il O-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 17,2001
A -
OPINION
Remain Biosecure
Mad cow disease. Foot and mouth disease (FMD). Avian influenza
(A. 1.).
The list of disease “concerns” for producers in this region is as
tounding.
At the BBC News Website (news.bbc.co.uk), the reports are that as
of March 9, “it has been the worst day yet for outbreaks of foot and
mouth disease, with a raft of new cases crushing hopes of an easing in
livestock restrictions.”
Twenty new cases, according to the BBC, were identified that Fri
day, bringing the total number across the United Kingdom to 127.
Apparently, 1967 was the worst year for the crisis, with 185 cases
in the same length of time.
Paula Franke, in her Frankely Speaking column on Agdomain.com
(www.agdomain.com), points to the “foot in mouth fiasco,” about
how the disease is showing up all over the globe.
It’s also called hoof and mouth disease, or Aftosa.
(Though, Franke writes, in the U.S., there hasn’t been foot and
mouth problem in a serious way since 1929).
CNN.com/World (at www.cnn.com) has a great Q & A site about
the disease. They point out the acute infectious viral disease causes
blisters, fever and lameness in animals with hooves. Pregnant ani
mals, according to the site, often abort and dairy cattle may dry up.
Mortality is greater for young stock (at 75 percent) than adult stock
(only 5 percent), according to information at www.Bayovac.com.
FMD is highly contagious and one of the most feared diseases, and is
endemic to Asia, Africa, parts of Europe, and South America.
The virus that causes FMD is resistant to cold temperatures and
survives even freezing, but it is susceptible to pH less than 5, sunlight,
heat and dryness, according to the Website.
Infected animals, according to Bayovac, develop fever, depression,
nasal discharge, and anorexia. Blisters may appear on the muzzle,
teats, udder, pili of the rumen, interdigital area, and coronary band,
according to the Website.
FMD affects cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats, according to CNN. But
CNN is quick to point out though there is no known cure, FMD is
mainly an economic rather than safety issue.
Franke, in her Agdomain column, noted that, in the past week, she
read reports that “visitors to the UK are required to have their shoes
disinfected before being allowed to depart American airports on ar
rival.”
One way of looking at the fiasco; Biosecurity measures are in place
almost everywhere!
Can farms afford not to be without some type of animal health
monitoring program with proper biosecurity at all levels of their live
stock operation?
In the December 1995 issue of Agricultural Research Magazine, in
July 1825, an issue of American Farmer from Baltimore noted that
“bewildered farmers were finding their animals lame, the fleshy part
in the division in the hoof ‘sore entirely through,’ and, worse still,
“the disease appears to be contagious.”’
For livestock producers, foot-and-mouth disease is still a “hot
story” more than 175 years later, according to the magazine.
County extension livestock agents know about how the types of
problems in the UK can be avoided here.
Though there are no reports of FMD in this country, it’s best to be
aware of what’s happening to our neighbors across the sea.
Talk to your extension agents. Don’t let what happened in Great
Britain happen here.
Hoof Care Clinic For Owners,
Holiday Inn, Phillipsburg,
N.J.
Farm Family Appreciation Day,
Hamburg Field House, 7 p.m.-
10:30 p.m.
Maintaining the Sound and
User-Friendly Performance
Horse, Inn at Towamencin
Best Western, Kulpsville, 9
a.m.-4 p.m.
Penn State Gardener Sympo
sium, Farm and Home
Center, Lancaster.
Woody Ornamental Pesticide
Update, The Chadwick, Wex
ford, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Regional Christmas Tree Semi
nar, Rustic Lodge, Indiana,
8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Backyard Compost Workshop,
extension office, Towanda, 9
a.m.-noon.
Equine Expo, Diamond 7
* V>
* Farm Calendar ♦
Ranch. Dillsburg, 9 a.m.
Lancaster
Host Resort, Lancaster.
North Central Agricultural
Costs of Raising Heifers and
Contract Raising of Heifers,
First Citizens National Bank,
Ulysses, 12:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
North Central Agricultural
Field Crop Commercial Meet
ing, Potato City Inn, 10 a.m.-2
p.m.
Tulphehocken Ag Ed Session,
IJighSchool 1 7j3(hyn 4 -^) i n^
SpnngDegins.
National Ag Day.
Northwest Pennsylvania Ath
letic Turf and Ornamental
Conference, Allegheny Col
lege, Meadville.
Dairy Manure Systems Equip-
(Turn to Page A 39)
To Participate In
New Fanners Markets
Farm to City is seeking farm
ers to participate in new farmers’
markets in Philadelphia for the
2001 season. These new markets
will offer farmers the opportuni
ty to directly market their pro
duce to consumers in the city.
The markets will open in late
May or early June and will run
weekly through October or early
November. In most cases, the
markets will be open, for four
hours, one day a week.
Farmers’ markets meet the
large demand for locally grown
produce created by the Farmers’
Market Nutrition Program
(FMNP). Last year the Pennsyl
vania Department of Agriculture
issued more than $1.3 million in
vouchers for purchase of fresh
produce to Philadelphia senior
citizens and mothers with young
children.
‘RECOGNIZED?’
Background Scripture:
Acts 3:1 through 4:13.
Devotional Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:26-31.
The man who was “lame from
birth” and encountered Peter
and John at the Beautiful Gate
of the temple had a classic expe
rience with the gospel of Jesus
Christ he got a lot more than
he asked for, just as do most, if
not all, of us.
Lame from birth, he was car
ried daily to the Beautiful Gate
of the temple, where he begged
for alms from those who came
there to worship.
We have no reason to believe
that he knew who Peter and
John were, or that they were
apostles of the recently-crucified
Jesus of Nazareth, who was be
lieved to be a dealer. No, this
man wanted from Peter and
John what he asked of all who
came there some coins to help
him put food on the table and a
roof over his head.
What happened that day,
however, was something much
more than he expected.
One reason, I believe, is that,
instead of pushing by him as
though he were not there, they
gave him their attention. They
could have given him a coin
without even looking at him, but
“Peter directed his gaze at him,
with John...” (3:4). They really
looked at him and they really
saw him.
There are lots of people in
need to whom we do not minister
simjjty we do not really
This year, for the first time,
only farmers can redeem FMNP
vouchers. The program is a
major benefit to farmers selling
in farmers’ markets.
Farm To City is looking for
growers, large and small, to sell
at Philadelphia farmers’ mar
kets. In you are interested in this
opportunity, contact Bob Pierson
toll-free at (866) 745-6587 or by
e-mail at phillymarkets@aol.com
for more information about mar
ket locations and schedules.
Farm to City, a program of the
Oley institute is supported in
part by a grant from the Pennsyl
vania Department of Agricul
ture.
To Force
Spring Flowers
Horticulture agent Tim Elkner
suggests late winter is a good
time to create an early spring in
your home by forcing the flowers
of spring blooming landscape
plants.
Trees and shrubs that bloom
in the spring set their flower buds
in the fall. Once the flower buds
have been exposed to several
weeks of cold weather, they will
bloom if brought indoors.
Flowering dogwood, forsythia,
crabapple, redbud, pussy willow,
honeysuckle, and magnolia are
the easiest plants to force. Look
for branches with plenty of flow
er buds and cut them with prun
ers just above a side bud. The
length of the branch can vary
from 6-18 inches. Recut the
stems before placing them in
water.
Place a branch in an upright
container vase. Add hot water to
cover about 3 inches of the stem,
and allow to stand about one-
look at them. We have learned to
look in their direction without
actually giving them our atten
tion. Often, we do this because to
really look at and see these peo
ple would mean that we would
have to do something about it.
Fixing Your Gaze
Another reason that something
special could happen that day is
that they not only gave this man
their attention, but they were
successful in getting him to look
at them with expectancy. Look
ing intently at the man bom
lame, Peter said: ““Look at us.’
And he fixed his attention upon
them, expecting to receive some
thing from them” (3:4,5).
Expectancy in prayer, in
worship, and in need is usually
a prerequisite, I have found. Go
to a worship service without ex
pectancy and you are likely to
experience nothing. Pray without
expectancy and it will seem your
prayers are unanswered. (Except
sometimes: as in the case of
Abraham and Zechariah, when
angels informed them that they
were about to become fathers in
their old age.) In my experience,
our problems with prayer are
usually not that we expect too
much, but too little. Stranghely,
prayer is often a matter of both
humility and audacity.
Peter then says: “I have no sil
ver and gold, but I give you what
I have; in the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth, walk.” In a
moment the lame man was lame
no longer, standing, walking and
even leaping in joy. He asked for
alms; he got his legs instead, a
healing that would change his
life forever. Unlike some who
were healed in the name of Jesus
Christ, this man did not take his
healing and run. “While he clung
to Peter and John, all the people
ran together t 6 them in the porti
co called Solomon’s astounded”
(3:11).
The Power To Heal
It occurs to me that Peter and
John passed an important test
half hour. Then fill the vase the
rest of the way with cool water.
Buds will take one to five weeks
to open, depending on the plant
and how close to its natural
blooming time the branches are
cut. Shrub branches are easier to
force than tree branches.
For longer-lasting blooms,
keep the flowers in a cool loca
tion and away from direct sun
light. Always keep the vase filled
with water. Floral preservatives
may extend the life of the blooms
as well.
To Buy Good
Quality Seed
The success of any crop is de
pendant on many variables,
many of which are out of the
control of the farmer.
Agronomy agent Bob Ander
son points out that seed is one
variable that should be con
trolled. Always buy quality seeds,
which are tested for germination,
and weed seed content. The ger
mination test should have been
conducted no more than nine
months before the seed is plant
ed.
Seeds should have a high ger
mination percentage. When the
percentage is low, more seed is
required.
Always buy improved varieties
with top yield potential and re
sistance to common diseases.
Choosing the best variety is one
of the most important decisions a
grower makes when planting a
crop.
Quote of the Week:
“Nearly all men can stand
adversity, but if you want to
test a man’s character, give
him power. ”
Abraham Lincoln
that day. Some would have been
tempted to claim responsibility
for this miraculous event. After
all, a little adulation might help
their cause. But Peter replied
with requisite humility: “Men of
Israel, why do you wonder at thi
s,... as though by our own
power or piety we had made him
walk?”
The power to heal' this man,
Peter made clear, was that of the
very Jesus whom they had cruci
fied. And when he and John
were arrested the next day and
brought before the high priest,
Peter and John reiterated:
((
be it known to you all, and
to iill the people of Israel, that by
the name of Jesus Christ of Na
zareth, whom you crucified,
whom God raised from the dead,
by him this man is standing be
fore you well” (3:10,11)
Unwittingly, the high priest
had presented Peter and John
with an excellent opportunity to
witness to Jesus Christ. When
the religious authorities “saw the
boldness of Peter and John, and
perceived that they were unedu
cated, common men, they won
dered; and they recognized that
they had been with Jesus” (4:13).
Is that not the key to being a
disciple of Jesus Christ? Not
what we say or how we say it,
not even what we do or how we
do it, but that in the lives we live
people may be able to recognize
that we have been with Jesus.
There is no standard of disci
pleship higher than that.
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. Burgess General Manager
Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2001 by Lancaster Farming