AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 29, 2000
OPINION
Pennies On The Dollar
Have you ever thought about how small the part of what the con
sumer pays for food really goes to the farmer? In a recent issue of
Western Livestock Reporter, the real food dollar was revealed under
the title “Farm Share Pennies of Food Dollar.”
Based on Washington-area food prices and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture figures, the farmer’s share of a box of cereal that costs
$3.71 in the grocery store is 4.6 cents. In a loaf of bread, the farmer
gets 5 cents out of $1.39; 68 cents out of the $4.39 for a pound of sir
loin steak; $1.05 from $5.91 for a pound of cheddar cheese; 3.3 cents
out of $1.99 for a package of potato chips; 9 cents of $1.29 for a head
of lettuce; and 40 cents of the $3.29 the consumer pays for a pound of
bacon.
The dramatic difference between prices paid to farmers and retail
food prices was the focus of a “Farmer’s Share Luncheon” held re
cently in conjunction with National Agriculture Day. More than 1,500
farmers and ranchers from around the country attended. The price of
the meal was 39 cents —the amount the farmers received for a beef
sandwich, baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, milk, and a cookie.
Between depressed commodity prices and anti-competitive agricul
tural markets, farmers and being squeezed to the financial breaking
point. Participants at the meal called on Congress and the administra
tion to change farm policy to ensure farmers and ranchers receive a
fair price for their commodities. It is just as important to let consum
ers know what a really good buy they get each week when they figure
the family food budget. Therefore, we recommend all farmers reading
this editorial make copies and send them to every city person they
know. We’re sure most of the people who eat have no idea what their
food dollar pays for.
University of Delaware Ag Day
2000, Newark, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Sheep Foot Trimming Clinic,
Buffalo Mountain
Hampshires, Buffalo Mills,
1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
Wayne County Holstein Sale,
Wayne County Fairgrounds,
Honesdale, 12 p.m.
Sheep and Wool Day, Springton
Manor Farm, Downingtown,
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
4-H Forestry Field Day,
Rockspring, 10 a.m.
International Highland Pen
Sale, Empire Livestock barns,
Bath, N.Y.
Regional Alpaca Show, Pa.
Farm Show Complex, Harris
burg, thru April 30.
Spring Garden Kickoff, Penn
State Master Gardeners, Do
nohoe Center, Greensburg, 9
a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Del Val College “A-Day,” col
lege campus, Doylestown, 9
4-HCapltoraaysnnn^^ay2^^
Wissahickon Day Parade,
begins at Northwestern
Equestrian Facility, Harpers
11th Annual Dauphin County
Envirothon, Dauphin County
Ag and Natural Resources
Lancaster/York Fruit Growers’
Twilight Meeting, Kauff
man’s Orchard, Bird In Hand,
Solar Pump Demo DayTßocky
Acres Polled Hereford Farm,
demo at Fisher Farm, near
Green Lane Park, tours 10
Junj^ZnmijjandtMJjm^^^^
and Sale, York 4-H Facility,
10 a.m.
Spring Fling Scavenger Hunt,
Ludwig’s Corner Riding and
Driving Club, Marsh Creek
Park, Glenmoore, 9 a.m. (rain
date May 7).
Forensic Forestry, Florence
Lockhart Nimick Nature
Poultry
Health Seminar, Kreider’s
IJestaurantjManheimjioon.
Regional
Small Fruit Meeting, Blyler
Orchards, Spring Glen, 6:30
p.m.
Western Pa. SheepanoCluD
Lamb Sale, Mercer County 4-
H Park, Mercer, 6:30 p.m.
Northeast Production Select IX
Sale, Hereford Sale, Coopera
tive Extension, Morrisville,
Willowdale SteeplecnaseTKeiT
nett Square.
PennAglnaustne^^nn^o^
try Banquet, Hershey Lodge
and Convention Center, Her-
Current Advancementsand
Issues In Equine Health, Holi
day Inn, Phillipsburg, N.J.,
9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
To Monitor
Alfalfa Weevil
We are receiving reports con
cerning injury from alfalfa weevil
in the southern parts of Pennsyl
vania. According to Dr. Dennis
Calvin, Penn State Entomologist,
it appears that the damage that is
being observed is from larvae that
hatched from over wintering eggs
or there is a very high number of
early instar larvae from eggs laid
by over wintering adults.
This year has a high potential
for significant injury by alfalfa
weevil. Last year was very dry,
which prevented a fungal patho
gen of the weevil from causing
high mortality. Also, the relatively
mild winter means there may
have been good survival of both
eggs and adults. Given the current
observations of injury, it is impor
tant to monitor the weevil’s devel
opment closely to make sure the
alfalfa is not injured beyond abili
ty to recover.
To Determine Alfalfa
Weevil Threshold
Typically, damage symptoms
from alfalfa weevil begin to show
around 300 degree days when lar
vae reach the third instar, reports
Robert Anderson, Lancaster
County Extension Agronomy
Agent. It is during this period that
80 percent of their feeding occurs.
Local weather statistics show
that the Lancaster area has only
accumulated 75 to 80 degree days
as of April 23. Therefore, we are
about one week away from reach
ing 300 degree days. Typically, al
falfa outgrows early damage from
the larvae that result from over
wintering eggs. However, it can
look bad because alfalfa is grow
ing slowly at this time.
Dr. Dennis Calvin, Penn State
Entomologist, states unless at
least 75 percent of the foliage is
being removed, it typically does
not pay to apply an insecticide.
However, if there is the possibility
Horse Pasture Management
Workshop, East Hanover
Township Municipal Build
ing, Shellsville, also May 24.
Rabbit Con-
janon .ounty . joit
vention, Lebanon Fair
grounds.
Capitol Area Beekeepers Short
Course on Basic Beekeeping,
Milton Hershey Farm Confer
ence Center and Apiary, Her
shev, noon-5 p.m.
Horse
Meeting, Westmoreland
County extension office, 7:30
p.m.
PennAg Industries Divots For
Degrees Golf Tournament,
Foxchase Golf Club, Stevens,
7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. (double
shotgun).
that the larvae will feed on the
new shoots, then a treatment is
' warranted.
Insecticide applied at this time
will miss larvae from eggs laid by
over wintering adults. If an in
secticide is chosen, it would be
best to apply Warrior, Baythroid
or Furdan because of their long
residual. Another option would
be to spray with a short residual,
cheaper material and retreat
later if necessary.
To Lift Properly
Lifting is an everyday occur
rence and essential activity for a
farmer, yet many are limited in
what lifting they may do because
of a sore or injured back. Back
injuries may be prevented if the
lift is completed in a safe and
controlled manner.
NO WAY
TO SAY IT
April 30,2000
Background Scripture: 1 Corinthi
ans 12:31 through 13:13.
Devotional Reading: Romans 1
John 4:17-21.
In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul has
been speaking of the gracious spir
itual gifts which God bestows
upon his children “for the com
mon good.” Among these gifts are
the utterance of wisdom, the ut
terance of knowledge, faith, gifts
of healing, the working of mira
cles, prophecy, the ability to dis
tinguish between the gifts, various
kinds of tongues, the interpreta
tion of tongues, helping, adminis
tration and apostleship (12:8-10,
28). All of these gifts are given to
us to share in the body of Christ
and all are important and needed.
Paul ends his list with this admo
nition: “But earnestly desire the
higher gifts. And I wiU show you a
stiU more excellent way” (12:31).
Paul goes on, then, in chapter 13
to show us this “higher” gift, this
“more excellent way.” The an
swer, of course, is love. (Please re
member that, when he wrote this
letter to Corinth, he did not write
it in chapters and verses, so that
what he says in 1 Cor. 12 simply
flows on into 1 Cor. 13-just as
your letters are probably written.
The chapters and verses were put
in hundreds of years later to help
people in reading and remember
ing what Paul wrote.) Actually, al
though this passage flows like po
etry, Paul addresses himself to
three tasks: the superiority of love
(vs.l-3), its nature (vs. 4-7) and its
permanence (vs. 8-13).
Christians often are confused
by the meaning of the word which
is translated into English as
“love.” Paul, of course, is not writ
ing in English, but Greek, and
while there is but one English
word for ’love,’ there are three in
Greek. Paul could have used the
word eras, which means ‘affection
for an adorable object.” But Paul
did not use eras because this
would so greatly reduce the scope
of love. One of the reasons we
have difficulty in bestowing Chris
tian love is that we find so many
who need it ‘unadorable objects'!
He might also have used the word
philia, often translated as “broth
erly love” or “friendship.” Yet, ob
viously this word would not do ei
ther, because Christ called us
beyond the sentimentality of kin
and kindred to love those who are
NOT our “friends.” Nor is this
love common charity. The King
James version translators were in
fluenced by the Latin word cari
tas, which they translated in the
To prevent the occurrence of
back injuries a few simple princi
ples should be followed. 1. Avoid
bending at your waist by bending
at your knees. 2. Keep your head
and shoulders up to help prevent
bending your back. 3. Tighten
your stomach muscles to brace
your back. 4. Keep the object you
are lifting close to your body and
avoid reaching when retrieving or
placing the object. 5. Avoid twist
ing your back by stepping with
your feet, and 6. Make larger jobs
simpler by breaking a big task into
smaller ones. By following these
steps, you will help prevent back
injuries from occurring.
Feather Prof, ’s Footnote:
“On the road to success, you can
be sure of one thing - there is
never a crowd on the extra
mile .”
KJV as ‘charity.” But this, too, is
inadequate for Paul is not talking
about the human quality of benev
olence, but of the divine gracious
ness revealed in Jesus Christ.
Against Our Feelings So, Paul
used agape, the undeserved, unre
tumable love which we have re
ceived from God, a love to which
we can only respond by bestowing
that same kind of love on our un
deserving fellow men, women and
children. This greatest and most
enduring love is to be bestowed
with no qualifications whatsoever
and with no expectations of re
ward, even from the recipients.
We do not have “feel” loving in
order to bestow this love, in fact,
we are often called to be loving
even though it goes against our
“feelings.”
This is not to say that eras and
philia are not love, but that they
fall short of Christlike love. They
are fine, so far as they go, but they
are not everlasting as agape is.
They are transactional love-I will
do this if you do that. I will be this
if you will be that. But agape is
non-transactional, it is not a deal,
it is not quid pro qou, but grace,
the love that is not merited, nor
meritable. It is at this point that
we humans are called by God in
Christ to transcend our human
nature of limitation and fulfill the
divine potential that God has
placed within each of us. ‘lf I give
away all I have, and if 1 deliver
my body to be burned, but have
not love, I gain nothing,” says
Paul (13:3). Does Paul mean that
unloving people who do charitable
deeds do not really help anyone?
No, people in need may benefit
from unloving charity, but we the
givers do not, because our charity
expects something in return: social
approval, reputation, the ease of
guilt, respect, and so forth. You
may get all of those, but unless
your love is grace-love undeserved
and unpayable-you will rob your
self of the one gift that endures
forever. In human language there
is no word that can adequately ex
press it, but you can experience
and you can give it.
Note: In the Steps of Paul to
Rome & Greece, an 18-day tour
conducted by Larry & Valere Al
thouse, is scheduled for April,
2001. If interested, please contact
us: 4412 Shenandoah Ave, Dallas
TX 75205/e-mail: althouse
s@aol.com; fax: (214) 521-9312.
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. Burgess General Manager
Everett R. Newewanger Editor
Copyright 2000 by Lancaster Farming