AlO-Lanc«ster Farming, Saturday, August 26, 2000
OPINION
Advantages At Home
The retail out-of-store price for a gallon of milk in Chicago area
supermarkets is at a record high of $3.69, according to a recent arti
cle that appeared in the Wall Street Journal. The same article notes
that in supermarkets across the nation the average price of a gallon
of milk fell by 6 percent or 18 cents per gallon, while at the same
time, the price paid to dairy farmers dropped almost 26 percent or
44 cents per gallon since January 1999.
But this is not true in Pennsylvania, thanks to our system that in
cludes the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board. The average price
for a gallon of whole milk sold in Pennsylvania during July 2000
was $2.67. This price includes the mandatory over-order premium
paid to Pennsylvania dairy farmers of $1.25 per one hundred
pounds of milk. This equates to 11 cents per gallon. Since January
1999 the average retail price in Pennsylvania for a gallon of whole
milk dropped by 31 cents as compared to the 34 cents per gallon
price drop to the dairy farmer.
Pennsylvania, through the efforts of the Milk Marketing Board,
establishes the minimum price that a Pennsylvania retail store can
charge to its customers. This retail price is based on the price that is
paid to the dairy farmer. When there is a change in the price paid to
the Pennsylvania dairy farmer, the change is reflected in the min
imum retail price the following month. Although the Milk Market
ing Board has the authority to establish maximum retail out-of-store
prices, it has not found it necessary to do so, since most grocery
stores sell at the minimum price.
This ability to adjust the retail price of milk each month based on
fluctuating producer prices greatly benefits Pennsylvania consum
ers. And dairy farmers may want to consider the advantages of pro
ducing milk in Pennsylvania before heading of to the Midwest.
ilSsl
Allentown Fair, thru Sept. 4.
Sunday, August 27
Indiana County Fair, thru Sept. Kiwanis Wyoming County Fair ,
West End Fair, thru Sept. 2. Stone'boroFafr, thru Sept. 4.
Sullivan County Fair, thru Sept.
Monday, August 28
Tuesday, August 29
Centre County Holstein Show,
Fairgrounds, Centre Hall, 1
p.m.
Big Knob Grange Fair,
Sept. 2.
Greene-Dreher-Sterling Fair,
thru Sept. 4.
Twilight Meeting, Northumber-
Editor:
In many talks about dairy
pricing, the argument will be
made that another part of the
country or the world can produce
milk cheaper than we can, so,
therefore, if we cannot make
milk as cheap as some other part
of the country or world, we
should quietly throw in the towel
and pursue other careers. Those
who think that family farms
should be preserved are consid
ered naive and out of touch with
the times. However, some econo
mists now see that family farms
are actually very efficient, per
haps more efficient than huge
farms. Those who only look at
dollar signs and sterile statistics
♦ Farm Calendar ♦
land County Conservation
District, Mark Masser Farm, 6
p.m.
Thursday, August 31
Pasture Walk, Spurgeon Shilling
p- N"v Bethleh 7 -
thru
Roundup Sale, at the Great
(Turn to Pago All)
♦ Farm Forum ❖
fail to see the importance and
value that family farms have in
society. They overlook the
human pain, inflicted on people
who are clearly taken advantage
of by those who have the power
and resources to do so. Farming
for most is more than just anoth
er job or business opportunity. It
is a way of life, and, even more,
there is a deep heritage involved.
Many farms that have been in a
family for several generations
will not be passed on to the next
or are only one major set back
from going out of business. Rich
heritage and lifetimes of hard
work are in jeopardy because of
artificially devalued farm milk
(Turn to Pago AST)
To insure customer satisfac
tion and increase consumption of
our commodities, it is very im
portant to educate the consumer
on how to best handle the food
we produce.
The most important element
in cooking corn on the cob is
freshness, according to Dr. Pete
Ferretti, Penn State professor of
vegetable crops. Ideally, corn
should be cooked soon after you
buy it at a local market or pick it
in your garden. After picking,
corn immediately starts to con
vert the sugar in its kernels to
starch, while also losing its
aroma and nutrients.
With fresh corn, microwave
FOR LOVE’S SAKE
Background Scripture:
Philemon 4-21.
Devotional Reading:
James 2:1-13
Although Paul’s Letter to
Philemon is just slightly more
than a page long and contains
“no explicit theological or ethical
teaching,” my former seminary
professor, John Knox, pro
nounced it “one of the most in
teresting and illuminating docu
ments in the New Testament,
and in some ways one of the
most important.”
What makes it so important is
that in this letter Paul not only
speaks of Christian love, but he
also applies it to a very specific
situation. Being aware of this sit
uation is our key to understand
ing the letter.
Philemon, a resident of Colos
sae in Phyrgia (part of today’s
Turkey), under the influence of
Paul’s preaching, had become a
Christian and his home now
served as a meeting place for a
Christian congregation. Obvious
ly, there was a warm relationship
between Paul and Philemon.
Paul is presently “a prisoner for
Christ Jesus,” probably, al
though not certainly in Rome. It
would appear that he was send
ing Tychicus to Colossae with
the letter we know as Colossians,
accompanied by another of
Paul’s associates, a former slave
named Onesimus who was to
personally deliver the letter to
Philemon.
Nothing too exciting about
that, is there? But wait Onesi
mus was formerly Philemon’s
slave! He had escaped his master
and it would seem he may have
stolen something from his as
well. Later, Onesimus became a
Christian and one of Paul’s trust
To Enjoy
Sweet Com
cooking gives you the best flavor,
aroma, sweetness, and tender-
ness.
Some tips for microwave cook-
ing are:
• Remove outer husks so only
clean, thin, inner husks remain
• Wash single ear in cold
water and wrap in a paper towel
dipped in cold water
• Microwave each ear for
about two to three minutes on
high setting. Since many micro
wave ovens differ in wattage and
heating times, try several settings
under or over the three-minute
mark to suit your taste.
•Using gloves or mitts, remove
ears and shuck husks downward
to remove husks and silk in one
easy motion.
To Cook Sweet
Corn Properly
Dr. Pete Ferretti, Penn State
professor of vegetable crops, of
fers the following tips for two ad
ditional cooking methods for
corn on the cob.
• Boiling. Bring fresh water to
a rapid boil. Add three table
spoons of sugar and a teaspoon
of skim milk. The milk seems to
remove some minerals and en
hances the color of the corn.
Extra sugar helps the com better
retain its own sugars and dis
courages leaching into the water.
Add husked ears and remove
after about 7 minutes of boiling.
Never add salt to the water. Salt
will toughen the kernels.
• Barbecue. Soak unhusked
corn in ice water for about one
hour. Place on hot grill. Cover
with clean, wet burlap. When
outer husks become brown and
brittle, check the kernels for
ed associates, especially during
his imprisonment.
It is difficult for us today to
appreciate the seriousness of this
situation. In the Roman
a runaway slaved was usually
summarily dealt with and it
would be quite legal for Phile
mon to take Onesimus’s life.
Taking-A Risk?
So, if Paul had found Onesi
mus so “useful” (a pun: Onesi
mus’s name means “useful”),
why would he send the former
slave back to his master?
Paul could have kept him
with him, but he wanted Phile
mon and Onesimus to be recon
ciled, not as master and slave,
but as Christian brothers, so that
Philemon could willingly send
him back to Paul.
There is the potential for a
power struggle: Roman law vs.
Christian gospel. Legally, Onesi
mus still belonged to Philemon.
As an apostle, Paul could have
commanded Philemon to release
him.
Paul, however, did not want
to settle it that way. “But I pre
ferred to do nothing without
your consent in order that your
goodness might not be by com
pulsion but of your own free
will.” Paul would not compel
Philemon, but he would do his
utmost to convince him. That is
what this letter is all about: Paul
attempting to convince Phile
mon to accept Onesimus as a
Christian brother and give up
his legal rights as Onesimus’s
master.
Wasn’t Paul taking a tremen
dous risk, not only of losing One
simus at a time when he needed
him so greatly, but of sending
him to his possible re-enslave
ment or even death? Yes, there
was some risk, but Paul did not
think he was gambling with the
life or freedom of Onesimus be
cause he knew Philemon was
more likely to be persuaded by
the gospel than by Roman law.
Philemon’s Christian love is
well known to Paul, and he says
“1 have derived much joy and
doneness. For barbecue prepara
tion, you cannot predict how
long to cook com on the cob be
cause it all depends on how hot
the coals are, how far the com is
from the coals, and what type of
grill you are using.
To Look
At Ethanol
Gas prices higher than you
would like to see? Com prices
are lower than corn producers
like to see.
Corn and gas do fit together
and the high price of one could
help the low price of the other.
Consumers are being told by
the petroleum industry the high
prices are a result of new clean
air standards set by EPA.
According to Lynn Jensen, presi
dent of the National Corn Grow
ers Association, this is absolutely
wrong. Ethanol is both abundant
and affordable. It is a lot more
affordable than petroleum. Plus,
it cleans up the air without pol
luting the water.
Ethanol boosts farm prices
and stimulates rural economies.
It is a renewable fuel source that
can help reduce our dependence
on petroleum.
When you add it all up, etha
nol is not the problem it is the
answer. To find out more about
ethanol, go to a new Website de
veloped by the Missouri Com
Growers Association at
www.MadAboutGas.com.
For additional information
about com, visit the National
Com Growers Web page at
www.ncga.com.
Feather Prof’s Footnote:
“Treat your friends like family
and your family like friends. ”
comfort from your love.” So, he
appeals to Philemon “for love’s
sake” (v. 9).
The love of Jesus Christ is su
perior to the justice of the law,
and it is preferable even to the
command of an apostle as well.
Even More
Paul made it very hard for
Philemon to turn him down. He
stresses his closeness to Onesi
mus “whose father I have be
come in my imprisonment.”
Out of love for both Onesimus
and Philemon, Paul was making
a sacrifice: “I am sending him
back to you, sending my very
heart.” He appeals to his person
al relationship with Philemon;
“So if you consider me your part
ner, receive him as you would re
ceive me. If he has wronged you
at all, or owes you anything,
charge that to my account.” If
Philemon loves Paul, he will “re
fresh my heart in Christ.” And to
cap his appeal, Paul says,
“... knowing that you will do
even more than I say.”
Although this is a personal let
ter addressed to one single per
son, in a sense Paul is writing to
the whole Christian community,
including us: “... yet for love’s
sake I prefer to appeal you.”
(Note: In the second century
the bishop of Ephesus was
named Onesimus. He was likely
in Ephesus when a collection of
Paul’s letters was published
there, probably under his over
sight. Some scholars believe this
Onesimus was the former slave
of Philemon.)
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Sleinman Enterprise
William J Burgess General Manager
Everett R. Newswanger Editor
Copyright 2000 by Lancaster Farming