AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 24,2001 OPINION Recessionary Effects In the book, “The Coming Internet Depression,” by Michael J. Mandel (Basic Books, 2000), the author gives a concise and often in sightful historical perspective into some of the causes of the Great Depression. Though the book focuses on why the “high-tech boom,” mostly caused by the Internet, will go bust (though some say it already has), Mandel proposes ways in which we can ride this out. (Internet stocks really caused the great expansion of the ’9os, and so, like the industrial revolution, a downturn is inevitable.) But what was appealing was the way Mandel explained how the Great Depression came about. Mandel believes back in the late 1920 s and very early 19305, the feds, because of their moralistic stance, wanted to “punish” the peo ple responsible for the excesses of the Roaring ’2os. You know, the time it took people to invest all they had, put it in stocks, make lots of money, live like kings and queens, and eventually lose it all. So why did many suffer so much? According to Mandel, the federals simply turned what should have been a mild recession into something worse. The feds stubbornly kept money out of the economy, refused to budge in lowering interest rates to boost business, got callous when banks went belly up, and contin ued to lock up any hopes of bailout. The recession then worsened, leading the country and the world down a dark, slippery slope, which it took a world war to cure. The time’s saving grace? About 30 percent of the U.S. population lived on the farm. When times got tough, the farm provided for you. You had food and shelter. What else was important? What economists fear is: what if a Great Depression would happen today, with less than 2 percent of the entire population making a liv ing on the farm? Many agree: it would be a nightmare. Who knows how chaotic it could be? A potential long-term recession this year will hinge on what the public will do with the proposed $1.5 trillion President Bush tax cut. If the money is spent, so say economists, a recession could be avoided. Potentially. But if the money is stashed away it’s supposed there goes the economy. These are theories. But it makes you wonder. Thirty (and some figures put it higher) percent of the public on the farm! Maybe, despite a big depression, those times truly were the “good old days.” Certainly, for some, it may have taken the edge off some tough economic times. Pennsylvania Brown Swiss Breeders’ Association, Ramada Inn, State College, 11 a.m. BQA Certification Training Workshop, Herr Angus Feedlot, Nottingham, 9 a.m. Pruning/Grafting Clinic, Mill er’s Orchard, Clarks Summit, 9 a.m.-noon, (717) 836-3196 or (717)963-6842. Select Sire Power Customer Meeting, New Midway Fire Hall, Woodsboro, Md., 7:30 p.m. 2001 Area Leadership Confer ence and Annual Delegate Meeting, Hyatt Regency Crown Center Hotel, Kansas City, Mo., thru March 28. Improving Your Horse Pastures, Fayette County Fairgrounds, 7 p.m. Pesticide Training For Core Credits, Berks County Ag Center, Leesport, 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m., (610) 378-1327. BQA Certification Training Workshop, Penn State Ag Arena, State College, 7 p.m. Heifer Project International Fundraising Dinner, Midway Mennonite Reception Center, Lititz, and March 27, Yoder’s Family Restaurant, New Hol- " A ♦ Farm Calendar ♦ land, both 6 p.m. SmanctCroungFarme^leetmg, Nutrient Management Uptake, Solanco High School, 7 p.m. Business Leadership Training Seminar, Farm and Home Center, Lancaster, 8:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. Turf Conference, Ramada Inn, Somerset, 9:15 a.m.-4:15 p.m. Southeast Regional Christmas Tree Growers Meeting, Berks County Ag Center, Leesport, 7 p.m., (570) 622-4225. Pesticide applicators update training, extension office, Honesdaie, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., (570) 253-5970, ext. 239. Barn Meeting, TMR Feeding, Rolling Acres Farm, Tim Ludwick, Sugar Grove, noon -3 p.m., (814) 782-0033. Dairy Feeding Systems Manage ment, Bomberger Dairy Farm, Lebanon. Pesticide update meeting, Leba non Valley Ag Center, 2 p.m.- 4 p.m., and repeats at 6:30 p.m. PCDART Workshop, Hunting don, Blair, and Bedford coun ties, Williamsburg Farm Show Building, 9:30 a.tn.-3 p.m. Working Together; Supporting (Turn to Page A 44) To Recycle Agricultural Plastic Waste As Plastic Lumber The waste materials generated on farms have changed a lot over the past few decades. Today plastic is used for many purpos es, including bale wrap, silage bags, trench silo covers, plastic mulch in horticultural produc tion, and shrink-wrap for palle tized supplies. All of this has contributed to a tremendous amount of waste ac cumulating on farms. Burning in open fires is an un acceptable solution since it cre ates a tremendous amount of pollution both as particulate matter in the smoke and as pe troleum by products left by this low-temperature burning. Tak ing this material to the Lancaster County Municipal Incinerator, where the material is burned at very high temperatures under controlled conditions, has been a IS THIS ANY WAY TO RUN ANYTHING? Background Scripture: Acts 5:12-42. Devotional Reading: Psalms 103:15-18. It is fascinating to me how, on the one hand, we can so applaud biblical heroes, and on the other, we condemn those who emulate them. From early times to the pres ent, the Church has not had a very good record in its responses to reformers. The Pope did not write Martin Luther a letter say ing, “Martin, you’ve got some good ideas here.” The Anglican hierarchy did not present John Wesley with any “Evangelist-Of- The-Year” awards. Those of us who on grounds of people defy our precise and spe- Christian conscience opposed ciftc orders? That’s no way to segregation and the Vietnam y run anything. Conscience is all War were usually regarded as an well and good so long as it embarrassment to'our church hi- doesn’t get in the way of loyalty erarchies and an affront to our and obedience, communities. Once again, however, Peter That’s just the way things are in our society. We sWear nominal allegiance to God, but it is the secular and ecclesiastical struc tures that claim our first, highest loyalty and obedience. It is not easy for a Christian to say “no” to either his or her government or church when faith seems to re quire it. We don’t know how many months or years marked the in tervals between Peter’s sermon at Pentecost and his second and third arrests, but it would appear good option. The waste energy produced is captured to create electricity and the high tempera tures and controlled environment results in very clean bum. Now a lower cost option is available to recycle this waste plastic. This material is being collected and baled in Lancaster County for use in the production of plastic lumber. The bales of re cycled plastic material will be hauled to the Trex company fac tory in Virginia for this purpose. There it will be mixed with waste wood chips and sawdust to pro duce a product for use in plastic decking. The waste material is being collected at the Dan Zook farm located at 183 South Farmer svillc Road, Leola. Any polyeth ylene product will be accepted, which includes plastic mulch, ag bag plastic, bale wrap, silage cov ers, greenhouse covers, and shrink-wrap. Materials that are not acceptable include plastic twine, row covers, molded plastic such as greenhouse trays and pots, milk jugs, and pesticide or other containers. A $25 per ton tipping fee will be collected when the material is delivered to the farm. This is less than half of what it would cost to take the material to the munici pal incinerator in Lancaster County. If you have a collection of waste plastic, take the time to re move it while this opportunity is still available. Call Dan Zook at (717) 656-4422 to make arrange ments before delivering your ma terial. This will insure you can be unloaded in a quick and efficient manner, saving time for all. To Evaluate Small Grain Fields Take this opportunity before your spring fieldwork begins in earnest to walk your small grain fields to evaluate the stand. Satisfactory yields depend on that Peter and John got themselves into trouble in no time at all, and repeatedly at that. The first time (Acts 4:5-23), Peter laid down his unyielding position: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” Because they had no case against them, the authorities threatened them and released them. Touched By An Angel? The high priest, jealous be cause of their success among the people, had Peter and John ar rested again. But, assisted by an angel, Peter and John escaped from prison. (Can you imagine the ruckus that would arise from a jailed Christian today claiming the help of an angel to escape from prjson?) A third time Peter and John are arrested and this time brought to the council. “We strictly charged you,” said the high priest, “not to teach in his name, but here you have filled Jerusalem with your teach ing and you intend to bring this man’s (Jesus’) blood upon us” (5:28). How can we afford to let sounds the same note he did in their previous encounter: “We must obey God rather than men.” Understandably, the coun cil members were enraged at this effrontery, and we are told that the members of the council want ed to kill them. That is also a common human reaction: dead men and women cannot object or obstruct us. How many of our disputes and problems does human nature attempt to “solve” in this manner? Too many. having approximately 40 heads per linear foot of row when planted in seven-inch rows. To achieve this, we need a stand of 18 to 20 plants per foot of row. Winter grains have the ability to increase tiller production as the population is reduced. This reduces the effect of low popula tions on yield. However, popula tions can be reduced to the point that the land area should be re planted into another crop later in the spring. This occurs when we have about a 50 percent stand re maining or 9 to 10 plants per lin ear foot of row. To Welcome A New Faculty Member Erick De Wolf recently joined the Department of Plant Pathol ogy as an assistant professor. Dr. De Wolf, a native of Mich igan, received his doctorate from North Dakota State University, where his research dealt with prediction and management of wheat foliar diseases. Subsequently, De Wolf took a position with The Ohio State University where he was part of a multistate effort to manage wheat head scab. Erick, his wife, and two daughters moved to State College in early January. De Wolf’s responsibilities at Penn State include extension and research. He will develop an ex tension education and research program for field crop diseases. De Wolfs specific research inter ests include the biology and man agement of residue-bome patho gens. Erick is looking forward to working with you to address dis ease management issues of Penn sylvania. Quote of The Week; “If to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disap prove, how can we afterward defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest repair.” George Washington Take Care What You Do! It is at this point that help for Peter and John comes from an unexpected source a man named Gamaliel. A teacher of the law and obviously a member of the council, Gamaliel attempts to bring some reason and order into this crisis with a plan so pragmatic and rational that the enraged council cools down and agrees with him. “Men of Israel,” he advises, “take care what you do with these men” (5:33). This well-re spected teacher of Hebrew law appeals to the council members’ own self interests. Don’t make a terrible mistake, he counsels. Citing two previous insurgents, Theudas and Judas the Galilean, whose movements failed, Gamaliel reminds them of a principle that his fellow council members and the whole world tend to forget: “ if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God” (5:38,39). Sound advice, is it not? Let God sort it out, for if it is God’s will, we cannot defeat it in the long run. So why oppose it in the short run? But, still, we can’t help won dering: is this the way to run anything? A church? A business? A community? A country? A world? Why don’t we give it a try? Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 G. 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
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers