84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 21, 2000
On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other
hazards)
Joyce Bupp
It just didn’t feel right.
That familiar yellow handle of
the bam “cleaner-shovel” just
didn’t feel right when I grabbed
it one day last week. That shovel
is our all-purpose barn-use one,
hauled along through the milk
ing process to dean and lightly
dust with sawdust cow mat areas
under each of the girls as we
prep them for milking.
A closer look revealed the
problem.
At some point, the shovel had
been left somewhere it shouldn’t
have and gotten either stepped
on by a cow or run over - per
haps - by the feed cart. Whatever
the reason, a section of the han
dle showed rough, cracked paint,
and slight cracks on the smooth
wooden handle detected.
Time to do the Duct Tape
Dash.
We have stashes of repair
pieces and parts of stuff every
where, here on the farm. The
shop has a vast array of nuts and
bolts, nails, belts, hoses, shear
pins, etc. (except for the one you
need). Plumbing parts and
electrical stuff might be found
around the dairy bam utility
areas, along with a couple of
boxes of spare and “make-do”
first-aid supplies used to minister
to ailing milking machines when
they act up.
The bathroom closet shelters
my own private household repair
stash, with hammer, screw driv
ers, pliers. It’s safest to store
them behind a stack of towels or
cleaning supplies, though, to
guarantee they’ll be there when
needed.
But few repair supplies are as
frequently sought after - at the
bam or the house - as that in the
Duct Tape Dash.
The silvery-gray sheen of duct
tape has replaced baling wire/
baling twine as the all-purpose,
emergency, farm-aid repair ma
terial. And while the sturdy tape
is perfect for wrapping battered
tool handles for more strength -
and covering those rough, splin
tery spots - it’s valve goes way
beyond that.
When a milker occasionally
crashes to the bam floor and
major parts separate - as hap
pens occasionally- nothing is so
quick and handy to tie compo
nents back together temporarily
than duct tape. And when you
need to keep the milking process
moving to beat the race with the
milk truck, that little stretch of
duct tape can be a lifesaver.
Split hoses and cracked wiring
on vehicles and equipment can
sometimes be spliced together
with awkwardly wrapped wads
of duct tape, thick enough to
.lie y^A
id. Pa
Call 800-448-4622
an agent near you
temporarily hold in- or keep out
- moisture. Ditto for piecing to
gether cracked windows on trac
tors, pickups and equipment
until they shatter and force a real
replacement.
Duct tape makes one fine up
holstery material. Now, granted,
it has no colorful pattern or styl
ish texture, but the durability
factor is hard to beat. It helps to
contain the foam pushing
through a crack in the pickup
bench seat, to replace the chunk
of foam missing from four
wheeler “saddle,” strengthens
several tractor seats worn from
heavy use. While the shiny silver
coating isn’t a warm material for
sitting on in cold weather, it’s
slipperiness allows you to just
whip on and off the seats. Handy
if you are doing the Duct Tape
Dash for some other emergency.
Duct tape can be a life-saver
for body-repairs. Not machinery,
but people. I’ve seen finger inju
ries around the farm here which
were temporarily first-aided with
lengths of duct tape. Well, maybe
it doesn’t carry the American
Medical Association seal of ap
proval, but if it keeps blood in -
and dirt out - isn’t that the
point? Speed records for the
Duct Tape Dash may be shat
tered if there’s much blood in
volved.
Less serious but equally handy
is its use for foot injuries on
cows, or cows with “ouchy” feet
after trimming and in need of
protective wrapping for a few
days until healed. An artfully-ap
plied bandage of duct tape forms
a durable and inexpensive hoof
“slipper.”
From tom stretches of green
house plastic to loose storm win
dows, from rusty spots on old
farm pickup fenders to broken
pieces of toy farm equipment, we
solve it with Duct Tape Dash.
Gee, if only we’d been smart
enough years ago to dash to in
vest in some duct tape stock.
Get aggresshre
in difficult
conditions.
Rotary Tillers
• Available in 4 series and 15
models
• Heavy-duty box frame
• Adjustable hitch clevises
• Cast iron gearbox housing
Betts Equipment
3139 Windy Bush Road.Rt 232
New Hope, PA 18938
215-598-7501
Hoober, Inc.
Mam Street
Intercourse, PA 17534
717-768-8231
Hoober, Inc.
East Mam Street
McAlisterville, PA 17049
717-463-2191
Deerfield Ag &
Turf Center, Inc.
RR 2 Box 212
Watsontown, PA 17777
570-538-3557
Detlan Equipment, Inc
141 East Mam St
Silverdale, PA 18962
215-257-5177
Thomas L. Dunlap
Rt 220, Mam St Exit
Jersey Shore, PA 17740
570-398-1391
Going Hog Wild
BLOOMINGTON, Minn.
Communicating for Agriculture
Scholarship and Education
Foundation is awarding $lO,OOO
in scholarships to those interest
ed in participating in the 2001
International Pork Industry In
ternship.
The International Pork Indus
try Internship, developed by
Datum Agriculture College in
Denmark and Communicating
for Agriculture and the Self-Em
ployed, Inc., in cooperation with
the University of Nebraska in
Lincoln, has developed a part
nership that will provide skills
and experiences valuable for a
successful career in an export
driven pork industry.
The program, which begins
January 8, 2001, includes a BVi
month practical training period
on Danish pork producing
farms, followed by a 12-week
study period at Datum College.
Participants can complete the
one-year program or a six-month
practical training program.
Room, board, and salary are pro
vided to students.
Denmark, located in northern
Europe, produces about 20 mil
lion pigs/year on a landmass
about one-fifth the size of Ne
braska. More than two-thirds of
the total farm production is ex
ported, making Denmark one of
the USA’s major competitors on
the world market.
Belsnickel Craft Show
BOYERTOWN (Berks Co.)
This year’s 30th annual Bel
snickel Craft Show presents ISO
local and regional juried arti
sans. The show opens Nov. 24
from noon to 8 p.m. and Sat.
Nov. 25, from 10 a.m. until 5
• Enclosed drive chain in oil
bath
• Heavy-duty 3-pomt
• Center or offset mounting
on most models
Eckroth Bros Farm Equip.
Rd 2, Box 24A
New Rmgold, PA 17960
570-943-2131
Eckroth Equipment Co.
4910 Kernsville Rd.
Orefield, PA 18069
610-366-2095
Hines Equipment
RT 220, Belwood, PA
814-742-8171
Keller Brothers
R 7 Box 405
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-949-6501
1950 Fruitville Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-569-2500
M.S. Yearsley & Sons
West Chester, PA
610-696-2990
Pikeville Equipment Inc
RD 2, Oysterdale Road
Oley, PA 19547
610-927-6277
“This exchange will provide
students a wonderful opportuni
ty to learn about pork production
and experience a foreign cul
ture,” said Milt Smedsrud,
founder of CA. “The rewards of
such an experience will last a
lifetime.”
Eligibility is based on the par
ticipant’s knowledge of the pork
industry and a strong desire to
pursue a career in the industry.
In addition, students must be 20
years of age and have completed
at least one year of coursework at
a community college or universi
ty before entering the program. It
is also recommended that partici
pants complete at least one
course in economics before ap
plying for the internship. Ten to
IS hours of college credit is avail
able upon completion of the one
year program. Credits for the six
month program are to be decid
ed.
Scholarship monies will be di
vided equally between all partici
pants, with the amount not to ex
ceed $l,OOO per person.
Scholarship application dead
line is Nov. IS.
For more information about
the internship program or to re
quest an application, please con
tact Beverly Gilmartin, CAEP
Coordinator at 1-800-432-3276
x3SIO or e-mail beverlyg@cain
c.org.
p.m.
The show is located in two
gymnasiums at Boyertown Sen
ior High School, 4th and Monroe
Streets, Boyertown. Admission is
$3, children under 12 are free if
accompanied by an adult.
Stoltzfus Farm Service
Cochranville, PA
610-593-2407
Stouffer Bros Inc.
1066 Lincoln Way West
Chambersburg, PA 17201
717-263-8424
Rodio Tractor Sales
North White Horse Pike
Hammonton, N J 08037
609-561-0141
Warren County Service
Center
228 Route 94, Blairtown, N J
908-362-6916
landpride.com