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