AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 17,2001
OPINION
The Pennsylvania House of
Representatives has approved
legislation that eliminates the
cap on the amount of state
money counties can spend to pre
serve farmland. The measure
proposes to eliminate the cap of
$lO,OOO per acre on the use of
state farmland preservation
money. The thinking is that
some areas of the state have high
land values, and this limit is
making it difficult for preserva
tion programs to purchase con
servation easements.
We agree that to let the local
county determine what is reason
able to pay for farmland is good.
Yet we can’t help but use the
Lancaster Farmland Trust and
the Lancaster County Preserve
Board as examples of frugality in
these matters. These organiza
tions with their exceptional re
cord of the use of financial plan-
[ew Farm Entrepreneur New
and Beginning Farmer Work
shop, Holiday Inn, Grantville,
8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Partners For A Safer Commu
nity Pennsylvania Training
Workshop, Marriott, Harris
burg, thru Feb. 18.
Local Food Local Farming
With Faith, New Covenant
Mennonite Fellowship, Hin
kletown, 2 p.m.-9 p.m.
International Dwarf Fruit Tree
Association Annual Confer-
ence, Amway Grand Plaza
Hotel, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Delmarva Goat Symposium,
Henson Hall, Worwic Com-
munity College, 9:30 a.m.-
3:30 p.m.
National FFA Week, thru Feb.
Pa^am^ir^Assori^^Nr
ssociation,
tany Lion Inn, University
Farm Computerized Accounting
Workshop, Franklin County
extension office, also Feb. 21,
23, and 26.
“TEAM BEEF” Penn State,
thru Feb. 22.
Franklin Covey Workshop, Mi
d-Atlantic Direct Marketing
Conference, Virginia Beach,
Va., thru Feb. 24.
Bradford County Dairy Day,
SRU Middle School, 10 a.m.-3
p.m.
Adams County Fruit Growers
Educational Meeting, Bigler
ville High School.
Computer Workshop, Arena
Restaurant, Bedford, also
Feb. 20.
Dairy Reproductive Manage
ment Seminar, Lysock View
Complex, Montoursville, 9
a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Educational Meeting, Savory
Restaurant, Waynesboro.
Lancaster County Dairy Days,
Lancaster Farm and Home
Center, also March 6.
Cambria County Crops Day, ex
tension office, 9:30 a.m.-2:30
p.m.
ning to preserve farmland in
“high priced” Lancaster County
is the talk of the nation. We have
a report this week that the Trust
alone has just approved a record
making eleven more farms for
preservation at its February
meeting.
There are two things to be con
sidered when you pay more than
$lO,OOO an acre for easements
against development. The high
priced land may be in an area
where farming is no longer prac
tical because it is enclosed by de
velopment. So it is simply open
space disguised as farmland. Sec
ondly, if you put so much money
into one farm, a lot fewer real
farms can be preserved.
Even good programs need
strong fiscal management to be
effective and good use of both
public and private money.
* Farm Calendar *
Estate Planning, Carriage
Corner Restaurant, Mifflin
burg, also Feb. 27 and March
6,6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Nutrient Management Certifica
tion and Plan Writing Semi
nars For Farmers, Kutztown
Produce Auction, Fleetwood,
9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., also Feb. 21
and March 2,9 a.m.-noon.
NCC Farmer Breakfast Meet
ing, Ches Del Diner, 7:30 a.m.-
9:30 a.m.
Cow Sense Workshop, Hamil
ton Brothers Dairy, Avella, 10
a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Greenhouse Growers Meeting,
Penn State Center, Lewis
town, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
“Stress Busters” for child care,
Providers, Ext. Office
Towanda 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Pesticide Credit, Neshaminy
a. iolstein Convention, Radis
son Hotel, West Middlesex,
thru Feb. 23.
Christmas Tree Short Course,
Penn Stater Conference
Center, University Park, thru
Feb. 22.
Allegheny Society of American
Foresters winter meeting,
Tropicana Hotel, Atlantic
City, N.J., thru Feb. 23.
Lebanon County Winter Vege
table Meeting, Schaefferstown
Fire Hall, Schaefferstown,
9:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Pork Quality Assurance Meet
ing, Seipstown Grange, Allen
town, also Carlisle Livestock
Auction, 7 p.m.
Milking School For Dairy Em
ployees, Operators, Walker
Township Building, Zion, 10
a.m.-3 p.m., also Feb. 22.
York County Fruit Growers Ed
ucational Meeting, York ex
tension office, 9 a.m.
Mid-Atlantic Direct Marketing
Conference and Trade show,
Cavalier Oceanfront, Virginia
Beach, Va., thru Feb. 24.
Computer Workshop, Blair ex
tension offices, Altoona, also
Feb. 22.
Northwest Grazing Conference,
Dußois Ramada Inn.
Agribusiness Breakfast, Wil
(Turn to Page A 34)
To Use ATV’s Safely
ATV’s have become very pop
ular for work and recreation on
many farms. Along with their
popularity has been a reported
increase of serious injuries and
deaths. Make ATV safety a pri
ority on your farm.
The following are some safety
ideas for ATV’s:
1. An ATV is not a toy. Chil
dren should not be permitted to
operate ATV’s without special
ized training.
2. Wear appropriate riding
gear: DOT-, Snell ANSI- approv
ed helmet, goggles, gloves, over
the ankle boots, long sleeved
shirt and long pants.
SAVE YOURSELF!
Background Scripture:
Luke 23:13-49.
Devotional Reading:
Luke 23:50-56.
The basic primal urge is to
save one’s self. We may hold out
bravely for fidelity to others, de
votion to a cause, and the fulfill
ment of a mission, but the insidi
ous voice inside us keeps
pleading with us to “save your
self!’ Christianity does not deny
the existence and persuasiveness
of that voice within, but it does
call us to hear a voice that calls
us beyond saving ourselves.
Jesus taught us about those
voices, not so much with what he
said, as with what he himself did.
After his baptism, when he went
out into the wilderness for 40
days and nights, he heard the
primal voice that called him to
save himself: “If you are the Son
of God, command this stone to
become bread” (Lk 4:3). Jesus
recognized this voice as that of
the devil. In both the wilderness
and at Calvary that voice spoke
to him three times.
The first time at Calvary this
voice came to him through the
“rulers’ who scoffed, “He saved
others; let him save himself, if he
is the Christ of God, his Chosen
One!” (23:35). Notice that, as in
the wilderness, the devil said, “If
you are the Son of G0d...,” on
Calvary the rulers say “if he is
the Christ of God.” The devil
seeks to undermine Jesus’ under
standing of who and what he is.
Do not our temptations come to
us in much the same way?
3. ATV’s are not made for
extra riders. Never carry anyone
else on the ATV.
4. Any added attachments af
fect the stability, operating and
braking of the ATV. Just because
an attachment is available does
not mean that it can be used
without increasing your risk of
being injured.
5. Do not operate the ATV on
streets, highways or paved roads,
and
6. Read owner’s manual care
fully.
To Look At Moisture In Homes
Moisture levels inside homes
in winter may be high enough to
cause mildew and other prob
lems while dryness, on the other
hand can also be a problem, re
ports Dr. Robert Thee, Penn
State Extension Housing and
Financial Management Agent.
Dry air is often associated with
wood burning stoves and fire
place inserts.
Forced hot air central heating
systems may also add to drying
conditions. Simple techniques to
add moisture include placing
containers of water on wood
stoves, adding a humidifier to
central heating systems or in
stalling a separate humidifier.
Relative humidity of 30 to 50
percent is recommended for the
health of the house and 40 to 60
percent for the health of the oc
cupants. An inexpensive hy
grometer can indicate the level of
the relative humidity in your
home.
To Control Excessive Moisture
Self-Doubt
The next challenge at Calvary
comes from the soldiers: “If you
are the King of the Jews, save
yourself’ (23:37). The greatest
temptations sometimes come to
us through self-doubt and that is
the thrust of the challenges to
Jesus on Calvary. None of those
challenging him expected Jesus
to respond to their taunts. They
didn’t believe he could save oth
ers, nor did they believe that he
was King of the Jews and could
save himself.
One of the criminals who was
being crucified at the same time,
delivers to Jesus the third chal
lenge: “Are you not the Christ?
Save yourself and us!” (23:39)
Once again this was not a sin
cere request. When the criminal
called to Jesus, “Save yourself
and us!”, he is not really asking
Jesus to save him; he is mocking
him.
The other crucified criminal
knows this and replies: “Do you
not fear God, since you are
under the same sentence of con
demnation?”
The other criminal continues:
“And we indeed justly; for we
are receiving the due reward of
our deeds...but this man has
done nothing wrong.” Turning
to Jesus, he says: “Jesus, remem
ber me when you come in your
kingly power” and Jesus replies,
“Truly, I say to you, today you
will be with me in Paradise”
(23:42,43).
Although most of those who
stood at the cross taunted and
reviled Jesus, this criminal made
the most important decision of
his life and committed himself to
the crucified Christ. In doing so,
he saved himself not from
death on the cross, but from the
weight of his sins and the evil
power of the cross.
Avoiding Crosses
Committing ourselves into the
hands of Jesus does not mean
that we will be saved from suf-
Often moisture will condense
on windows causing wetness and
dripping even while the relative
humidity in the house is low
enough to cause nasal and
breathing problems. Dr. Robert
Thee, Penn State Extension
Housing and Financial Manage
ment Agent, reminds us that
temperature and moisture are re
lated.
Condensation on windows is
more likely to be a result of a
cold window than excessive
moisture in the room. You can
prevent condensation by warm
ing the window surface above the
dew point by adding storm win
dows and/or placing heated air
vents below the window so that
the warm air will remove the
moisture from the glass much
like the defroster works on the
windshield of a car.
In cases where mildew is ap
pearing on ceilings and at edges
near the outside walls (not just in
poorly ventilated corners of
rooms), it is possible that the ceil
ing insulation is not properly in
stalled. Insulation must extend
over the top plate of the wall and
be fitted tightly to the top plate.
Cold wind may blow under the
insulation and chill the ceiling
where vapor will then condense.
Alternatively, the wall insulation
may have settled allowing cold
spots to occur at the top of the
walls. In either case, insulation
must be reposition or filled in.
Feather Profs Footnote: “Our
lives are not determined by what
life brings to us, but by the atti
tude we bring to life.”
fering and death in this life.
Jesus is the prime example of
this truth.
He chose to go to the cross
rather than saving himself with
an eternal compromise. But, be
cause he was faithful to that
commitment, he was saved, not
from the cross, but after or de
spite the cross. He saved himself
by first giving himself, sacrificing
himself. The pain of the cross
and the threat of death could not
break his commitment: “Father,
into thy hands I commit my spir
it” (23:46).
Some people turn to Chris
tianity to avoid crosses and then
find that bearing crosses is what
Christian discipleship is all
about. In fact, the risk of bearing
a cross increases when we truly
follow Jesus. “If any man would
come after me, let him deny him
self and take up his cross and fol
low me” (Mk. 8:35). That doesn’t
mean the Christian should seek a
cross to bear, but neither should
he or she turn away from one if it
stands as an obstacle on the road
to discipleship.
“For whoever would save his
life will lose it, and whoever loses
his life for my sake and the gos
pel’s will save it” (Mk. 8:35.
There is nothing wrong with our
basic human instinct to “save
ourselves,” so long as we remem
ber that the only way to save our
selves is to give ourselves as
Christ gave himself for us.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stemman Enterprise
William J. Burgees General Manager
Everett R. Newawanger Editor
Copyright 2000 by Lancaster Farming