AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 9, 2000
OPINION
China Trade?
Like most American businesses, American farmers have fought
hard this year to achieve “normal” trade relations between the U.S.
and China. The notion has been accepted that granting China these
favors will result in greatly expanded U.S. farm exports to China.
But Mike Coursey, a Washington D.C. lawyer, said in their rush
to China, U.S. farm interests have overlooked some troubling facts.
Foremost is that 800 million Chinese, about three times the entire
U.S. population, are farmers and the Chinese government is com
mitted to produce agriculture products for our market.
On the other hand, in an interview with U.S. Senator Joseph Pitts
who was on his annual farm tour in southeastern Pennsylvania
this week the senator said he did not see this as a problem if we
keep the standards up to the level American farmers must meet.
“Our farmers are the best producers,” Pitts said. “Of course mar
kets will be opened up both ways. But if we keep the standards the
same, our farmers will have no trouble competing. And we have the
U.S. antidumping law, which prevents any country from flooding
the market here.”
Coursey counters with the idea that unscrupulous imports from
Chian will come in labeled from some other country.
So, we have two different viewpoints on China trade. What do
you think?
Day,
Hollabaugh Brothers Orchard
sT^ToT
eai rtnn State, State
lege, thru Sept. 12.
Preferred Stock Shorthorn Sale,
McElhaney Stock Farm,
Poultry Management and
Health Seminar, Kreider’s
Restaurant, Manheim, noon.
Green Township Community
Epnrata Area Young Farmers
Computer Class, Ephrata
High School, 7:30 p.m.
Serving Seminar Berks Ag
Center, 1 p.m.-4 p.m., 6 p.m.-
9 p.m.
Adams County Field Day, Dan
Winter’s Farm, McSherrys
town, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Denver Fair, Denver, thru Sept.
16.
Albion Area Fair, thru Sept. 16.
Berlin Brothersvalley Commu
nity Fair, thru Sept. 16.
Sinking Valley Fair, thru Sept.
16.
Family Farm Crisis Regional
Meeting, Holy Name Church
Hall. Montrose, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
SmalTScal M; ' Mar*'
icale .anure manage
ment Solutions, Central
Maryland Research and Edu-
cation Center, Ellicott City,
Md., 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Delmarva Breeder, Hatchery,
and Growout Conference,
Delmarva Conference Center,
Delmar, Md.
Natural Landscapes and Habi
tats Walk, Valley Forge Na
tional Park, 3 p.m.
PASA Open House Farm/Store
Tour, Milky Way Farms,
Adams County Farm Bureau
annual meeting, Gettysbrew,
Gettysburg.
North East Community Fair,
thru Sent. 16.
r^&mnma
♦ Farm Calendar ♦
GreatFredencl^ManF^^nni
Sept. 23.
“Do Trees Effect Community
Liability?” Dinner Meeting,
Best Western Inn, Hunt’s
Landing, Matamoras, 6:30
p.m.
Delaware Valley Old Time
Power and Equipment Associ
ation 23 rd Annual Days of the
Past, Washington Crossing
State Park, Titusville, N.J.,
thraSepUl^^^^^
ine estival,
Farm Museum, Westminster,
Md., thru Sept. 17.
Pasture Walk, Don and Lugene
Chamberlain, Mainesburg, 10
a.m.-3 p.m.
Pasture Walk and Biosolids
Demonstration, Brent D’Atri
Farm, Oldtown, Md., 10 a.m.-
X22naP^nSfCr^^^^
ziu ennAg onvention,
Princess Royale Oceanfront
Hotel and Conferehce Center,
Ocean City, Md., thru Sept.
19.
Gratz Fair, Gratz, thru Sept. 23.
Beaver Community Fair, thru
Ohio Farm Science Review,
Molly Caren Ag Center,
London, thru Sept. 21.
Harmony Grange Fair, thru
Sept. 23.
Lancaster County Honey Pro
ducers meeting, Lancaster
County Environmental
Center. 7 p.m.
Windmill Water System Tour,
Terry Hoyt, New Albany.
Southern Lancaster County
Medlar
a. . et. tedicai association
and Vet. Technicians and As
sistants Association of Pa.
118th Annual Scientific Meet
ing, Lancaster Host Resort,
I ancaster, thru Sept. 24.
4 >
aifTtl
ary
To Consider
Vaccinating Horses
For EEE
Dr. John Enck, Pennsylvania
state veterinarian, is urging horse
owners to consult their veterinar
ians about the need to vaccinate
their horses against Eastern
Equine Encephalitis (EEE).
This follows the report of the
death of a horse in New Jersey
from the disease and three in
Virginia.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis is
not to be confused with West
Nile Virus (WNV). EEE, though
transmitted by mosquitoes, is a
virus that affects the central ner
vous system of horses.
The virus cannot be spread
from horse to horse or horse to
humans by mosquitoes. It has
not been seen in Pennsylvania.
Enck highly recommends that all
TALKING BACK TO GOD
Background Scripture:
Judges 6 through 8
Devotional Reading;
Joshua 1:1-9.
It is unthinkable, isn’t it?
Talking back to God!
Yet, Job talked back to God
and the Lord did not punish him
for doing so, did he?
Gideon is another person who
did not hesitate to challenge and
complain to God. Like Job, Gi
deon did not suffer rebuke or
punishment for daring to ques
tion the veracity of the Lord. Per
haps there is something in Gi
deon’s experience that could be
helpful also to us.
The background situation in
Joshua 6 through 8 is familiar:
“The people of Israel did what
was evil in the sight of the Lord;
and the Lord gave them into the
hand of Midian seven year
s... When the people of Israel
cried to the Lord on account of
the Midianites, the Lord sent a
prophet to the people of Isra
el...” (6:1,7,8).
The prophet sent on this occa
sion was Gideon, a man who
didn't know that he was “sent”
by the Lord. In fact, when the
angel of the Lord appears to him,
he is beating out wheat in the
wine press of his father, Joash.
Told, “The Lord is with you, you
mighty man of valor,” Gideon
does not beat around the bush in
his reply: “Pray, sir, if the Lord is
with us, why then has all this be
fallen us? And where are all his
wonderful deeds which our fa
thers recounted to us ... the
Lord has cast us off, and given us
owners of horses consult their
veterinarians for vaccination
protocols against this disease.
It is generally recommended
that horses not vaccinated within
the last six months be given a
booster. Questions relating to this
issue may be addressed to the
Pennsylvania Department of Ag
riculture’s Bureau of Animal
Health and Diagnostic Services
at (717)772-2852.
To Look At
Fall Weed Control
Fall is a good time to get
ahead of hard-to-control peren
nial weeds such as Canada this
tle and hemp dogbane, according
to Jeff Stoltzfus, Eastern Lancas
ter County School District adult
farmer instructor.
These weeds are storing up en
ergy reserves for winter and are
susceptible to winter kill if they
are sprayed at this time. After
corn silage harvest is an excellent
time to control these weeds with
Roundup or Touchdown.
If the weeds have matured and
gone to seed, you will need to
mow them off and wait for some
regrowth before spraying. Do not
plow for at least two weeks to
allow the herbicide to get into the
roots.
To Practice Silo
Filling Safety
Silo filling is a busy and dan
gerous time on farms. Here are a
few tips to make this busy time a
safer time.
• Keep children far away
from the silo and the areas wag
ons travel. There are many blind
spots involved with maneuvering
wagons to and from the silo.
Drivers do not have the time to
watch for children. There are no
into the hand of Midian”
(6:12,13).
The Patient Lord
Ouch! That is calling God to
account in very uncertain terms.
But, note, the angel of God does
not level Gideon with a mighty
blow or consign him to the neth
ermost regions of Hell. Instead,
God recognizes Gideon as a stal
wart and courageous man with
honest questions. And, turning
to Gideon, the Lord says to him:
“Go in this might of yours and
deliver Israel from the hand of
Midian; do not I send you?”
(6:14).
God did not requite Gideon
for his testiness; he wanted to
use it for his own purposes. You
are upset, Gideon? Fine, use
your hostility to help my people!
Do you on think that perhaps
God answers us similarly when,
upset about some situation in
our lives or in the world about
us, we complain and ask why
God has not done something
about it.? Gideon is not silenced
by God’s agreeable response to
him and he replies, his tone
tinged with sarcasm: “Pray,
Lord, how can I deliver Israel?
Behold, my clan is the weakest
in Manasseh, and 1 am the least
in my family” (6:15).
No matter what God asks us
to be or do, we can always find
good reasons to disbelieve that
we heard him rightly or that he
really understands what he is
asking.
But God Is Able!
We might assume that God
had been patient long enough
with this man, but the Lord’s re
sponse is not condemnatory:
“But I will be with you, and you
shall smite the Midianites as one
man.”
From the beginning of human
history, this has been God’s re
sponse to those who claim they
are not equal to the task. Gideon
is quite correct: he is not able
safe jobs for children under 12 to
be doing during silo filling. Keep
them away.
• Make sure everyone unload
ing the wagons is aware of the
dangers of spinning PTO shafts.
Silo filling is the worst time for
PTO accidents because workers
are often working around at least
two spinning shafts. A PTO shaft
spinning at 540 RPMs spins 9
times per second.
• Make sure all PTO shields
are in place. Do not wear any
loose or frayed clothing that can
easily get caught in PTO shafts.
Forage wagons also contain
many gears, chains, belts and
pulleys. Make sure shields cover
ing them are in place as well.
• Make sure the PTO is disen
gaged before working on any
equipment. In addition, make
sure all moving parts have
stopped. Disconnect the PTO
shaft to make sure the PTO is
not accidentally engaged.
• Make sure everyone is
rested. Fatigue is the cause of
many accidents. If you need to
work long hours, have relief
workers available to give other
workers a break.
• Know your worker’s limits.
More than half of the 40 farm fa
talities that occur each year in
Pennsylvania involve people
older than 60 or less than 14
years of age.
Young people are not experi
enced and have the attitude that
accidents cannot happen to
them. Older workers have a
“done it all their lives” attitude
and may not be aware that their
strength, reactions, and reflexes
are not what they once were.
Feather Profs Footnote: “It
is not Ta good harvest unless it
is a safe harvest. Work smart.
Think safe. ”
but God is! Whenever God calls
us to do something for him, it is
never because by ourselves we'
are equipped to accomplish the
task. God simply sees in us the
possibility of doing it if we let the
Spirit of the Lord take possession
of us..
Gideon, however, is not con
vinced. “If now I have found
favor with thee, then show me a
sign that it is thou who speakest
with me” (6:17). In Judges
6:19-22. God gives Gideon a
pretty impressive sign. That
should have ended Gideon’s
doubts, but later in the valley of
Jezreel, Gideon demands anoth
er sign.
If God will really deliver Israel
by his hand, then let the Lord
make moist with dew the sheep
skin that Gideon places on the
threshing floor. Once again, God
does not chastise this questioning
man, but gives him the sign he
sought.
Surely, now Gideon is ready to
accept the call of God, but he
says, “Let not thy anger burn
against me, let me speak but this
once; pray, let me make trial
only this once with the fleece”
and he goes on to outline yet an
other test of God’s patience and
will. God gives him the sign and
at last Gideon is ready to do as
God asks.
And how many times does
God have to call us before we an
swer affirmatively?
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