AlO-Uncastw Farming, Saturday, June 24, 2000 OPINION Milk As Brain Food A recent national news article reported on a new ad campaign urging college students to replace their milk mustaches with beer foam. This “Got Beer?” campaign argues that beer is healthier than milk and the dairy industry is cruel to cows and calves. Of course the mothers (and fathers) of American youth in colleges are concerned and appalled with this supposed humorous play on the successful “Got Milk” and “Milk Mustache” advertising. “Strong drink” is the number one culprit credited with ruining young people’s lives from the outcome of driving drunk or other in humane things drunk people do to other people. Of course, this comes at a time when binge drinking on campuses has reached new heights. Frankly, we have enough faith in the integrity of the younger generation that this backhanded attempt to deify the sacred cow will cause no increase in the consumption of alcohol on campus. College students are a very intelligent group of people, not easily hoodwinked into becoming pawns of the opponents of agriculture. To put milk on your cereal each morning will feed your brain, not stupefy it. Saturday, June 24 Pedal To Preserve 2000, starts at Donegal High School, Mount Joy. Maryland Grape Growers Field Day, Bill Kirby Vineyard, Cordova, Md. Pennsylvania Holstein Heifer Sale, Pennsylvania Holstein Farm, Middletown, 11 a.m. Pond Management For Private Land Users, Beaver Creek Conservation Area, 10 a.m.- 3:30 p.m. SUN Area Dairy Princess Pag eant, Susquehanna Valley Mall, Selinsgrove, 7 p.m. Harford County, Maryland Farm Visitation Day, Pieper Dairy Farm, Jarrettsville; Woolsey Farm, Churchville; and North Harford High School Ag Pro gram, Pylesville, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday,June 25 Pa. Ayrshire Picnic, Myron and Teresa Pomraning Farm, Delta, 11 a.m. iwilil Ambassador Conference, Penn. State University, thru June 28. Tuesday, June 27 Southern Branch Crop and Live stock Day, Southern Branch, Ohio. Allegheny County Fair and Ex position, thru July 2. CCA Alfalfa Production School, Landisville Research Farm. Mercer County Dairy Princess Pageant, Leslie N. Firth Edu cational Center, Mercer, 6:30 p.m. Southeast Regional Christmas Tree Growers Meeting, West lake Tree Farms, Pottstown, 1 p.m.-4:30 p.m. 4-H Livestock Judging, Middle burg Livestock Auction, 9 a.m. * Farm Calendar * Wednesday, June 28 USA Junior Holstein Conven tion, Columbus, Ohio. National Holstein Convention, Columbus, Ohio, thru July 1. New York State Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association Sth Annual Summer Bus Tour, Wayne County, starts at Long Acres Farms, Macedon, 9 a.m., returns at 5:30 p.m. PASA Farm Vegetable Technolo gy Field Day, New Morning Farm (Crawford Farm), 1 p.m.-5 p.m. PennAg Industries Association Conflict Prevent Training Program, Perkins Restaurant, Lewisburg, 8 a.m.-noon. BCGN Pasture Walk, Madigan Farm, noon-2 p.m. Thursday, June 29 USA Junior Holstein Conven tion, Columbus, Ohio. Wolfs Comer Fair, thru July 4. Ohio Muck Crops Day, Muck Crops Branch, Celeryville. Pa. Tobacco Association Member Meeting, Solanco Fair grounds, 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 30 USA Junior Holstein Conven- tion, Columbus, Ohio. Butler Fair, thru July 8. Saturday, July 1 Sullivan County Demolition Derby, Forksville Fair grounds, 9 a.m. Kutztown Festival, Kutztown Fairgrounds, Kutztown, thru July 9. USA Junior Holstein Conven tion, Columbus, Ohio. Sunday, July 2 Monday, July 3 Tuesday, July 4 Lancaster Farming office closed (Turn to Pago All) To Understand Corn Water Needs The amount of water used by com varies considerably from planting to maturity. The seedling (0 to 20 days after planting) requires 0.06 inches per day compared to 0.33 inches per day during silking and grain fill (70 to 100 days after planting). However, adequate water at each stage of development is critical in achieving maxi mum yields. For example, water used by the com plant in the eighth to x ~ r [ Br IAWRENCf W At I H OUSf S33SILB sn/ PAUL’S SECRET Background Scripture: Phiiippians 4:4-20. Devotional Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-10. The analogy of whether the cup is half-empty or half-full is probably overworked. Yet, it is so relevant for the last chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians that I choose npt to use it once again. The fact remains that when looking at a cup or life itself, we must always decide upon what we will concentrate its empti ness or its fullness and that choice will greatly affect whether our cups and lives be more empty or more full. Some people regard this ana logy as a strategy for avoiding the negativities of life. For, in truth, the cup that is half full is also half empty. There is no point denying either the empti ness or negativities of life. They exist, whether in a 50-50 balance or some other ratio. Emptiness, negativity, evil, tragedy, disap pointment these are all too real. Unfortunately for so many people, their preoccupation with the emptiness of life obscures the reality of its fullness. For some reason inherent in our human nature, we are more attracted by bad news than good news. Bad news sells in the newspapers, television, books, magazines and in the movies. Many people find good news boring. Good And Evil So we know that life is filled with both good and evil, but the latter gets our attention faster and longer. A perspective, 10th leaf stage is not as high as during pollination. But this is the period of time when the number of rows of kernels around the ear is being de termined. During the 12th to 17th leaf stage, the ear length potential is being determined. Any stress between the eighth and 17th leaf stage will limit needs. Based on University of Florida data, it is estimated the com plant needs 25 inches of water during the growing season. To Pack Silage In Thin Layers To have silage fully com pressed so air is forced out and kept out, heavy tractors are needed. Faster filling rates have forced many farmers to go to larger and/or more packing tractors. An easy way to tell if you are keeping up with packing is to monitor how much new, unconsolidated forage you have under your wheels at any one time, re minds Kurt Ruppel, Pioneer dairy specialist. Survey results from a Wis consin study found that thin ner layers of silage result in denser silage. A layer of six therefore, that sees life as mostly bad news is the real escapist de- lusion for it crowds out the reali- ty of the good news. What we •> end up doing, then, is focusing on one without necessarily deny ing the other and what we focus upon tends to shape our lives accordingly. Take your cue on life today from the front page of your newspaper or the television “news” and there is little reason to get out of bed. So this is what Paul is writing to the Philippians. The world is telling them to “Despair! De spair,” but Paul is saying. Re joice! Rejoice! “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say. Rejoice” (4:4). When you get out of bed in the morning, do you groan or re joice for the gift of life for anoth er day? Try rejoicing all the way to the breakfast table and make it part of your prayer of grace before you read the daily paper. Your cup is at least half full probably running over and you can focus your attention on that instead of dismal news of disasters, violence, and corrup tion. Paul gives definite reasons for rejoicing: “The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” And if we do that, what is the result? “And the peace of God, which passes all under standing, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (4:4-7) The secret for achieving true peace in our lives is to put our trust in God and rejoice. I con fess I do not always live up to this principle negativity is a hard habit to break but, when 1 do, I find that peace and secu rity. Think On These Things Paul then goes on to clinch this teaching; “Finally, brethren, inches or less is probably needed for good compaction. Based on field measure ments using an electronic scale, it was found for every one inch of silage depth, the weight of the tractor tire reaching the scale was re duced by about 10 percent. So, at five inches, about one half of the tractor weight is felt in the silage. To Control Thistles Conditions this past winter and spring have favored rapid growth of many weeds, in cluding noxious weeds such as thistles, according to Glenn Shirk, Lancaster County ex tension dairy agent. To help prevent the pro duction and scattering of this tle seeds, cut thistles now. To quickly halt seed production, cutting is preferred to spray ing. Chances are most herbi cides will not work fast enough to halt seed produc tion. Once thistles have been cut, herbicides may be applied to the regrowth to help con trol future growth and possi bly kill the plant. Feather Prof.’s Footnote: “Goals are the bridges that span our dreams. ” whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (4:8). Paul would not deny that there is a lot of garbage, evil, and misery around us and maybe even in our lives, but if we focus upon grace instead of garbage, we will have learned the secret of finding peace of Christ in the midst of everything. The Apostle is his own best ex ample, for he writes the Philippi ans from prison, and does not know whether life or death will be his next episode. But Paul has chosen to focus on the fullness of his life rather than the emptiness. Buoyed by their collection that they sent to him, Paul assures them that the secret is true: "... I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hun ger, abundance and want. I can do all things in turn who strengthens me” (4:11-13). If you haven’t tried Paul’s se cret, why not begin now? 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 contact us: 4412 Shenandoah Ave., Dal las 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 Steinman Enterprise William J. Burgess General Manager Everett R. Newswanger Editor Copyright 2000 by Lancaster Farming
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers