AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 14,2001 |a«£a&t3r" jiBJ OPINION Stewardship Rewards Everybody wants to submit his or her 2002 Farm Bill proposals to Congress. Yet what considerations are the most worthy? Certainly some forms of compensation programs for weak farm prices have merit. That goes almost without saying. But we were more impressed by the efforts put forth recently in a report, “Seeking Common Ground For Conservation,” a 2002 Farm Bill proposal outlined by the Soil and Water Conservation Society. In a July 3 letter, the society, based in Ankeny, lowa, made recom mendations for reform based on five regional workshops conducted across the country last year. According to the Executive Summary in the report, “The next Farm Bill must be about more than the price of corn or wheat, or cotton, or rice, or any other agricultural commodi ty. It must be about caring for the land and keeping the people who work the land on the land.” In other words, what kind of system can be in place to actually re ward fanners for caring for the land? Shouldn’t they be rewarded for protecting our wholesome environment? The society wants annual funding for existing USDA conservation technical services and financial assistance programs to be doubled to about $5 billion. That’s an increase comparable to the 1985 Farm Bill, which produced dramatic reduction in soil erosion, wetland protec tion, and fish and wildlife habitat enhancement. But since 1985, the report asserts, conservation funding has been “flat” in constant dol lars. The solution: “Congress should authorize a minimum of $3 billion annually for a stewardship-based farm and ranch program that re wards producers for utilizing their land, labor, and capital to enhance the environment,” the report noted. That’s a lot of money. But we would be protecting the most valu able resource we have our land. Copies of the report are available on the Web at www.swcs.org. In early February, Lancaster Farming advertised USDA’s contin uous conservation and conservation research enhancement programs. For installing stream bank fencing, producers could receive $3,800-$35,000 above costs above costs! for each half mile of stream bank enrolled in USDA buffer programs. Aren’t these programs interesting? But at the same time, you have to be amazed at how serious USDA is and those who support pro grams that do all ttyey can to protect our water and our environment. SusSnameForestry Initiative (SFI) Course, Kane, McKean County, (814) 867-9299. Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, Fourth Anniversary Week end, (610) 927-2505. Wyoming and Lackawanna Counties Holstein Picnic and Barn Meeting, Bob Wilson farm. Mehoopanv. thru Jub’ efferson County Fair, ti 21.(814)265-0640. Allegany County (Maryland) Fair, Cumberland, Md., (301) 729-1200. American Chestnut and Forest Stewardship Planning, Pres entations and Tours, Leffel’s Tree Farm and Woodlot, Brogue. Governorslnstm^ tural Science Careers, Penn State Conference Center, 8 ~ a.m.-noon. Forest Resources Institute for Teachers, grades 3 thru 12, Sandy Lake, thru July 19. Forest Resources Institute for Teachers, Erie County, thru July 19, (814) 563-9388. Ag In the Classroom Conference at Penn State, University Park, (724) 458-6108. Precision Ag and Remote Sens ing Workshop, Tom Gro- **//■ ,•' -4 **' * <■< * *v *■, *V<TV* vjf *> \ K V-* ** <• ❖ Farm Calendar ❖ >* V,-<, ~Llk .r-l chowicz Farm, Glen Gardner, P«insylvMuaYoungFarmers Association Summer Confer- ence, State College, thru July 18. Jacktown Fair, Fair Grounds in Wind Ridge, thru July 21. Precision Ag and Remove Sens ing Workshop, Seiple and Sons, Easton, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. P^^^^Wall^PASA)^onp uly asture .vaiK ~ John son’s Provident Farm, Sea sonal Dairy, Solar Pump and Soil Mineralization. Baltimore County 4-H Fair, Cockeysville, Md., thru July 22. (410)666-1025. Maryland Vegetable Growers Association’s Marketing Twi light Meeting, Knill’s Farm Market, Mt. Airy, Md., 6:30 p.m. Lycoming County Holstein Show, Lycoming Fairgrounds, Hughesville. Amencan Coalition for Ethanol Annual Meeting and Confer ence, Aberdeen S.D., thru July 20. Delaware State Fair, thru July 28,(302)398-3269. Potter County picnic and tour, (Turn to Page A3O) To Enroll In The Pennsylvania Rural Leadership (RULE) Program Applications are being accepted for the two-year leadership initiative known as The Pennsylvania Rural Leadership (RULE) Program, which helps rural residents develop leader ship skills while they are working at improving their communities. The program is designed to develop skills in communication, visualization, per sonal leadership, and understanding of specific community issues. The RULE program is a partner ship supported by Penn State and a grant from the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services as well as private grants. The program com bines the resources of the Depart ment of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology in Penn State’s Col lege of Agricultural Sciences with ex perts from the public and private sec- AN ADULTEROUS PEOPLE Background Scripture: Hosea I through 2. Devotional Reading: Psalms 100. Hosea is a story on two levels. There is the personal marital and pa rental life of Hosea the prophet and there is also the story of Israel’s rela tionship with the Lord. Hosea’s trou bles with Corner, his wife, were sym bolic of God’s problems with the people of Israel. The problem on both levels is unfaithfulness. On both levels the outlook is grim and foreboding. The problem is not just that Israel has stumbled once or twice, but that it persists in its un faithfulness’ despite God’s love. It is a resistant unfaithfulness, a repeti tious and ruinous behavior. It is much the same with Hosea’s marriage. At God's bidding, Hosea married a woman with an undeni able reputation as a prostitute. I as sume that, when Hosea married her, she promised to be faithful to him and give up her life of harlotry. In Hosea 1 there is no indication that she continued or even returned to her old ways. But in Hosea 2, the proph et proclaims, “Plead with your moth er, plead for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband that she put away her harlotry from her face, and her adultery from between her breasts...” (2:1). Lancaster Farming An Award-Winning Farm Newspaper • Keystone Awards 1993,1995 • PennAg Industries 1992 • PACD Media Award 1996 • Berks Ag-Business Council 2000 • Recognized for photo excellence throughout the years by the Northeast Farm Communicators tors to form a leadership program for adults concerned with public issues. RULE is accepting applications until July 30. Adults from rural areas or with rural constituencies will be judged on experience, needs, and po tential. Consideration will be given to applicants’ interests, diverse back grounds, and demonstrated commit ment to community involvement and solving public issues. The first year of the training will emphasize local, regional, and state public policy issues. The second of training will focus on national and international issues. Applications and more information can be ob tained by calling (814) 863-4679. To Recycle Waste Agricultural Plastic A lot of waste plastic is generated on today’s farming operations. With the development of plasticulture pro duction methods for many crops, summertime produces a large quanti ty of waste. Plastic used to give sweet com an early start, covers being removed from greenhouses and high tunnels, and the mulch being removed from annual strawberry production fields all contribute to this high volume of waste. It may be tempting to pile this waste behind the bam and strike a match. However, open fires often emit high levels of particulates, acid gases, heavy metal vapors, and other toxins, some of which can cause can cer. One of the toxins given off is di oxin, which is listed as one of EPA’s “dirty dozen” most toxic chemicals. Dioxin can accumulate in soils and be taken up by plants and animals and accumulate in the milk and meat. Another compound given off is benzopyrene, which is a strong car cinogen. One study has shown open fire smoke contains 350 times as much benzopyrene as cigarette smoke. Some plastics contain addi- (Later, in Hosea 3, it will become clear that Comer did, in fact, slip back into her old ways as a prostitute and adulteress, so that Hosea asserts that, although he is no longer husband, she is still the mother of Jezreel.) Our Infidelity No matter what we may feel for Hosea and Corner in their troubled marriage, the message here is about Israel’s and our unfaithfulness to God. Hosea boldly likens the rela tionship of Israel to God to that of a wife to her husband. This relation ship is like a marriage, founded upon mutual promises and the expectation of fidelity. (Hosea’s allusion to God as the “husband” of Israel is the first such allusion in the Old Testament; simi lar references are made in Isaiah 54:05, Jeremiah 3:20, and Ezekiel 16:32). The charge was not just that Israel sinned against the Lord, but that in doing so Israel was breaking its vows. We can related to this on both a personal and corporate level. As those who have in some way pledged ourselves to follow Jesus Christ, we have made a commitment even more important and binding than the com mitments we have made in marriage and other relationships. Our transgressions are double in that we both sin and violate our com mitment. I once had a parishioner a faithful one at that who refused to join the church because he be lieved he might not be able to live up to the commitment. He believed it was worse to make the commitment and not live up to it than not to make the commitment at all. I disagreed but I never won the argument. He was at least correct in his esti mation of the seriousness of commit ment to the Lord. Israel was inclined not to take their infidelity too seriously; in fact, they probably didn’t see it as infidel ity. So God uses Hosea to reach the tives made with metals and when burned they may emit arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury. Particulates are very small diameter particles of solids or liquids that re main suspended in the smoke from burning. Particulates are a health problem because they are toxic, they interfere with the clearance mechanism of our lungs, and they can carry other toxic materials deep into our lungs. Open burning of a given amount of trash puts out 40 times the amount of par ticulates that the same amount of trash would emit if burned in a mu nicipal incinerator. A much better option exists to take care of this plastic. This material is being collected and baled in Lancas ter County for use in the production of plastic lumber. The bales of re cycled plastic material will be hauled to the Trex company factory in Vir ginia for this purpose. There it will be mixed with waste wood chips and sawdust to produce a product for use in plastic decking. The waste material is now being collected at the Dan Zook farm lo cated at 183 South Farmersville Road in Leola. Any polyethylene product will be accepted, which in cludes plastic mulch, ag bag plastic, bale wrap, silage covers, 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 pesti cide 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 mu nicipal incinerator in Lancaster County. Call Dan Zook (717)-656-4422 before making a de livery. Quote of the Week: “You must strive to multiply bread so it suffices for the tables of mankind.” Pope John Paul II people of Israel with the seriousness of their broken commitments. He in structs Hosea to name his first child Jezreel. You may remember that Jez reel is the name of a place in Pal# estine where, upon the violent demise of King Ahab, the house of Jehu had been established upon the throne of Israel. Now, by naming his first son “Jezreel,” Hosea is reminding the king of what happened to the un faithful King Ahab. “... I will pun ish the house of Jehu (YAY-who) for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel...” (1:4) The second child of Hosea and Gomer, a girl, is to be named “Lo ruamah,” which means “Not pitied, for I will have no more pity on the house of Israel, to forgive them at a 11... 1 will not deliver them by bow, nor by sword, nor by war, nor by horses, nor by horsemen” (1:6,7). Still, a third child was born to Hosea and Gomer, so we must assume she remained with Hosea long enough to conceive and bear three children at the very least 27 months and proba bly more. The third child, a boy, God instructed the prophet, was to be named “Lo-ammi,” meaning: “Not my people, for you are not my people and 1 am not your God” ( 1:8). That’s the bad news, but there is also good news if the people, like Corner, can realize: "I will go and re turn to my first husband, for it was better with me then than now” (2:7b). Then, God says, “1 will have pity on Not pitied, and I will say to Not my people, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘Thou art my God’”(2:23). That is good news for Israel and 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. Burgess General Manager Andy Andrews, Editor Copyright 2001 by Lancaster Farming
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers