into a renewable energy form In a talk at the American
Chemical Society national meeting last month at the Moscone
Convention Center, San Francisco, Walker said there is sufficient bio
mass waste available to supply all of the organic chemicals that are
consumed annually in the United States and still have enough waste
left ovei to convert to auto fuel
“We need tenewable resouices, and energy flow How do we
develop alternatives to petioleum-based products 9 We do this through
plant materials." said Walker “Bio-based fuels are recyclable. Fossil
based fuels aie not”
Although waste biomass is a cheaper raw material than oil, there
is a catch The cost ol converting this raw material to energy is the
majoi constraint to commercialization The plant biomass is chemi
cally diverse, and must be separated then converted into desired prod
ucts The challenge is to develop industries proficient in using this
raw material and to develop more cost-effective enzymatic and micro
bial processes that convert these materials into industrial chemicals
and energy
The principles behind biomass fuel - Carbon dioxide is taken in by
the plant through metabolism, and carbon enters plant cells where it
is converted into cell walls. About 279 million metric tons of plant
waste is generated in the United States annually from industrial, com
meicial and agricultural production The key to using this resource
lies in employing enzymes to break down the woody, fibrous part of
the material into fermentable sugars
Not only do plants icpresent a renewable source of organic com
pounds, but there also is considerable organic waste produced that
could be a carbon source tor bioindustries For example, corn stover
(much ot it used as fodder) accounts for 100 million metric tons of
biomass waste pioduced annually in the United States, and newsprint
biomass waste accounts for 112 million metric tons. Urban tree
residue - leaves. Christmas trees and broken branches - accounts for
38 million metric tons
We know we have a long row to hoe before we can become inde
pendent ot foreign oil So we need to start helping now
* Farm Calendars
30th Annual Maryland State
Holstein Show, Timonium
Fairgrounds, 9:30 a.m.
Farm Safety Day Camp, Heidel
Hollow Farm, Germansville,
8:30a.m.-2 p.m.
East Central Pa. Two-Cylinder
Club Inc., Ron Boyer Farm,
Hereford, 9 a.m., raindate
April 15.
A Morning In The Vineyard,
Naylor Wine Cellars, Stew
artstown, 10 a.m.-noon.
Antique Tractor Pull and Show
To Benefit Cecil County
Farm Museum, Carson/Jack
son Farm, Rising Sun, Md., 9
a.m. (Rain date April 15.)
Little International Livestock
Show, Penn State Ag Arena,
University Park.
lational
April 15
.eystone Farm Credit Annual
Meeting, Yoder’s Restaurant,
New Holland, and April 11,
Holiday Inn and Conference
OPINION
Center, Fogelsville, 6:15 p.m.
Beef Management
South Branch Farm, Seven
Valievs, 7 p.m.
ciation Marketing Conference
and Trade Show, Kansas City
Marriott Downtown, Kansas
City, Mo., thru April 14.
Financial Planning For Retire
ment, Farm and Home
Center, Lancaster, 7 p.m.-9
p.m., also April 19.
Manor High School, 6:30 p.m.
Cumberland Valley FFA Ban
quet, Cumberland Valley
High School, 7 p.m.
Chester-Delaware County Farm
Bureau Annual Spring Ban
quet, West Fallowfield Chris
tian School, Atglen, 6:45 p.m.
Direct and Cooperative Market
ing Beginning Farmer
Marketing Series, Cambria
County Extension Office,
Ebensburg, 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
tl
To Learn About GPS
The global positioning system
01 GPS is a tool used for locating
one's position on the suitace of
the earth, according to Leon
Ressler, Lancaster County
Extension Agricultural
Environment Agent This system
is very important m navigation,
surveying and m precision
agriculture
The GPS system works oft a
gild of 24 satellites that aie in
01 bit 11,000 miles above the
earth The system was originally
developed by the defense
department but is now used
heavily for civilian navigation.
The satellites send out signals,
which can be detected by anyone
with a GPS receiver. Signals from
at least foui satellites are needed
to calculate one's position.
The receiver calculates how
long it took the signal to travel
tiom the satellite and from that it
calculates the distance from the
satellite which is a known
location When signals can be
received from four or satellites
the receiver can calculate the
position on the earth where it is
located very accurately.
To Understand GPS
Accuracy
Several factors determine the
accuracy of the location
determined with global
positioning system or GPS,
according to Leon Ressler,
Lancaster County Extension
Agricultural Environment Agent.
First the accuracy of the
receiver varies greatly. The top
quality receiver's on the market
Banquet, Fleetwood Grange
Hall, 7 p.m.
Capitol Region 4-H Pre-Teen
Retreat, Refreshing Mountain
Camp, Stevens, thru April 16.
PASA New Zealand Livestock
Waste Management Systems
Overview At Cove Mt. Farm,
Mercersburg, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Western Pennsylvania Holstein
Spring Spectacular Sale,
Mercer County 4-H Park,
Mercer, 7:30 p.m. Franklin
County Graziers Pasture, Cove
Mountain Farm, Mercers
ljuni fc loa ; m i _^__^^__
M.' r vlanaJi^^^Xr , T^QuD
iarylanc jersey
All-Breed Calf" and Heifer
Sale, Frederick Fairgrounds.
Penn State 75th Anniversary
Dairy Expo.
Delaware Valley College
Annual Livestock Judging
Contest, Feldman Ag Build
ing, 8 a.m.
Adams County Beef Producers
Association Inc. Beef Sale and
Parade of Bulls, Bonneauville
Fire Company, 4:30 p.m.
Pond Management For Irriga-
(Turn to Page A 39)
today are accurate within 36
inches or less. The atmosphere
can cause errors by deflecting the
path of the signals. Signals can
also be deflected off of mountains
or buildings creating multi-path
errors The major error in the
calculation is intentionally created
by the defense department to
prevent enemies from using the
systems to cause trouble.
This is known as selective
availability and can cause the
calculated location to be off as
much as 100 feet or more This
error may be overcome by using
differential correction, which
determines the built m eiror and
then corrects the signals. This can
allow very accurate determination
of one's location
To Handle Anhydrous
Ammonia Safely
Anhydrous ammonia is an
impoitant source of nitrogen
teitihzer toi crops But improper
handling can have catastrophic
lesults which include severe burns
Background Scripture
1 Corinthians 10:23 through 11:1
Devotional Reading:
Corinthians 8
When I was a seminary student
40-plus years ago, one day I got into
an argument with another seminarian
In those days, dancing was a big issue
in my denomination, which had a his
toric position of opposing “social” or
“round” dancing
The argument arose when 1 said
that 1 saw nothing wrong with danc
ing and that my wife and I enjoyed it.
The other seminarian was horrified,
for he regarded dancing as a practice
that leads to sexual immorality. “It
may be for you,” I said, “but it isn’t
for me.” But, knowing how I feel
about it,” he replied, “would you
want me to dance with your wife 9 ” I
thought about that question for a few
moments before I answered,
“Probably not, but the problem is not
in dancing, but in your mind and
heart ”
He wasn’t finished, going on to
cite I Corinthians 8 9-13, “Therefore,
if food is a cause of my brother’s
falling, 1 will never eat meat, lest 1
cause my brother to fall.” “Couldn’t
that apply to dancing, too 7 he asked
In other words, if 1 knew what danc
ing meant to him, would I not abstain
so that would not cause him to “fall” 7
I felt a sense of frustration because,
on the one hand I believed that my
conscience was free in dancing, yet
Paul seemed to suggest that I ought to
abstain because of my colleague’s
“warped perception," as I thought of
it
Free & Responsible
Years later, upon re-reading this
passage and 1 Corinthians 10 23
through 11:1, I came to the conclu
sion that we had both missed the
mark in interpreting Paul’s approach
Paul, I came to see. is attempting to
protect both the freedom and their
responsibility of the Christian disci
ple Being sensitive to the religious
convictions of others should always
be our concern. But Paul was not lay
ing down a law for us, because these
conflicts cannot be solved with a
legalistic approach. Shall my reli
gious life be structured by the light
which I believe God has given to me,
or by the opposing views of my
FREEDOM AND
RESPONSIBILITY
April 9,2000
to eyes, skin and the respiratory
tract.
Some safety tips to follow
are:Personal protective equipment
(PPE) should always be worn.
Keep anhydrous ammonia tanks
out of direct sunlight so the
pressure relief value does not
have to vent. Be sure to bleed
hose coupling before
disconnecting. Use emergency
water supply for at least 15
minutes if exposed to anhydrous
ammonia and then seek
emergency medical attention.
Conduct inspections to answer
the following questions: Hoses in
good condition? Fittings clean
from rust? Low pressure tubes
have no leaks? Knives not
plugged 7 Pressure iclief value
operating properly? Tank has five
gallons of fresh water? PPE
available and worn?
Feather Prof, 's Footnote:
"Unless you try to do something
beyond what you have already
mastered, you will never grow."
neighbor 9 There is no hard and fast
answer.
If I slavishly decide that I will do
nothing that gives my neighbor spiri
tual offense, 1 may help to perpetuate
his ignorance or prejudice. Let us say
that my neighbor believes that God
created people of other races as mfe
nor-does that mean that, m the inter
ests of not offending him, I should
not invite a black, brown or yellow
friend to my house and table 9 No, I
don’t think so, for Paul himself criti
cized Peter because he gave m to the
prejudice of the Christian Judaizers
and separated himself from Gentiles.
Paul also refused to abstain from his
ministry to the Gentiles, even though
it offended some of his Christian
brethren who, in their weakness, were
unwilling to change their hearts and
minds.
Love As The Yardstick
The key to Paul's teaching in
these passages is not the question of
whether our neighbor will be offend
ed, but whether we are practicing a
loving concern for him. A loving con
cern may mean abstaining from some
things if he or she is easily wounded,
or it may mean doing some of the
very things that offend him because I
am unwilling to permit that person to
continue in his or her darkness of
spirit. 1 might not dance before my
neighbor’s disapproving eyes, but
neither would I stop or pretend that I
didn’t. In a Moslem society or among
the Jews of Jerusalem’s Mea
Sheanm, I will not dress or behave in
a manner that offends their beliefs
concerning dress and conduct. But
neither will I be bound by those sen
sibilities in my own milieu. Paul’s
advice was not meant to give my
neighbor control over my life.
So it is not a matter of responsi
bility or freedom, love or right, but of
balancing these, keeping in mind
what, as God reveals it to us, is best
for the other person as well as myself
Paul’s good advice is not a law, but a
spirit of which we have far too little
in our world and even, perhaps , in
our churches. As Paul puts it, “So,
whether you eat or drink, or whatever
you do, do all to the glory of G0d...”
(10:31)
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Gphrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming. Inc.
A Stemman Enterprise
William J. Burgess General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Editor
Copyright 2000 by Lancaster Farming