AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 15, 2000
OPINION
Ethanol Answer
“Rather than being part of the problem, ethanol is, in fact, a solu
tion to today’s skyrocketing gas prices,” Plainfield, 111., corn grower
Floyd Schultz told members of Congress today at a hearing held in
Chicago to examine the factors contributing to the recent rise in gas
oline prices. Schultz testified on behalf of the National Corn Grow
ers Association and the Illinois Corn Growers Association.
While Chicago and Milwaukee are at the center of the controver
sy right now, consumers nationwide are paying inexplicably high
gas prices. In recent days, the American Petroleum Institute has
shamelessly attempted to blame ethanol and the costs of complying
with federal clean fuel guidelines, particularly in areas like Chicago
and Milwaukee where ethanol is used to make cleaner-burning re
formulated gasoline (RFG).
“However, let me stress that blending ethanol into gasoline reduc
es the cost of the gasoline,” Schultz stated. “If we were not using
ethanol in Chicago RFC, gasoline prices could be even higher than
they are today.”
A gallon of ethanol delivered to the Chicago and Milwaukee mar
kets, including state and national taxes, is selling for $1.28 to $1.32
per gallon well below the current price of gasoline. And ethanol is
plentiful and readily available.
“It is clear that gasoline supplies are tight in the Midwest market.
However, there is no shortage of ethanol. The ethanol industry cur
rently has about 300 million gallons of idle production capacity. If
that much ethanol about one percent of the total gasoline pool in
the Midwest were added to the market, there would be lower
prices,” Schultz explained.
“Ethanol is both abundant and affordable. It cleans up the air
without polluting the water. It boosts farm prices and stimulates
rural economies. And it’s a renewable fuel source that can help re
duce our dependence on petroleum,” he said. “When you add it all
up, ethanol is not the problem. It’s the answer. And that’s the secret
the oil companies don’t want America to know.”
Draft Horse Show at Mason-
Dixon Fair, 10 a.m.
Pa. Hereford Association and
Pa. Cattlemen’s Field Day,
Blossom Valley Farm, Amity.
Sheep Field Day, Max Dehart
N 1 Rr~ '» Con c "" l! '
atura. Kesource Conservation
School For Youth, Northern
Lancaster County Game and
Fish Protective Association,
thru July 22.
Allegheny County Agricultural
Expo, Md., thru July 23.
Jefferson County Fair, thru July
22.
Rural Safety Fair 2000, Wyo
ming County Fairgrounds, 9
a.m.-3 p.m.
AFGC Conference and North
American Alfalfa Improve
ment Conference, Madison,
Golf Tourna-
oss’s
merit, Shotgun Start, Fox
Chase Golf Course, Stevens,
noon.
Forest Resources Institute for
Teachers, Bradford County
extension office, Towanda,
ids(^ulvl9 J 24 i and2^^^^^
Jacktown Fair, thru July 22.
Plainfield Farmers Fair, thru
July 22.
State Horticulture Association
of Pa. Summer Tour, starts at
Strite’s Orchard, 10 a.m., thru
July 19.
Penn State Agronomic Field Di
agnostic Clinic, Russell E.
Larson Ag Research Center,
Rockspring, thru July 19.
York 4-H dairy Roundup, York
County Fairgrounds, 8:30
a.m.-2 p.m.
Dairy Farm Open House,
|
♦ Farm Calendar ♦
Stoner’s Hijos Hill Inc., Mer-
cersburg, 7:15 pm..-9 p.m.
Farm Tour, Earth’s Harvest
Farm, Paul and Julie Koch,
Morris, N.Y., 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Southeast District Dairy Show,
Lebanon Area Fairgrounds.
Solanco Young Farmers Barn
Meeting, Harnish Farm, 7
p.m.
York Cf^^^Hwstai^Snow,
ounty
York County Fairgrounds, 9
a.m.-2 p.m.
Biotechnology and Genetic En
hancement Bringing the
Sciences to the Discussion,
College of Ag Sciences, Penn
State Ag Arena, State College,
9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Lycoming County Holstein
Show, Fairgrounds, Hughes-
ville, 10 a.m.
Black and White Show and
Plainfield Fair, 10 a.m.
Northampton County Holstein
Show, Plainfield Grove,
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Editor:
On behalf of the membership
of the Progressive Agriculture
Organization (Pro Ag), 1 want to
thank Governor Tom Ridge, Sec
retary of Agriculture Sam Hayes
and the Pennsylvania Legislators
for making disaster funds avail
able for agriculture producers all
across the Commonwealth.
To Look At
Antibiotic Use
A recent survey by the Animal
Health Institute on antibiotic use
in animals found that 64 percent
of antibiotics are used in human
medicine and 30 percent are used
by veterinarians and animal
owners for therapeutics and pre
vention of disease in animals.
Only 6 percent of the antibiotic
use was for growth promotion.
Naturally, in the few cases
where antibiotics are used for
growth promotion, it may also be
indicated as a joint use in disease
prevention.
GROW UP!
Background Scripture:
Ephesians 4:1-16.
Devotional Reading:
Ephesians 3:14-21.
The writer of Ephesians de
sires that the Ephesians and us
“may no longer be children.”
He is speaking not of our chro
nological age, but our degree of
spiritual maturity.
Physically, socially, and men
tally we look and sound like
adults. Spiritually, however, we
may still be children.
When we first became Chris
tians it was understandable that
we begin in the faith as children.
Spiritually speaking, we must
first learn to crawl before we
walk, and walk before we run. In
1 Cor. 3:1,2, Paul confesses that
he “could not address you as
spiritual men, but as babes in
Christ. I fed you with milk, not
solid food; for you were not
ready for it; and even yet you are
not ready”. Beginning our life in
Christ it is anticipated that our
faith will be like that of little chil
dren, but we are expected to
grow in our spiritual faith.
Unfortunately for many of us,
it is not that we begin as spiritual
♦ Farm Forum ♦
While many farmers could have
used additional funds to help de
fray the tremendous losses they
experienced last year; these same
farmers will acknowledge that
without the disaster payments
many more of our Pennsylvania
farmers would have been forced
out of business.
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Anti-animal agriculture activ
ists have claimed the vast majori
ty of antibiotics are used in food
animals, especially to promote
growth. This survey shows that a
little more than one-third of anti
biotic use in the U.S. is for ani
mals, including both food ani
mals and companion animals
with a very small amount used
for growth promotion.
To Look At
Organic Standards
USDA recently released a pro
posed rule to establish a National
Organic Program (NOP) under
the direction of the Agricultural
Marketing Service (AMS).
These national standards
would include rules for the pro
duction and handling of organi
cally produced products, includ
ing a national list of substances
(approved and prohibited) for
use in organic production and
handling.
The proposal establishes a na
tional level accreditation pro
gram to be administrated by
AMS for state officials and pri
vate persons who want to be ac
credited as certifying agents. The
proposal also establishes the re
quirements for labeling products
as organic and containing organ
ic ingredients.
The rule also provides for im
portation of organic agricultural
products produced under equiva
lent requirements.
Under the proposal, to be or
ganic, animals must be raised or
ganically from birth, or in the
children and are not yet ready
for solid spiritual food, but that
we may fail to ever be ready. Are
we to spend all of our lives as
spiritual toddlers? We need
someone to challenge us in our
infantile complacency to grow
up\
Tossed To & Fro
One evidence of spiritual im
maturity is the state of being
“tossed to and fro and carried
about with every wind of doc
trine” (Eph. 4:14). Some of us
never outgrow this immature
level of discipleship. Perhaps we
assume that being a Christian
means finding and defending
what we consider to be true
Christian doctrine. But doctrine
is of value only to the extent that
it inspires and enables us to live
as disciples of Jesus Cljfist.
In the early church there were
some who identified themselves
as Christian gnostics. Gnosis is a
Greek word meaning “to know”
and they believed the essence of
Christianity was to discover and
know the truth about God in
Christ a truth revealed to
them, they believed, but not oth
ers.
Gnosticism was eventually
branded a heresy because it was
determined that doing, not
knowing the truth, is the foun
dation of Christian discipleship.
Early Christianity spread, not on
the basis of the truth that the
apostles knew, but upon the
truth to which they witnessed in
their lives.
A mark of Christian maturity
is a life lived in “lowliness and
meekness, with patience, for
bearing one another in love,
eager to maintain the unity of
the spirit in the bond of peace.”
If that is Christian maturity, is
there enough of it going around?
Is that the dominant and perse
vering image of Christianity we
see in the world?
“Lowliness and meekness,”
instead of pride and arrogance.
“Patience and forbearing one
another in love” instead of impa
tience and condemnation.
“Eager to maintain the unity of
the spirit in the bond of peace”
instead of self-righteous divisive
ness and bitter contention.
case of poultry, after the second
day of life. Animal feed must be
100 percent organic and use of
hormones and antibiotics is pro
hibited.
All organically raised animals
must have access to the outdoors.
Processors, manufacturers, and
repackers of organic food are
covered by the NOP handling
standards. Irradiation and some
contact between organic and
non-organic food is prohibited.
To Look At
Size Of
Organic Farming
Organic food sales in the U.S.
have risen dramatically from just
$7B million in 1980 to an esti
mated $6 billion this year.
There is a projected annual
growth of 20 percent per year.
There are 12,000 organic
farms in the U.S. The number of
farms is increasing by 12 percent
per year.
The increasing demand for or
ganically produced foods of all
kinds and the premium prices
that organic foods can command
have attracted many mainstream
companies to enter this sector.
When the National Organic
Program takes effect and organic
food finally comes under USDA
national standards, the stage will
be set for even faster growth in
this market niche.
Feather Prof, ’s Footnote:
“You can discover more about
a person in an hour of play
than in a year of conversa
tion. ” Plato.
The Olive Branch
Maybe your personal experi
ence of Christianity is different
and I truly hope it is but I
have observed all too often that
for many Christians the essence
of following Christ is to do battle
with those who believe different
ly than we do.
Unfortunately, the “sword of
truth” (read “our truth”) is more
popular than the olive branch of
peace. Christ calls us, not to do
battle for him, but to bear crosses
and witness to him.
There is yet another evidence
of spiritual childishness the
witness to our separateness rath
er than our oneness in Christ.
Our witness to the world is too
often to that of a dysfunctional
and alienated family. That is not
mature Christian discipleship,
for Ephesians tells us: “There is
one body and one Spirit, just as
you were called to the one hope
that belongs to you all, one Lord,
one faith, one baptism, one God
and Father of us all, who is
above all and through all and in
all” (4:4-6.)
The mature, grown-up Chris
tian will build up the body of
Christ rather than seeing how
many pieces into which it can be
divided. That’s what “mature
manhood” and Christian wom
anhood mean growing “to the
measure of the stature of the full
ness of Christ” (4:14).
We may enter Christian disci
pleship as children, but we are
meant to “grow up in every way
unto him who is the head, into
Christ” (4:15). Having chal
lenged us to “Follow me!”,
Christ also calls us to “Grow
up!”, so that we may no longer
be children.
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 Newstvanger Editor
Copyright 2000 by Lancaster Farming