AlO-Lancastar Farming, Saturday, August 5, 2000
OPINION
See You At
Empire Days
Empire Farm Days are scheduled for this week. Here is an oppor
tunity for Northeast farmers to experience the latest in agricultural
technology.
The show that runs from Aug. 8-10 is the 67th such annual event
and again will be conducted at the Rodman Lott and Son Farm in
Seneca Falls, N.Y. The 300-plus acre site will host 600 exhibitors,
and 75,000 visitors are expected to attend.
As far back as 1931 there has been an agricultural show spon
sored by the Empire State Potato growers especially for New York
State farmers. But since then, the event has undergone many
changes, including the regional scope of the event. However, the
purpose has remained the same to bring the farmer and agribusi
ness community together in one place.
■ Field demonstrations are a major part of the show. Farmers get a
chance to see various makes and models of farm equipment and
tractors all working side by side in one field. Many other demonstra
tions and educational events are part of the show.
Again this year, the dairy profit seminars are a major feature, and
parlor tours have been added. If you are a farmer or have interest in
the newest farm applications and techniques, you will want to make
the trip to Empire Farm Days this week. We hope to see you there.
Pennsylvania Holstein Associa
tion Summer Picnic, Penn
wood Holsteins, Berlin.
Clinton County Fair, thru Aug.
12.
Washington County, Md. Fair,
Washington County Ag Ed
Bedford County Fair, thru Aug.
12
Transfer Harvest Home Fair,
thru Aug. 12.
Union County West End Fair,
thru Aug. 12.
Adams County Farm Bureau
Annual Summer Picnic,
South Mountain Fairgrounds,
Reading Fair, Leesport, thru
Aug. 12.
Butler Farm Show, thru Aug.
12.
Cochranton Community Fair,
thru Aug. 12.
Dawson Grange Community
Fair, thru Aug. 12.
Schuylkill County Fair, thru
Aug. 12.
Sewickly Township Community
Fair, thru Aug. 12.
Sykesville Ag and Youth Fair,
thru Aug. 12.
Tioga County Fair, thru Aug.
12.
Warren County Fair, thru Aug.
12.
Chester County 4-H Roundup,
Honey Brook, thru Aug. 13.
Lancaster County Poultry Asso
ciation Harrisburg Senators
Baseball Game, City Island,
Harrisburg.
Days, Seneca
Falls, N.Y., thru Aug. 10
York County 4-H Fair, 4-H
Center, Bair, thru Aug. 12.
Elk County Fair, thru Aug. 12.
Harrold County Fair, thru Aug.
12.
Chester County Holstein Club
Field Day, John St. John and
Family, Lincoln University, 6
N.JJ
♦ Farm Calendar ♦
p.m.
Farmers’ Market Business Farm
tour, Kingbirg Farm, Michael
and Karma Glos, Berkshire,
Dauphin O' MfTr
Farm Show Complex, Harris
burg, thru Aug. 12.
Cumberland Ag Expo, thru
Aug. 12.
Chester County 4-H Roundup
Sale, Honey Brook.
Ohio Turfgrass and Landscapi
Horticulture Field Day
Waterman Agricultural ant
Natural Resources Labora
tory, Columbus.
Pasture Field Day, Foster Con-
stable Farm, Lacevville.
Lancaster 4-H Dairy Beef Show
Manheim Farm Show, 9 a.m.
Lancaster 4-H Sheep Show.
Manheim Farm Show, 10 a.m.
Lancaster 4-H Goat Show, Man
heim Farm Show, 3 p.m.
Cambria County 4-H Family
Fun Night, Duman Lake
County Park, 4 p.m.-9 p.m.
Ohio Horticulture and Crop Sci
ence Field Day, Waterman Ag
and Natural Resource Labo
ratory, Columbus.
Butler County Holstein Show,
Farm Show Grounds, Butler,
Shf^MarT
.ancaster 4-r. ,og . ,iow,
heim Farm Show, 9 a.m.
Lancaster 4-H Livestock Sale,
Manheim Farm Show, 6:30
p.m.
Montgomery County Ag Fair,
Gaithersburg, Md., thru Aug.
Clinton County Holstein Show,
Fairgrounds, Mackeyville, 10
a.m.
Tioga County Holstein Show,
Fairgrounds, Whitneyville, 11
a.m.
Wayne County Holstein Show,
Fairgrounds, Honesdale, 10
a.m.
ounty
(Turn lo Pag* All)
To Prevent
Field Fires
Field fires cause more
than $2O million in equip
ment loses each year, not to
mention crop loses resulting
from downtime and personal
injury.
Generally, not only does
equipment become part of
the loss in a field fire, it is
often the source of the fire.
In most cases this is because
of carelessness on the part of
the operator.
Equipment is designed
and engineered to protect
against being the source of a
fire. However, sparks from a
faulty exhaust system, as
well as grease or oil buildup
around the engine, can
greatly increase the chance
air,
THE MYSTERY OF LIFE
Background Scripture:
Colossians 1.
Devotional Reading:
John 1:1-5,9-18.
When 1 was a high school
sophomore, I tried out for the
Reading Civic Opera Company
(in Reading, Pa.) and became the
youngest member at that time.
We didn’t actually do operas, but
light operas “The New Moon,”
“Naughty Marietta,” “The Mika
do.”
One of my favorite songs was
by Victor Herbert and Rida
Johnson Young, entitled “Ah!
Sweet Mystery of Life!” I was in
trigued by the thought that there
was a “mystery” about life and
these composers thought they
had found it:
Ah! Sweet mystery of life at
last I’ve found thee,
Ah! I know at last the secret
of it all;
For ’tis love, and love alone,
the world is seeking,
And ’tis love and love alone
that can repay!
’Tis the answer, ’tis the end
and all of living,
For it is love alone that rules
for aye!
(Witmark & Sons, 1910)
But by the time I became a
young man, I no longer wonder
ed about the “mystery” of life. 1
lived as if there was no mystery
because I thought I knew what I
was doing and where I was
headed.
of a fire.
Be prepared for a fire.
Equip every tractor, hay
baler, and self-propelled ma
chine with a fully charged
10-pound ABC dry chemical
extinguisher.
Two extinguishers are bet
ter: one in the cab and one
that can be reached from the
ground. Inspect your extin
guishers regularly, checking
the pressure gauge for a full
charge. Even during a brief
discharge, the dry chemical
particles will create a small
gap in the internal seal of
the extinguisher. Keep a cell
phone or two-way radio with
each powered field imple
ment.
To Follow
These Tips
Following are some safety
tips to help prevent a fire in
the field.
Keep equipment clean.
Remove dust, plant debris,
and trash from each piece of
equipment daily or more
often if conditions warrant.
Pay special attention to
the engine and engine com
partment. About 75 percent
of all equipment fires start in
this area. If you notice any
leaking fuel or oil hoses, fit
tings or metal lines, replace
or repair them immediately.
Equipment fires can be
caused by several heat
sources. The most common
is exhaust system surfaces
I worked on the unspoken as
sumption that if I thought,
worked, and prayed hard
enough, long enough and in
tensely enough, there wasn’t any
problem I couldn’t face.
Eventually, however, after
some hard bumps along the way,
I began to wonder once more
about the mystery or mysteries
of life. Today, periodically, I ask
myself of life, “What’s this all
about? What am I all about?”
Joining
The Pieces
Inevitably I return to the con
viction that answer to the “mys
tery” of life is in Jesus Christ.
As Paul says in Colossians,
“... in him all things hold to
gether” (1:17). There are so
many bits and pieces in life that
it seems there is no way we can
make sense of them. But in
Christ, I have found for myself,
“in him all things hold togeth
er.” He puts the pieces together
and makes of them, if not some
thing 1 can comprehend, at least
something I can apprehend.
I may not be able to under
stand how all of life hangs to
gether, but I can at least experi
ence that reality in him.
Through most of my life I
have been a rationalist, in that I
believed all the questions about
God could be arranged in some
kind of order if I could only ap
proach the job with enough clear
thought and reason. But, today,
after seven decades of life, I am
realizing that I will never be able
to put these questions, these
gaps in our knowledge of God,
in an order that will satisfy oth
ers or even myself.
It is an impossible job to anal
yze and systematize God. I
should have known that from
the beginning, for how can you
that contact any flammable
material. Make sure your ex
haust system, including the
manifold, muffler, and tur
bocharger are in good condi
tion and free of leaks. Clean
up spilled fuel and oil.
To Perform
Routine Maintenance
Pay close attention to your
machine operator’s manual.
Be sure to follow all instruc
tions and schedules for lubri
cation and routine mainte-
nance.
Perform routine mainte
nance to keep machines and
hay tools in top working
condition and to reduce fric
tion among moving compo
nents.
A badly worn bearing can
glow red hot. Any rubber
belt subjected to intense heat
from a worn part can burst
into flames.
Inspect machines regular
ly for worn or damaged
electrical components and
wiring. You should replace
any worn or malfunctioning
electric components with
parts from your dealer.
If your machine is blowing
fuses or has a circuit that in
termittently cuts out, find
and repair the cause. Arcing
electrical wires generate ex
tremely high temperatures.
Feather Prof, ’s Foot
note: “You can recover
from a financial loss, but
you cannot recover from a
loss of reputation. ”
put the infinite into some kind of
finite system or picture? An
swer? You can’t!
The Possible
Impossibility
That is where I need Jesus
Christ, for in him this impossible
task becomes possible to the ex
tent that human beings can grasp
it.
“He is the image of the invisi
ble God ... For in him all the
fullness was pleased to dwe11...”
(1:15,19). I can never define or
explain God, but when I look at
Jesus Christ, I can see enough,
hear enough, and understand
enough of what the invisible God
is in his essence.
Paul speaks of the “mystery
hidden for ages and generations,
but now made manifest to his
saints” (1:26). In Jesus Christ I
can see all of the nature of God
that I can grasp and in him and
his life I can see all that I can ap
propriate of his purpose for
Christ and me: “For in him all
the fullness of God was pleased
to dwell, and through him to rec
oncile to himself all
things ... making peace by the
blood of his cross” (1:20). In
Christ the mystery of life is no
longer a mystery.
Lancaster Fanning
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