OPINION
Signs Of Recovery?
Late last month the Equipment Manufacturers Institute (EMI) re
leased its “State of the Ag Industry Mid-Year Outlook,” a forecast for
retail sales of farm equipment.
EMI paints a positive picture for 2002, which, according to the in
stitute, looks “promising in most of the farm equipment categories.”
According to the outlook, U.S. retail sales forecast for all two- and
four-wheel-drive farm tractors in 2001 will show a slight increase in
sales of 0.9 percent compared to actual sales for 2000. Sales predic
tions for 2002 show a 3.9 percent increase compared to the 2001 fore
cast.
. Leading the way in tractor sales for 2001 are four-wheel-drive trac
tors (all sizes), which forecast an 11.6 percent increase over 2000.
However, the forecast for 2002 is not as favorable, according to EMI,
as manufacturers predict a 2 percent decease in sales.
Leading the two-wheel-dive farm tractors in sales for 2001 are those
ranging from 40-100 hp with a 1 percent increase over 2000, followed
by an even stronger sales prediction for the next year of S.S percent.
We find that economic times can be improving, apparently, for
smaller tractor manufacturers, garden tractors, with a huge horticul
tural and landscaping industry demand. Small landscaping firms are
sprouting up all over the place, and business seems brisk (despite a
nagging drought here in southeast Pennsylvania).
And for the general farm economy, EMl’s report is good news.
Additional good news comes from EMI regarding self-propelled
combines, round balers, planters, mower-conditioners, windrowers/
swathers, farm loaders, and air seeders/air drills. However, EMI ex
pects demand for rectangular balers, disk harrows, forage harvesters,
and manure spreaders to be down into next year.
Demand is expected to improve for chisel plows and field cultiva
tors for 2002.
Data were collected from 47 farm field and farmstead type equip
ment EMI member companies. For more information, contact EMI at
(312) 321-1470 or through the Internet at www.emi.org.
Bii'll'liTlii I'l I'llllWP
ingion County Ag ¥?■
thru Aug. 18.
Pa. Angus Summer Field Day,
ErReR Hill Farms, Friedens,
9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Lebanon County Master Gar
deners Select Annuals Class,
10 a. m.-noon, Lebanon
County Ag Center.
Southcentral Pa. Holstein Show,
Shippensburg Fairgrounds,
9:30 a.m.
Tioga County Holstein Show,
Fairgrounds, Whitneyville, 9
a.m.
Ohio Farm Profitability Tour,
Yoder Family Farm, Apple
Editor.
Maryland poultry growers
and poultry companies continue
their fight against “co
permitting” by fding requests
with the Maryland Department
of the Environment for con
tested case hearings.
By meeting the Aug. 8 filing
deadline, growers and compa
nies are seeking a review of co
permitting by the Maryland
Office of Administrative Hear
ings.
❖ Farm Calendar *:*
Creek, 2 p.m.
Kids’ Days On The Farm, Pa.
German Heritage Center,
Kutztown University, 10
a.m.-5 p.m.
ation Annual Picnic, Wind-
air,
song Farm, Burdett, N.Y.,
(607)546-2825.
Garret County, Md. Fair,
McHenry, thru Aug. 18, (301)
746-8285.
Bullskin Township Community
Fair.
Huntingdon Countv Fair.
(Turn to Page A 34)
❖ Farm Forum ❖
This is the first step in a legal
challenge to the new poultry
company wastewater discharge
permits that make Maryland’s
three poultry companies respon
sible for some of the environ
mental practices of farm
families that grow their chick
ens.
As proposed by the Maryland
Department of the Environ
ment, the three poultry compa
nies, through their wastewater
(Turn to Page A 34)
To Care For Next
Year’s Strawberry Crop
Late August and Early September
is when strawberries set their fruit
buds for next year’s crop. In the con
ventional production system, they
also produce additional runners dur
ing this period as well. There are sev
eral steps you can take to maximize
the potential of next year’s crop.
First, you need be irrigating to re
lieve the drought stress on the plants.
If water is short through this dry
weather, you may be tempted to skip
the strawberries, since there is no
fruit in the field at this time.
This would be a serious mistake
and will reduce the potential of next
year’s crop. Irrigation will relieve the
water stress, which will put the
plants in a good condition to produce
fruit buds.
The other step you should take
now is the second application of ni
trogen. You should have fertilized
with around 40 pounds of actual ni
trogen per acre in early July at reno
vation. If you did that, you should
now add an additional 20 pounds of
GOOD NEWS AND
BAD NEWS
Background Scripture:
Isaiah 7; 2 Kings 16;
2 Chronicles 28.
Devotional Reading;
Psalms 33:4-12.
This passage from Isaiah needs a
cast of characters and some textual
notes. Remember that on the death
of King Solomon, the nation of Saul,
David, and Solomon broke into two:
Israel, the larger kingdom in the
north, and Judah, the smaller king
dom in the south. In the times de
scribed in Isaiah 7, 2 Kings 16 and 2
Chronicles 28, Aha? (not to be con
fused with Ahab) is King of Judah
and Remaliah is king of Israel. Ahaz
is the grandson of King Uzziah who
reigned in Judah at the time when
Isaiah received his prophetic call (Is.
6). The ruling house of Judah is
called “the House of David” and
“Ephraim” is a name that is some
times used for Israel.
Now that we have that sorted, let’s
see what is happening.
' Israel, under the leadership of
Pekah, son of King Remaliah, and
Syria, under the leadership of Syrian
King Rezin, have attacked Jerusa
lem, the capital of Judah ,and have
been repulsed. We must assume that
the leaders of Judah did not at first
realize that the Israelites (Ephraim)
were in league with the powerful Syr
ians, for when that has become com
mon knowledge, even though Judah
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nitrogen per acre to give the plants
another boost. If you did not fertilize
at renovation, then add 40 pounds of
nitrogen per acre now.
If the current dry weather persists,
continue to irrigate through Septem
ber. When the temperatures drop in
the fall, strawberries resume vigorous
growth and it is important to remove
the water stress to enable the plants
to produce next year’s buds and run
ners.
To Visit The Pasto Agricultural
Museum At Ag Progress Days
“Six Thousand Years of Small
Grains" will be the featured theme at
the Pasto Agricultural Museum dur
ing Penn State’s Ag Progress Days
Aug. 14-16.
Visitors can see historic grain pro
duction items used for soil prepara
tion, sowing, harvesting/handling,
threshing, power, cleaning and grain
handling.
The collection begins with a
6,000-year-old clay sickle and con
cludes with a horse-drawn binder
and photographs of horse-drawn
combines, according to Darwin
Braund, museum curator. The latter
items are representative of those that
closed the human- and animal-power
era in most of the U.S. by the 19405.
“For centuries, the harvesting and
threshing of small grains required
more labor than growing them," said
Braund. “Thus, much attention was
paid to improving the harvest. It was
the most important event on Earth
every year.”
In the earliest days, the heads of
grain were handpicked from each
stalk, and then threshed by rubbing
them between the hands, explained
Braund. A flint stone with a sharp
edge was the earliest mechanized
cutter. Clay sickles were made in
areas with no stones.
Sickles made of bronze, an alloy of
copper and tin, followed the clay
models. They in turn were replaced
when the Iron Age made sharper
blades possible. New designs of the
tools improved efficiency in their use.
“A large timeline on the museum
wall will cover the 6,000 years and
describe the concurrent develop
ments in harvesting and threshing
small grains,” said Braund. “Visitors
will see a self-raking reaper (1830 s)
has successfully repulsed their at
tack, both King Ahaz and his people
are paralyzed with fear!
That’s amazing, isn’t it? After they
were successful in defending them
selves, then they became afraid. But
it happens sometimes, like Peter
obeying Christ’s commands to walk
on the waters of the Sea of Galilee.
But when he looks down and realizes
what he is doing, then he becomes
afraid and begins to sink! I have also
read historical accounts in which,
while in battle, soldiers seemed to
perform without fear, but, when it
was all over, suddenly fell apart. In a
somewhat less dramatic manner we
know there are times in our lives
when, after God has demonstrated
his love for us, we are strangely sus
ceptible to fear.
Do Not Fear
So God sends the Prophet Isaiah
to King Ahaz to reassure him that
God will not let Rezin and Pekah
and the allied armies of Syria and Is
rael prevail of Judah; “Take heed, be
quiet, do not fear, and do not let your
heart be faint because of these two
smoldering stumps of firebrand
s... It shall not stand, and it shall
not come to pass” (7:7).
You can’t get a much better guar
antee from the Lord that what you
fear will absolutely not happen. I
know that, if I were facing some
tragedy in my life and I got a mes
sage from God, saying “... it shall
not come to pass,” I would definitely
believe it no matter how fearful I
might be.
King Ahaz, however, cannot bring
himself to believe it, so Isaiah says to
him, “Ask a sign of th£ Lord your
God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as
heaven.” In other words, don’t hesi
tate to ask for something tremen
dous. “But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask,
and I will not put the Lord to the
test’” (7:10,11).
The first time I read these words
of Ahaz, 1 thought to myself, he said
the right thing. We’re not supposed
to put God to the test, to insist that
he jump through hoops for us. Isn’t
that what Jesus told “the tempter”?
and grain binder (19305) operating in
the museum, as well as a horse-tread
powered threshing machine (1870 s).”
To Support The Paste Agricultural
Museum’s Silent Auction
The second silent auction to sup-1
port Penn State’s Paste Agricultural!
Museum will be conducted during
Ag Progress Days, Aug. 14-15.
The auction will help generate
funds to preserve our rich heritage of
agriculture and rural living. Proceeds
will benefit the Penn State Ag Alum
ni Endowment for the Paste Agricul
tural Museum. More than 100 items,
from a baby llama to a new John
Deere lawn tractor, have been donat
ed, according to Darwin Braund,)
museum curator. “Buyers will find*
items to meet practically any interest,|
need, and checking account,” hei
said. \
Items include antique hand tools*
and furniture, newer and antique,
model tractors, a year’s supply of
Penn State Creamery ice cream,
meats from the University Meats
Lab, and gift certificates for tools,
dinners, perennial plants, seed corn,'
and shoes. *
Farm production items include'
bull semen, one ton of Agway calf
feed, tires for a farm wagon and
skid-steer loader, a galvanized farm'
gate, fence wire, dry cow treatments
for mastitis, a bam ventilation fan, a
6-foot diameter stock-watering tank,
alfalfa and com seed, and a four-year
subscription to Lancaster Farming.
Donations for fun and recreation
include Penn State football tickets,
Nittany Valley Symphony tickets, a
full day of fly fishing on the world
famous Spruce Creek trout stream in
Huntingdon County and a major
league baseball and baseball card,
both signed by Bellefonte native Eric
Milton, starting pitcher for the Min
nesota Twins.
So you can see everyone should be
able to find something of interest at
the silent auction. While at Ag Pro
gress Days, stop by the museum,
enjoy the exhibits, and bid on an item
of interest. 1
Quote of the Week:
“Don’t be afraid to go out on a
limb. That’s where the fruit Is. ” 1
Arthur Lenehaa
“... it is written, ‘you shall Out
tempt the Lord your God’” (Mt. 4:7jj
It sounds as if Ahaz is responding
with orthodox theology.
Ahaz. however, although*he re
plied to the challenge with sound
theology, was probably just using it
as an excuse to refrain from trustinf
the Lord. "When we read more of
Ahaz, as scholar R.B.Y. Scott puts it,
we realize “his idolatry, fearmlness,
unbelief, and disobedience to the di
vine word.” His fine-sounding reason
was simply a cover for his lack of
faith and trust. This is why, then,
Isaiah responds so vehemently, “Is it
too little for you to weary men. that
you weary my God also?” (7:13).
Ahaz exhausts the patience of both
God and men with his insipid faith.
Take My Word For It
That’s when Isaiah delivers both
the good news and the bad news of
God. The Good News; since Ahaz
will not designate a sign, God will
give him a very simple one a
young woman bearing a son and call
ing him Immanuel, a name that
means “God with us.” This is the
promise of the Lord, that he will be
with Judah despite the disbelief of
the king and some of his subjects.
Both Syria and Israel will suffer:
“For before the child knows how to
refuse the evil and choose the good,
the land before who two kings you
are in dread will be deserted. Terrible
consequences will fall upon these two
evil rulers.”
Now, the bad news: because Ahaz
was so disbelieving, grave conse
quences will be. suffered by Judah
also. “In that day every place where
there used to be a thousand vines,
worth a thousand shekels of silver,
will become briars and thorns”
(7:23). Faithlessness has its conse
quences, in the lives of nations and in
our lives as well.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Steinman Enterprise
William J. Burgess General Manager
Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2001 by Lancaster Farming