AlO-Lancastcr Farming, Saturday, June 3, 2000
OPINION
Biosecurity For Profitability
Biosecurity on dairy farms in the past was not considered very
important. Unlike the confinement practices of other species,
cows were not as concentrated, they were large animals often free
to run in the pasture, and considered to have no great susceptibil
ity to diseases from other farms. The Registered dairy cow busi
ness was enhanced by having truckers from a by-gone era such as
the Hostetter brothers of Lancaster, transport purebred animals
in disinfected trucks. But beyond this, trucks and visitors to a
dairy farm were not considered a threat to herd health.
But today, this idea has been updated along with most other
good management practices. Many technological advances in the
diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of disease have contributed
significantly to the increase in dairy farm production and pro
ductivity. In order for disease to occur on a farm, the host ani
mal, the disease organism, and the environment must interact fa
vorable. The aim of biosecurity is to intervene strategically, thus
preventing this interaction.
According to Maurice Clarke, D.V.M., field veterinarian, Mar
yland Department of Agriculture, if the dairy farm is to be suc
cessful, the importance of biosecurity must be emphasized. The
objective is to prevent disease from being introduced on the farm
and tbt prevent infectious disease from moving among animal
groups on the tarm. Clarke says young calves and older and
weak animals are very susceptible to infectious organisms and
should be kept in separate groups away from the general dairy
herd. Use the proper antibiotics to treat sick animals and make
every effort to insure that the animal environment on the farm is
clean. Sanitation is critical for a successful disease control pro
gram.
Visitors to the farm should not be allowed unrestricted move
ment on the farm. They should observe the same protocol as
farm workers which includes disinfecting boots and changing
clothing before moving to a different group of animals on the
farm. Many dairy farmers will consider this impractical—until
they have a major outbreak oi animal sickness that leads to a
large bill from their vetemanan. Then they will begin to take se
riously the need for biosecurity.
To us, it would make more sense to start biosecurity before you
have a costly disease problem on your dairy farm.
Breeders Fair, Cecil County
Fairgrounds, 9 a.m.-l p.m.
Centre County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Logan Grange Hall,
Pleasant Gap, 7:30 p.m.
Chester County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Cochranville Straw
berry Festival.
Lebanon County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Lebanon Vo-Tech
School, Lebanon, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 4
John Deere Antique Tractor
Show and Pulls, St. Peter’s
Church, near Shimersville, 9
a.m.
Schuylkill County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Schuylkill County
Ag Center, Pottsville, 12:30
p.m.
BUBS
Tioga County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Tioga County Fair,
WhitneyviUe, 7 p.m.
Twilight Grape and Bramble
Meeting, DeCou’s Hilltop Or
chards, Shiloh, N.J., 6:15 p.m.
Pa. Rural Health Conference,
Nittany Lion Inn, thru June 9.
York County Beekeeper’s Meet
ing, 4-H Center, York, 6:30
p.m.
Delmarva Farmland Protection
Training Workshop, U. of
Md., Eastern Shore.
Wednesday. Juno 7
Ag Research Symposium, Capi
tol East Wing, Harrisburg, 9
a.m.-2 p.m.
Delmarva Farmland Protection
Training Workshop, Caroline
College Center, Chesapeake
College, Wye Mills, Md.
World Pork Expo, Indiana State
Fairgrounds, Indianapolis,
Ind., thru June 10.
Central Susquehanna Grain
Marketing Club, Watson Inn,
Watsontown, 7 a.m.
Franklin County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Lighthouse Restau
rant, Chambersburg, 7 p.m.
Dairy Cattle Field Day, Clarks
ville Facility of the Central
Maryland Research and Edu
cation Center, 10 a.m.-12:30
p.m.
Lancaster County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Farm and Home
Center, Lancaster, 7 p.m.
Lycoming County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Nesbitt Fire Hall,
Nesbitt, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 11
Butler County Dairy Princess
Pageant, Clearview Mall, But
ler, 2 p.m.
(Turn to Pag* A 39)
To Look For
Poisonous Plants I
Pennsylvania has about
100 toxic plants. Many of
these may cause deaths of nu
merous domestic livestock
every year, according to
Chester Hughes, Lancaster
County extension livestock
agent.
Factors contributing to
plant poisoning are starva
tion, accidental eating, and
browsing habits of animals.
With houses springing up
everywhere, the rural/urban
interface is dramatically in
creasing and many farm
neighbors are unfamiliar with
the plants that are toxic.
Following are some com
mon plants that are poison
ous to livestock and should
not be tossed over the fence to
grazing animals.
LETTING THE
GLORY OUT!
Background Scripture:
Philippians 1:12-30.
Devotional Reading:
1 Peter 1:3-9.
We all like to win, don’t we? If
we can’t do it personally, then we
want to identify with a winner or
winning team. I think there is too
much emphasis upon winning
today. I don’t think that winning
is the only thing.
Actually, real life is about both
winning and losing. From the
world’s standpoint, the Apostle
Paul was a winner and a loser.
Paul is languishing in Roman im
prisonment and we do not know
whether he ever gained his free
dom. Nevertheless, his letter tells
us that Paul was not the loser in
this episode. Even if he was put
to death here, Paul was the win
ner because of his remarkable at
titude.
For one thing, Paul saw his im
prisonment as an opportunity: “I
want you to know brethren that
what has happened to me has re
ally served to advance the gos
pel . . (12,13). According to
stress research, being imprisoned
is one of the most stressful of ex
periences because for most peo
ple it spells defeat and repudia
tion.
But Paul was elated in his im
prisonment because he chose to
look at his experience differently:
his imprisonment was actually
Garden iris will produce
gastroenteritis when ingested
in sufficient amounts. Holly
berries are not very palatable
but they have caused poison
ing in animals.
Hogs, sheep, cattle, and
goats are especially suscepti
ble to poisoning from over
dose of Morning Glory’s hal
lucinogenic seeds.
To Look For
Poisonous Plants II
Chester Hughes, Lancaster
County extension livestock
agent, reports farmers need to
make sure livestock do not
come in contact with poison
ous plants.
Ruminants may experience
difficult breathing, elevated
temperatures, monogastrics,
and show anorexia and inco
ordination after eating brack
en fem. Rhubarb toxicity
symptoms include stagger
ings, excessive salivation, con
vulsions, and death.
Death may occur within a
few hours following ingestion
of wilted leaves of wild cherry.
The entire yew plant contains
poisonous alkaloids and sur
vival of livestock after eating
is rare.
All species of livestock have
exhibited toxicpsis from Eng
lish ivy.
With the increasing num
ber of new houses in rural
areas, it is important all live
stock farmers check their
fields for these plants and ex
plain to their neighbors the
importance of not throwing
serving to make known the name
and power of Jesus Christ.
You can’t defeat a person who
insists upon seeing the opportu
nities instead of the obstacles of
life.
It Doesn’t Matter
In what would have discour
aged most others, Paul chose to
see the bright instead of the dark
side: “. . . most of the brethren
have been made confident in the
Lord . . . and are much more
bold to speak the word of God
without fear. Some indeed
preach Christ from envy and ri
valry, but others from good will.”
Wouldn’t that make you
angry and resentful? But Paul
cannot be defeated: “What then?
Only that in every way, whether
in pretense or truth, Christ is
proclaimed; and in that I rejoice”
(1:14-18). Paul may be facing ex
ecution. Wouldn’t that pitch
most of us into despair? But you
can’t defeat Paul with the “facts”
because he knows there is some
thing more than the facts. “For
me to live is Christ, and to die is
gain. If it is to be life in the flesh
that means fruitful labor for me.
Yet, which I choose I cannot tell”
(1:21). If he lives he will win and
if he dies he will win also, for he
regards it as an opportunity:
“Christ will be honored in my
body by life or death” (1:20).
How can you defeat a guy like
that? He wins regardless of what
you do.
It is not, however, because
Paul is a winner in himself, but
because he ties his life to God in
Christ. If he were evaluating this
on the basis of his own personal
status, Paul would be a big loser.
But Paul does not use personal
gain as a yardstick, only the gos
pel of Jesus Christ. That is why
yard and plant material in
pastures and plant shrubs
near fence lines.
To Check Tobacco
Plants For
Blue Mold
Weather conditions have
been favorable for the move
ment of blue mold spores up
the East Coast, according to
Robert Anderson, Lancaster
County extension agronomy
agent.
Blue mold was first discov
ered in Florida March 22.
Weather conditions during
most of early April were fa
vorable for the movement of
blue mold northward.
Blue mold has been report
ed in Georgia, South Caroli
na, and North Carolina.
Many recent storm fronts had
the potential of moving blue
mold spores from infected
areas to Pennsylvania.
Several times the weather
conditions in Pennsylvania
were also favorable for blue
mold development.
Overcast and rainy weather
between May 19 and May 23
and Memorial Day weekend
were ideal for the transporta
tion and survival of blue mold
spores, especially in plant
beds and greenhouses.
Tobacco plants should be
checked very carefully for the
next several weeks for any
sign of blue mold.
Feather Prof.’s Footnote:
“If there is a better solution,
then find it. ”
Thomas Edlsoa,
he cannot be- defeated be
cause God cannot be defeated.
In A Better Way
In Josephus Daniels’ biogra
phy of Woodrow Wilson, he
says: “Wilson never knew de
feat, for defeat never comes to '
any man until he admits it.
“Do not trouble about things
we have fought for,” Wilson
told a friend. “They are sure to
prevail. They are only delayed.
And I will make this concession
to Providence it may come in
a better way than we suppose.”
For the Christian, defeat is only
label for the short run. We do
not have to have the victory, be
cause ultimately God will have
it and share it.
Edwin Markham wrote a
poem, “Victory in Defeat,” in
which he says: “Defeat may
serve as well as victory, To
shake the soul and let the glory
out.”
Note: In the Steps of Paul to
Rome & Greece, an 18-day tour
conducted by Larry and Valere
Althouse, is scheduled for April
2001. If interested, please con
tact us at 4412 Shenandoah
Ave., Dallas TX 75205/e-mail:
althouses@aol.com; fax: (214)
52109312.
Lancaster Fanning
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. Newswanger Editor
Copyright 2000 by Lancaster Farming