AlO-Lancast«r Farming, Saturday ,duty 21,2001 OPINION A Much-Anticipated Expansion Last week we reported about the expansion plans for the Harris burg Farm Show Complex. The commission did an extraordinarily great job of putting together a plan that is solid and will easily benefit all who exhibit at and visit the Farm Show. So hats off to a bigger and better show complex, one with more room and that is environmentally controlled (does that mean no more “Farm Show” colds?), with easy transportation to and from events, and with a bigger and better exhibit hall. We have, however, a couple of caveats that we hate to use in any way to mar an otherwise perfect plan. One, the complex is in vast need of a major hotel almost at the doorstop. When those “Farm Show Week” snows hit, it would be nice to be within walking distance of a large hotel, or any hotel, for that matter. Two, the complex could really use an adjacent aboveground park ing garage. Perhaps, in the foreseeable future, if a multistory garage would be present, maybe connected to the proposed “spine” of the complex, a lot of visitors and exhibitors would be pleased. But all in all, the plan is solid and A-plus. We’re so happy to report some good news every once in a while. Way to go! V Garden tour. Historic Heidel berg and Middlecreek Twps., Lebanon County, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Northwest Pennsylvania Hol stein Championship Show, Bradford County Fair- grounds, Meadville. Shippensburg Community Fair, thru July 29. Bradford County 4-H Roundup Judging, Troy Fairgrounds, 10a.m.-2 p.m. Frederick and Montgomery Counties (Maryland) Holstein and Brown Swiss Field Day, Frederick County Fair- grounds. American Society For Horticul- ture Science Conference and Exhibition, Sacramento, Fa-- Re^Bank larion County Fair, Rec Jam Valley Park, thru July 28, (814)275-3929. Lancaster County Youth Con servation School, northern Lancaster County, Game and Fish Protective Association’s club grounds, West Cocalico Twp., (717) 299-5361, ext. HameloFore Chase Golf Course, Stevens. Kimberton Community Fair, thru July 28, (610) 933-4566.. Shippensburg Community Fair Troy Fair, (570) 297-3648. National Institute On Coopera tive Education, Renaissance Hotel, Atlanta, GA., thru July 25. Wine Grape Crop Estimating and Thinning Workshop, Waltz Vineyard, Manheim, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Ohio Farm Tour: Agracola Farms, Van Wert, 10 a.m.- noon. Adams County Summer Twilight Meeting, Dean and Vince Lobaugh Farm, Aspers, 7 p.m. Annual Field Crop Diagnostic Clinic, Russell E. Larson Ag ricultural Research Center, ❖ Farm Calendar ❖ Rockspring, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., also July 26, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., (814) 865-2242. International Animal Agricul ture and Food Science Con ference, Indiana Convention Center and RCA Dome, Indi anapolis, Ind., thru July 28, (217)356-3182. Troy 4-H Dairy Show, 9 a.m. Field Crops Day, Ohio Ag Re search and Development Cen ter’s Northwest Branch, Custer, Ohio, (419) 257-2060. Southeastern Pennsylvania Re source Conservation and De velopment Council Meeting, Milford Township Building, Bucks County, 9:30 a.m. Somerset County Maryland Fair, thru July 29, (410) 651- 3426. Carroll County Maryland 4-H/ FFA Fair, Westminster Ag Center, (410) 848-3247. Jefferson Township Fair, Mercer County, (724) 662- 3310. Plainfield Farmers Fair, Northampton County, (610) 588-7041. Ornamental Pond Management Seminar, Central Maryland Research and Education Center, (410) 778-1661. Twilight Farm Market Work shop, Highland Orchards, West Chester, 7f).m. Garrett County Maryland Black and White Show, Garrett County Fairgrounds, McHenry, Md., 7:30 p.m. Penn Allied Nursery Trade Show, Fort Washington Expo Center, thru July 26. Penn State Estate Planning and Wealth Preservation For Farmers, Days Inn, Mead ville. Cecil County Maryland Ag Showcase, Cecil County Fair grounds, Fair Hill, Md., (410) 996-5280. Computer Spreadsheets For Agriculturalists, Lancaster Farm and Home Center, 9:30 a.m.-3 n.m., also Aug. 29. ast, (Turn to Page A 29) To Prevent Haymow Fires The best way to prevent haymow fires is to make sure the hay is dry enough before baling. Sometimes, however, the weather may tempt you to bale hay wetter than you should or you may discover after the crop is in the mow that it was wetter than you thought. Bob Anderson, agronomy agent in Lancaster, gives the following tips on monitoring the hay in your barn. All hay should be checked about 4 to 5 days after it is baled. Tem peratures up to 120 degrees are fairly typical and this is considered normal sweating. Most hay baled at 15 to 20 percent moisture will reach these temperatures. Generally hay at this tempera ture will not have a serious prob lem with quality losses but could have some mold and mustiness. At a temperature of 120 degrees you should be able to hold your hand or arm against the hay for 30 seconds. If you cannot keep your arm WHY LOVE HURTS Background Scripture: Hosea 11. Devotional Reading: Psalms 103:8-14. Pain almost always accompanies love. Some people choose not to let themselves love so that they will not experience its pain. Others keep themselves from loving too much so that their pain may be minimized. Yet it is inescapably evident that, if we will not risk pain, we will not know love and to miss love is much worse than es caping pain. We see this demonstrated in both the divine and human planes of love. God had every reason in the world to stop loving Israel be cause they rejected his love. Hosea masterfully compares God’s love for them and for us with the grace filled love of a parent for a child. “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt 1 called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me” (11:1,2). Anyone who is or has been a parent can understand what God is Lancaster Farming An Award-Winning Farm Newspaper • Keystone Awards 1993, 1995 • PennAg Industries 1992 • PACD Media Award 1996 • Berks Ag-Busmess Council 2000 • Recognized for photo excellence throughout the years by the Northeast Farm Communicators against the hay that tong, it’s time to get a thermometer and find out what the temperature really is. Temperatures between 120 and 150 degrees will cause protein and fiber to become less digestible. This hay may caramelize, giving it a strong sweet smell. Hay at this temperature should be stored in a manner that will allow the heat to dissipate from the stack. When the stack is large, it is a good idea to rearrange the stack to allow good air movement and cooling. When temperatures are between 135 and 160 degrees, hay requires constant monitoring to make sure that temperatures do not continue to rise. When temperatures reach 160 degrees, hay should be checked every 4 hours. When temperatures reach 195 degrees, spontaneous combustion is possible. Hay should be removed from storage buildings before this temperature is reached. To Apply For Century Farm Designation The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is accepting applica tions for the Century Farm Pro gram. To qualify, the farm must be owned by the same family for 100 consecutive years to the date of the application. A family member must live on the farm on a permanent basis. Additionally the farm must consist of at least 10 acres of the original holdings or gross more than $l,OOO annually from the sale of farm products. This program honors the family farm and the rural traditions of Pennsylvania that are important for the contin ued growth of the commonwealth. For applicants in Lancaster County, information about the pro gram, applications, and assistance in filling out the application may be obtained from the Lancaster County Cooperative Extension, (717) 394-6851. Century Farm nominees from Lancaster County whose applications are processed saying through Hosea. True love is given as a gift, not reward. Parents give love not because they are as sured of getting love back, but be cause it is in the nature of love to give without guarantee even though the children may not recog nize and respond to it. No Guarantee There is no guarantee in loving that the one to whom we give our love will respond to us with love. If you expect to receive back the love you give, what you are giving is not love. It is not the love that the parent God gives his children: “Yet it was I who taught Ephraim (Israel) to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they didn’t know that I healed them. I led them with cords of compassion... and I bent down to them and fed them” (11:3,4). No child can fully know or appreciate the love of parents. So it is with us and God. We hope our children will re spond to us with love and grati tude, but it is not part of the con tract. We may find that our children fail to respond, just as God finds us failing to respond to him: “My people are bent on turn ing away from me; so they are ap pointed to the yoke, and none shall remove it” (11:7) except the Lord himself. The consequence we bring upon ourselves in rejecting the Lord’s love is misery we bring upon our selves. It is our bent in turning away from the Lord whether or not we recognize it that is our own undoing. We sell ourselves into captivity: “They shall return to the land of Egypt (where they had been slaves), and Assyria shall be their king, because they have re fused to return to me” (11:5). by Sept. 21 will be honored at the Lancaster County Farm-City Ag Chamber Banquet Nov. 5. For Century Farm Applicants in other counties, applications and as sistance can be obtained directly from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture at (717) 787-5085. To Use A New Department Name To better reflect the scope of its work, the agronomy department in Penn State’s College of Agricultur al Sciences changed its name to the Department of Crop and Soil Sci ences July 1. According to A. J. Turgeon, in terim department head, the title was changed after extensive con sultation with faculty, alumni, and agricultural industry professionals. “We made the change for the sake of clarity,” Turgeon said. “Agronomy has always been about crop production and soil resources, but it is an older term that a lot of people aren’t familiar with. Many other departments changed their name for the same reason. “Our research and extension ac tivities in production agriculture, environmental stewardship, and land use policy won’t change. Our faculty have actively researched and trained graduate students in these areas for years. But, acknowl edging soil science in our depart ment name should enhance our ability to attract the best students. “Soil is the fundamental medi um that supports all of mankind’s activities,’ said Turgeon. “We grow our food in soil, build our buildings on it, play on it and dispose of our wastes in it. We will continue to conduct research and teach in areas important to the agriculture sector and all the citizens of the commonwealth.” Quote of the Week: “ You cannot help men perma nently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves. ” Abraham Lincoln Good Grief! No matter how often or far we run from God, it is his love for us that offers us a way back. “How can I give you up, O Ephraim! How can I hand you over, O Isra el!... My heart recoils within me, my compassion grows warm and tender” (11:8). God grieves over the loss of us and that grief is more powerful than his anger. Mortal parents may say, “Go and never come back,” but God says: “I will not execute my fierce anger, I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not man ... and I will not come to destroy” (11:9). So Hosea tells us that God grieves over our conscious or un conscious rejection of him. He promises us that God never stops loving us and always, like the Prodigal Son’s father, holds open the door for our return and, in fact, comes out and looks for us. Furthermore, if God’s love for us surmounts the pain we cause him, so we are called to love others with the same open-door policy. The very last we hear of Corner is when God says to the prophet: “Go again, love a woman who is beloved of a paramour and is an adulteress; even as the Lord loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods...” (3:1). So Hosea puts aside the pain she has caused him and buys her out of servitude, once again bringing her home just as God does with us and we are called to do with others. Lancaster Farming Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Ephrata Review Building 1 E. Main St. Ephrata, PA 17522 —by— Lancaster Farming, Inc. A Steirman Enterprise William J Burgess General Manager Andy Andrews, Editor Copyright 3001 by Lancaster Farming
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