AiO-Lwcaster Farming, Saturday, December 16, 2000
OPINION
Quality To Shoot For
As we sat with some dairy farmers last week at the Lan
caster DHIA meeting, talk, as it usually does, turned to the
price of milk. “It could be better,” said one farmer. And oth
ers agreed. And we agree.
Dairy farmers today are participating in a very competitive
marketplace. Not every farmer that is shipping into a federal
order that uses multiple component pricing is getting the
same price. That’s because some farmers are producing com
ponent and quality levels that are above average, and others
are producing below average.
Dr. Ken Bailey, extension milk marketing specialist at
Penn State, recently indicated that the component price in
your milk check can represent in some cases 80 to 90 percent
of the total. The “range” in the component price received by
farmers can be as high as $2/CWT. The “range” in quality
prices received can be as high as $0.40/CWT.
We think the price for milk should be higher all the way
around. But at least farmers can focus on what they can con
trol volume, components, and quality.
At the same meeting, Gary and Jenny Bowman were hon
ored for their low SCC count of 75,000. Now that’s quality to
shoot for.
We commend the Bowmans and all dairy farmers who con
tinue to do such a superb job of providing consumers with
quality milk at a very reasonable price. Often so reasonable
they must go out of business because the profit margin is so
low.
Susquenanna DHIA meeting,
Or Young Farmers
ctorara
Annual Dairy Meeting, Vo-
Ag Dept., Octorara High
EpnrataArearoungFarmers
Christmas Event, Stevens
Fire Hall, 7 p.m.
LanChester Pork Council Meet-
ing, Yoder’s Restaurant, New
Holland, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Manure Hauler Certification
Training, Lighthouse Restau
imitiChamber^bun’^__^_
CTAPComputer Conf<
William T. Bainbridge Tech
nology Center, Meadville.
Pennsylvania Beef Council
Annual Dinner and Meeting,
ffolida^ruKGrantvill^^^
nology for Agricultural Pro
ducers Conference, Penn
State Fayette Campus, Un-
iontown.
Regional Agronomy Meetings,
Community Center, Wil
liamsfield. 8:30 a.m.-3:15 p.m.
Merry Christmas!
ceclosed.
oJ f
* Farm Calendar *
Lancaster Farming office closed.
M. ""
Accelerated Calf Grower, So
lanco High School, 7 p.m.
ancaster * obacco
Show, Farm and Home
Center.
Farm Financial Management
Using Computers, Cumber-
land County extension office,
thru Jan. 4,
DalryFeeding Employee Train-
ing, Mason-Dixon Farm,
Adams County.
Train-
ference,
*airy
ing, Mason-Dixon Farm,
Adams County.
Franklin County Dairy Day,
Kauffman Community
Center.
Farm Show Complex, Harris
burg, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., thru Jan.
11.
Pennsylvania Hereford Associa
tion Meeting and Banquet,
Angus Assf' , ' !
ennsylvania Angus Association
Membership Banquet, Holi
day Inn, Grantville, 5:30 p.m.
eeting,
oung
(oyee
shei
To Look At
Economics Of
Alfalfa Seed
How much is the new high
technology alfalfa seed variety
worth?
Can you afford to stay with
the old type varieties, which are
not designed to combat an insect
or disease?
According to Dr. Marvin Hall,
Penn State extension forage spe
cialist, you may be able to buy
some older alfalfa varieties for
one-third the cost of the newer
varieties, but in the long run you
are not really saving money!
Assuming a cost of $3 per
pound for newer, highly disease
resistant seed and $1 per pound
for an older seed, seeding rate of
15 pounds per acre and $BO per
ton value of hay, the newer vari
ety of seed would generate al
most $3OO additional income per
STRONG ARM
Background Scripture:
Luke 1:39-56.
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 34:1-3.
Although Mary had overcome
her doubts and committed her
self to God’s purpose “I am
the Lord’s servant; as you have
spoken, so be it” (NEB) she
doubtless was confused and
wanted help in understanding
what this was all about. Told by
the angel Gabriel that her “kins
woman Elizabeth in her old age
has also conceived a son” and
was in her six month of pregnan
cy, Mary immediately makes a
journey to see her kinswoman,
no doubt hopeful that she can
help her understand what Ga
briel told her.
Arriving in Ein Karem (the
traditional home of John the
Baptist’s parents), she no sooner
entered the house and greeted
her kinswoman than Elizabeth
was filled with the Holy Spirit
and proclaimed to Mary: “Bless
ed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb!
And why is this granted me, that
the mother of my Lord should
come to me?” (1:41-43).
Luke does not tell us that Eliz
abeth knew anything about
Mary’s visit from Gabriel, so this
pronouncement and the sensa
tion of the unborn John leaping
in her womb comes to her by the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Elizabeth was able to salute
Mary and her unborn son be
cause she was open to the lead
ing of God’s Spirit.
Sometimes, I have found,
acre over a four-year period. This
is because of increased produc
tion in the third and fourth
years.
In addition to the new variet
ies being higher yielding and
more disease resistant than the
older varieties, they also increase
the life expectancy of the alfalfa
stand. The longer the stand can
remain productive, the more
years you have to spread out the
cost of establishment.
Remember, the seed cost is re
ally a very small part of the total
cost of producing alfalfa. Inform
ation on the performance of al
falfa varieties is available at your
county Penn State Cooperative
Extension office. Ask for the For
age Trail Report.
To Protect
Against Insects
As winter approaches, many
insects are searching for a warm,
sheltered location to be protected
from the cold, according to Dr.
Timothy Elkner, Lancaster
County extension horticultural
agent.
Many people discover that
these insects find their homes the
ideal spot for a winter vacation.
The best control method is to
seal insects out in the first place.
Inspect the perimeter of your
house for cracks, especially those
at or just above ground level.
Tiny pests can slip unnoticed
through holes around utility ca
bles and windows. Seal all open
ings you find.
Besides shelter, some invading
insects are also looking for secure
nesting sites. To make your
home less accessible to them,
keep house-hugging shrubs
trimmed. Move mulch away
from the foundation. Do not
stack firewood against the house
and inspect fireplace logs for
when we are attuned to God’s
presence, we can “know” some
thing that we do not know.
There is another factor that may
have opened Elizabeth to the
Spirit; she was humble “And
why is this granted me that the
mother of my Lord should come
to me?”
Magnificat!
Mary’s response to Elizabeth
is also probably an inspiration
from the Holy Spirit. This is not
the kind of utterance one might
expect from a humble, young
country girl: “My soul magnifies
the Lord, and my spirit rejoices
in God my Savior” (1:46,47).
If you are familiar with the
prayer of Hannah in 1 Samuel
2:1-10, you will find Mary’s ut
terance quite similar in form and
content. The passage in Luke is
often referred as the Magnificat,
the Latin form of the word,
“magnifies.” The Jerusalem
Bible renders this as “My soul
proclaims the greatness of the
Lord...”
Phillips reads it as “My heart
is overflowing with praise of my
Lord” and the New English
Bible as “Tell out, my soul, the
greatness of the Lord.” This is
not something Mary wrote on
the back of an envelope and
memorized on her journey to
Ein Karem. It is of God.
Mary's song is a message, not
for the rich and famous, the
VlP’s, the movers and shakers.
It is a message for the same peo
ple to whom her son would later
address his beatitudes, the meek
and lowly. Her ecstatic song is
one of wonder and awe for what
the mighty God has done in her
humble life: “he has regarded
the low estate of his handmaid.”
“For he who is mighty has done
great things for me, and holy is
his nam” (1:49).
But the message of Mary’s
Magnificat is also a somber
warning to those who are not
poor and lowly. When the power
of God’s arm is unleashed in the
world, this is what happens: (1)
hitchhiking insects before bring
ing them in.
To Protect
Against Mice
Fall also is the time when mice
seek warmer shelter and a guar
anteed food supply, reported Dr.
Timothy Elkner, Lancaster
County extension horticultural
agent.
These tiny rodents cause dam
age with their gnawing and spoil
food supplies with their drop
pings. Mice are excellent climb
ers and they can scale vertical
surfaces, scamper across pipes
and power lines, and squeeze
through holes as small as a
fourth of an inch in diameter.
Dark, grain-size droppings in
cabinets and drawers are a sign
that mice are in the house.
Hoarded food piles and nests of
shredded paper or cloth are fur
ther evidence.
Prevention is the best control.
Seal all entries into the house.
Steel wool stuffed firmly into a
small opening makes a good tem
porary barrier against mice.
It is also helpful to limit their
potential food sources. Store pet
food and bird seed in sealed con
tainers and clean up spills imme
diately.
If mice are living in your
house, set traps in areas where
they are active, particularly
along walls and on ledges. Bait
the traps with peanut butter,
bacon, or milk chocolate. Then
check the trap daily to dispose of
the catch and renew the bait.
Poison baits are not recom
mended for homes. They present
a danger to children and dead
mice may end up behind walls or
under floors.
Feather Prof’s Footnote:
“The person who achieves the
most is generally the one who
is willing to do and dare. ”
“he has scattered the proud in
the imagination of their own
hearts”; (2) “he has put down the
mighty from their thrones"; (3)
“and exalted those of low de
gree”; (4) “he has filled the hun
gry with good things”; (5) “and
the rich he has sent empty
away”.
Promised By God
No one should be particularly
surprised at this shattering news
in Mary’s song, for all these
things have been promised by
God from the very beginning:
“He has helped his servant Israel
in remembrance of his mercy, as
he spoke to our fathers, to Abra
ham and to his posterity for
ever” (1:54,55). This is the
promise of the covenant which
God gave to Abraham (see
Genesis 17:7; 18:18; Micah 7:20),
the promise fulfilled in Jesus
Christ.
It may be difficult for us to
take assurance in God’s promises
to us when, all about us, there is
tyranny visited upon the power
less, injustice to those who can
not pay for justice, and the poor
getting poorer and the rich get
ting richer. But if we look at the
history of our world we will see
that God’s covenant promises
are fulfilled in the long run.
The Caesars, Holy Roman
Emperors, Ghengis Khans, Na
poleons, Hitlers, and Stalins have
their day but, in God’s sight, it is
only a day. God’s strong arm
guarantees that.
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 Newswanger Editor
Copyright 2000 by Lancaster Farming