AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 13, 2001 OPINION The Place To Be When you consider the benefits to agriculture, we believe the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg this week was the best thing to happen for our beloved industry in many years. The mix of farm* ers, farm organizations, educational institutions, agribusinesses, and the general public provided a consortium of public relations and ag industry promotion opportunities unmatched at any other event. Too long, agriculture has prided itself on being independent and needing to talk only to itself. We had a comer on the food supply. Everyone was dependent on us and so we could let the rest of the world go by. But now the world owns us. If we don’t produce what the con sumer wants, or if they just think we don’t, they will snob us and go to some other country for their food. Worse yet, they will work against us, environmentally and legislatively. Even our own citizens are not dependent on American agriculture. They can eat the im ports from foreign breadbaskets around the world. That’s why the attempt to bridge the gap between Pennsylvania agriculture and the representatives of 60 foreign countries at the Farm Show is so important. This festive event forms the best possi ble backdrop for both foreign visitors and all our local nonfarm citi zens to see our ag industry in show clothes. What a wonderful op portunity to bridge the gap between farm and city while selling your products to the farm community! If you want to promote your part of agriculture to farmers and support your industry to the nonfarm citizens of the world, the Pennsylvania Farm Show is the place to be. Dauphin CountyLJHlAßam quet, Country Buffet Restau rant, 11 a.m. Charting the Future of Berks Agriculture, Penn State Berks-Lehigh Valley College, Farm ComputerizeoAccounting Workshop, Lancaster Farm and Home Center, also Jan. 19,23, and 26. New Holland Vegetable Day, Yoder’s Restaurant, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. North American Farmers’ Direct Marketing Association Conference and Trade show, Sheraton-Mesa Hotel and the Community Conference Center, Mesa, Ariz., thru Jan. 2Z 2001 Trade ShowanoNew Jersey Annual Vegetable Meeting, Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, N.J., thru Jan. 18. Northeast Dairy Industry, Man aging A Hispanic Workforce, Raddison Penn Harris Hotel and Convention Center, Camp Hill, also an. 18 at Mar riott thruway Hotel, Roches ter, N.Y. Annual Meeting of Farm and Home Foundation, Lancaster Farm and Home Center, 6:30 p.m. PAES Lime, Fertilizer, and Pes ticide Conference, Penn Stater Conference Center, thru Jan. 17. Eastern Regional Landscape and Nursery Seminar, Dela ware Valley College, Doylcs town, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Crop Insurance Seminar, Eco nomic Development Council _ of Northeastern Pa.. Pittston. Ag BusinessmstiUiterAaams County Extension Office, Gettysburg, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Pennsylvania State Association ♦ Farm Calendar ♦ of County Fairs/Pennsylvania State Showmen’s Association Convention, Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, thru Jan. 20. Biotechnology: Progress or Problem Conference, Best Western Binghamton Re gency Hotel and Conference Center, Binghamton, N.Y., thru Jan. 19. Snyder County Conservation District Winter Meeting, Kreamer Fire Hall, Kreamer, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Beaver County DHIA meeting, Beaver extension office, 7:30 p.m. Small Business Institute, Agri- culture and Natural Re- sources Center, Gettysburg. Nutrient Management Plan Writing Refresher Seminar, Fulton County Conservation District, noon-3:30 p.m. Introduction to Spreadsheets, Franklin County Extension Office, also Jan. 18. Crop Insurance Seminar, Berks County Ag Center, 8:30 a.m.- Northeast Dairy Industry, Man aging A Hispanic Workforce, Marriott thruway Hotel, Ro- Chester, N.Y. Corn Meeting, Garden Gate Restaurant, Prospect. Environmental Livestock Certi fication Course, Perkins Res taurant, Lewisburg, 9:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. Ag Outlook Forum, Clarion Inn and Conference Center, Car lisle, 11 a.m.; Country Cup board Inn, Lewisburg, 6:45 p.m. Dairy Cattle Nutrition Ra tions, Tim and Lloyd Miller Farm, Mayport, 10 a.m. AgChoice Farm Credit Meeting, Clarion Inn-Embers, Carlisle, 11 a.m. AgChoice Farm Credit Meeting, Country Cupboard, Lewis burg, 6:45 p.m. (Turn to Pag* A 35) To Look At Fire Extinguishers The proper care and use of fire extinguishers could prevent seri ous loss from a fire. However, users who do not understand proper fire extinguisher opera tion may compound the risk of serious farm fires. A simple method for remem bering the four steps in fire extin guisher use is the word PASS, which stands for: P - Pull the pin. This unlocks the operating handle. A - Aim the extinguisher at the base of the fire. S - Squeeze the operating han dle. S - Sweep from side to side as you knock down the fire. Fire extinguishers should be kept in areas where fire hazards pose the greatest threat. This would include in farm shops and CAN YOU AFFORD IT? Background Scripture: Luke 9:18-25,57-62,14:25-33 Devotional Reading: Matthew 10:34-39. WARNING: This scripture passage may be destructive to your peace of mind! It’s only fair for me to warn you. I wish I were exaggerating, but I’m not. If the background scriptures listed above do not shake you up, you are simply not paying attention to them. These sayings of Jesus are not the “velvet glove” approach, but bare knuckles. I say this because what many of us think it means to be a Christian is not at all what Jesus is saying in the 9th and 14th chapters of Luke. “Who do people say that I am?” Jesus asks his disciples and they answer, “John the Baptis t... Elijah... one of the old prophets.” Peter is the last to an swer: “The Christ of God” (9:18-20). Notice that Jesus neither con firms or denies Peter’s answer. Instead, he goes on to say, “The Son of man must suffer many things; and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed ..Per haps Peter may have thought that Jesus was ignoring his an swer, but I believe Jesus is say ing, “Yes, Peter, but the Christ of God is not the Christ that people are expecting.” Instead of a triumphant victor over the Romans, the true “anointed” of God is a one who gives himself to be broken for near machine refueling stations. Keeping them current and fully charged is the responsibility of everyone at the work site. Equally as important as having extinguishers readily available is having the proper type of extin guisher for your operation. The ABC type of extinguisher will control fires involving: • Class A fires, combustibles such as wood and paper. • Class B fires, flammable liq uids such as gasoline and grease. • Class C fires, fires involving electrical wiring and machinery. To Learn From Farm Fatality Numbers The Pennsylvania summary of farm fatal farm accidents from 1999 shows some dramatic changes. The total number of fatalities dropped from 45 in 1998 to 30 in 1999. Until this recent dropoff, the fatality numbers have re mained rather constant with 46 in 1997 and 44 in 1996. The biggest factor in this dra matic decline is fatalities from tractor overturns. Seven deaths occurred from overturns in 1999 compared to 20 in 1998 and 14 in 1997. Deaths involving children rose steeply in 1999. Ten children, age 14 and under, died in accidents in 1999, up sharply from four fa talities in 1999. Accidental deaths involving machinery de clined from 9 in 1998 to 6 in 1999. Fatalities involving ani mals stayed roughly con«tant with three in 1999 and two in 1998. Deaths from nontractor and machinery stayed the same at six for 1999 and 1998. The summer months were the most deadly on Pennsylvania others. His role is radically dif ferent from what most people expect. ‘Follow Me!’ So, Jesus also transforms the understanding of what it means to be his follower: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (9:23). There are to be no membership cards, no secret handshakes, no badges only a willingness to bear a cross. Every Sunday at our church people wishing to join the church are invited to come for ward for that purpose. Bearing a cross is not one of the questions asked and I cannot help but wonder how many would come forward if it were. Jesus challenges potential dis ciples to count the cost of follow ing him. In 9:57-62 he lays down standards which are as radically different from common expecta tions as are his understanding of his own Messianic role. Follow ing Jesus cannot be one of sever al loyalties: it must be the very highest loyalty, higher even than any loyalties to the family. (Inci dentally, I do not think Jesus is refusing to let a potential disci ple bury his father or forbidding another to say goodbye to his family. I believe he is simply using these normal familial obli gations to emphasize that fol lowing him must be an even higher responsibility.) To plow a straight furrow re quires the farmer’s full attention. So it is with the person who chooses to follow Jesus Christ. On ‘Loving Less’ In Luke 14:25-33, there is an other possible misunderstanding when Jesus says, “If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disci ple.” farms in 1999, with five fatalities occurring each month in May, June, and July. Let these numbers remind us that farming may be a deadly job, especially for children and older adults. Take every safety step possible to eliminate acci dents! To Look At Conservation Success USDA Agricultural Research Service reports good farming practices are proving to be suc cessful in reducing soil sedimen tation at three lakes located in the Mississippi Delta region. About 7,320 acres of farmland surround these lakes. A project was set up to evaluate how changing farm practices could help improve the water quality of the lakes. In this, the sixth year of the project, scientists are find ing that algal populations have shifted from those that impair water quality to those that are not harmful. This shift is occurring as a re sult of conservation practices such as planting winter cover crops, reducing tillage, and planting vegetative filter strips. These practices minimize soil movement and restrict herbicide runoff into the lake. These same practices will also help Pennsylvania farmers re duce nonpoint pollution into streams and lakes. By taking a proactive stance and voluntarily implementing conservation prac tices, farmers are helping to re duce the need for government regulations. Feather Prof’s Footnote: “Coming together is a begin ning, keeping together is pro gress, and working together is success. ” Does Jesus really ask his fol lowers to “hate” the members of his own family? The English word “hate” here, so say schol ars, comes from an Aramaic (the language Jesus spoke) expression meaning “to love less.” As much as we love our families, we must love Christ more. So what Jesus is counseling here is that those who would be his followers should first count the cost and ascertain if they are willing to pay the price. Jesus is not asking for a pat on the back, a signature on a petition, or a vote of confidence. To follow Jesus means a radical commit ment that supersedes every other commitment. Our family, our job, our ideology, our nation and our politics must all be subjugat ed to our commitment to Christ. Ask yourself as I am asking myself does Jesus come first in all areas of my life? Do I really love these less than him? “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple” (14:27). Jesus came into this world to bear its crosses and we who would follow him must be willing to share in the bearing of crosses. Becoming a member of a church is one thing that we can add to our lives with a minimum of ef fort and dislocation. Following Jesus and bearing crosses, how ever, asks something almost infi nitely more than that. Can you afford it? Lancaster Fanning Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St. Ephrata, PA 17522 —by— Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Stemman Enterprise William J. Burge** General Manager Everett R. Newswanger Editor Copyright 2000 by Lancaster Farming
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers