AlO-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 3,2001
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OPINION
Interdisciplinary
College students are required to study a wide variety of subject
matter, some of which doesn’t seem to have any connection to their
chosen study or profession. They often ask, “Why do I have to learn
about this? I’ll never use this in my career.”
But as we mature and learn about the world and how it works, we
realize that a widened horizon contributes to the knowledgeable, well
rounded businessperson.
At my alma mater, Temple University, there was a course entitled
“Freshman Interdisciplinary Studies,” or FIS for short.
Likewise, with farming, many families may agree that FIS can be a
good philosophy. Children who want to manage the farm are wise to
initially take a job in a nonfarm area, or to take up a mission in an
other part of the world, simply to gain the much-needed and well-re
garded perspective so essential to farm survival.
The idea is: first leam other businesses and how they operate. Then
take that knowledge and bring it to the farm.
Before college, I worked on a neighbor’s farm. I learned a lot of
business sense from the farmer, but I also learned a lot about nonfarm
business outside of farming after college. And businesses do operate
much the same way.
I think having that “interdisciplinary” perspective is a good idea,
Over the years, I have spoken with many farm families who simply
won’t allow their children to manage aspects of the farm until those
children first venture into the nonfarm world and spend some time
there, taking up another occupation, or managing a nonfarm busi
ness. Certainly the experience can provide a deeper and more life
lasting commitment to the importance the very philosophy of
farming as a business.
Western Pa. Sheep symposium.
Holiday Inn, Meadowlands, 9
am.-3;30 p.m.
Beaver/Lawrence Holstein Club
Annual Meeting, The Villa
Restaurant, New Castle, 4:30
p.m.
Open House, Dauphin Co. Ag
and Natural Resources
Center, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Woodland Owners’ Conference,
Penns Inn, Alvin Bush
Campus Center, Pa. College
of Technology, Williamsport,
9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Regional Christmas Tree
Growers’ Meeting and Trade
Show, the Chateau Resort
and Conference Center,
Tannersville, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Maryland Grape Growers’ Asso
ciation annual meeting,
Clarksville, Md., 8:30 a.m.-
Pesticide Credit, BerKsCounty
Ag Center
“Passing on the Farm” Work
shop, Aidie Mansion, Doyles-
town 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Select Sire Power Customer
Meeting, Family House Res
taurant, Mifflintown, 11:30
a.m. and Camelot Restaurant,
Reedsville, 7 p.m.
Pesticide training for core cred
its, Berks County Ag Center,
P' id DerNrTnXomerp^^
'a. am. je\. <o-ti. onference,
West Middlesex, Pa. Also
March 7, Hotel Magee,
Bloomsburg; March 8, Carli
sle; and March 9 Dover, Del.
Tri-State Conservation Tillage
Conference, Radisson Hotel,
West Middlesex.
Northern Bedford County Pa.
♦ Farm Calendar *
'k i ../ „“>j ys*~*i .* >. ..* l**/
Holstein annual meeting,
Northern Bedford High
School, Loysburg.
Select Sire Power Customer
meeting, Shadowbrook
Resort, Tunkhannock and
Yoder’s Restaurant, Mifflin
burg, 7 p.m.
Hoof Trimmer Clinic, Lebanon
Fairgrounds.
Franklin County Farm Manage
ment Forum, Lighthouse Res
taurant, Chambersburg,
phone (717) 263-9226.
Lancaster County Dairy Days
Part 2, Lancaster Farm and
Home Center, 9:30 a.m.-2:30
p.m.
Crops Clinic, Schuylkill County
Ag Center, Pottsville, 9:30
ment Conference, Radisson
Penn Harris, Camp Hill, thru
March 8.
Mid-Atlantic No-till Confer-
ence, Bloomsburg’s Hotel
Magee.
Risk Management for Dairy Op
erators, Walker Township
Building, Zion, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Capitol Region crop herbicide
and insecticide update,
Adams County Extension
Office, 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Forage Management Workshop
For Dairy Producers, Berlin
Community Building, 10
a.m.-3 p.m.
Beef Quality Assurance and
Deworming Program, Cedar-
brook Golf Course, Belle
Vemon, 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Public hearing, Milk Marketing
Board, Room 202 Ag Build
ing, Harrisburg, 10 a.m.
Northeast Ohio Dairy Manage
ment Conference, Sheraton
Four Points, Beldon Village,
(Turn to Page A 39)
To Say Hello
It is an honor to be given the
opportunity to follow in the foot
steps of John Schwartz and those
who preceded him in Lancaster
County.
I have been an extension agent
in Lancaster County for the past
13 years. My efforts have been
focused in programs related to
environmental issues in agricul
ture. This has included working
with nutrient management, ma
nure marketing, composting,
water quality, water rights, and
nuisance issues.
I have had the opportunity to
meet many of you over the years
THE WAITING
ROOM
Background Scripture:
Acts 1.
Devotional Reading:
John 16:7-14.
What a dramatic reversal the
disciples of Jesus experienced
from the gloom of Good Friday
to the unbelievable joy of Easter
Sunday!
We can understand their eu
phoria and the expectancy with
which they asked the Risen Lord;
“Lord, will you at this time re
store the kingdom to Israel?”
(Acts 1:6).
It seems to me that the experi
ence of Christ’s resurrection had
not made them a whole lot more
understanding: they still thought
that Jesus’ messianic purpose
was to restore the kingdom of Is
rael. They were looking for a
change in the secular realm: van
quish Rome and restore Israel as
an independent nation once
again. It seems that they ex
pected this to take place instan
taneously. Just say the word,
Lord; we are ready!
So Jesus’ reply may have come
to them as a shock: “It is not for
you to know the times or seasons
which the Father has fixed by his
own authority. But you shall re
ceive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you; and you
shall be my witnesses in Jerusa
lem and in all Judea and Sama
ria and to the end of the earth”
(7,8). The answer Jesus gave
them was the very one that peo-
and I look forward to many fu
ture opportunities to work with
the agricultural community. Al
though agriculture is facing
many challenges today, there are
many exciting possibilities as
well. I will do my best to keep
you up to date with the informa
tion you need to be successful in
the days ahead as our world
changes rapidly.
To Apply For
Crop Insurance
The final date for applying for
crop insurance for spring planted
crops is March 15,2001.
Any farmer who received dis
aster payments for a 1999 crop is
committed to purchasing crop
insurance for both the 2000 and
2001 crops.
Failure to purchase the insur
ance will result in a $2OO penalty
per crop. If your insurance agent
does not handle crop insurance,
contact your local Farm Service
Agency office for a list of agents
who carry the insurance.
To Attend The
College Of
Agricultural Sciences
Open House
Penn State’s College of Agri
cultural Sciences will conduct an
open house for future students
and their families on Saturday,
March 31.
This is an excellent opportuni-
ple do not want to hear: Wait! Be
patient!
Learn To Wait
In his poem, “The Reaper and
the Flowers,” Longfellow says:
Still achieving, still pursuing.
Leant to labour and to wait.
Most of us don’t have to be
persuaded to achieve, pursue,
and labor, but many of us have
never learned to wait. Patience
may be our poorest subject. Yet
the patience to wait for God to
fulfill his promises is an essential
ingredient of faith.
For centuries the Hebrews
prayed: How long, oh Lord?. The
Psalmists realized the impor
tance of patience; “... those who
wait for the Lord shall possess
the land” (Ps. 37:9. See also Ps.
25:3,5; 40:1; 62:1; 130:5,6.) And
also the prophet Isaiah:
“... blessed are all they that wait
for him” (30:18) and “... but
they who wait for the Lord shall
renew their strength” (40:31).
Impatience often clouded the
understanding of Jesus’ disciples.
Like us, they often wanted his
promises fulfilled yesterday. In
one of his parables, he tells them
to “be like men who are waiting
for their master to come home
from the marriage feast”
(Lk. 12:36).
After his resurrection, Jesus
tells his disciples: “And behold, I
send the promise of my Father
upon you; but stay in the city
until you are clothed with power
from on high” (Lk.24:49), a com
mand which he repeats, charging
them “not to depart from Jerusa
lem, but to wait for the promise
of the Father...” (Acts 1:4).
Divine “Long Run’
One reason we mortals are so
impatient is that we are mortals.
Our sense of time is so different
from that of our Creator. We
know that, of course, but it is still
difficult for us to see time in
ty for high school students who
are considering a career in agri
cultural sciences to become fa
miliar with the programs avail
able at Penn State.
Future students will be able to
interact with deans, faculty, and
current students. The morning
session includes an overview of
majors and minors available,
scholarships, clubs, organiza
tions, and societies, internships,
undergraduate research, and ed
ucation abroad. Then there will
be tours of agricultural research
and teaching facilities for each
department.
Visitors will have the opportu
nity to sample residence hall
food with brunch in East or
North halls. In the afternoon,
there will be presentations on
various careers in agricultural
sciences and a panel discussion
with recent alumni. There will
also be a bus tour as well as a
walking tour of campus.
A residence hall tour and a bus
tour of the large animal facility
will be available in the afternoon
schedule. Don’t miss this oppor
tunity to learn more about un
dergraduate opportunities at
Penn State. For more informa
tion or to register, call (814)
865-7521.
Quote of the Week:
“You cannot shake hands
with a clenched fist. ”
Golda Meir (Prime Minister
of Israel 1969-1974)
terms of the divine long haul in
stead of the human short haul.
An old rabbinic story tells us
that one day Abraham saw an
old man weary with age and
travel, coming toward him. In his
usual manner, Abraham greeted
him, washed his feet, and invited
him to supper. But, observing
during supper that the man did
not offer a prayer of thanksgiv
ing, Abraham asked him why he
did not worship God and the old
man told him that he worshipped
only fire.
Upon hearing this, Abraham
withdrew his hospitality and sent
the man into the night. But God
came to Abraham and admon
ished him: “I have suffered him
these eighty years although he
dishonored Me, and couldst thou
not endure him one night?” This
is reminiscent of what Jesus said
to his sleeping disciples in Geth
semane, “Could you not watch
one hour?” (Mk. 14:38).
We are wrong if we think that
“waiting” is the equivalent of not
doing anything. When we are
waiting for God, we are doing
something: we are actively prac
ticing our faith. That’s what the
disciples did when, after the res
urrection, they returned to the
upper room, where they prac
ticed the deep levels of their faith
while they waited for the promise
of the Father. For them and us,
the upper room becomes the
waiting room.
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. Burgeti General Manager
Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2001 by Lancaster Farming