l-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 25,2001 0 OPINION Miles Of Copy We've learned how fragile our hold on life can be, with the death early this week of former and longtime Lancaster County Extension Director John Schwartz, who contributed what can only be measured in the miles of copy, that is. His contributions to Lancaster Farm ing can’t go unnoticed. A half generation of readers participated in his work, with John’s weekly dedication to writing Now Is The Time (he never missed a deadline). His contributions to our story-gathering, providing story tips, allowing us to attend countless Penn State gatherings, informing us of important happenings, and the untold way he influenced how we gathered the news... it’s a Herculean task, at least, to recall all he has done for the editorial staff and readers of Lancaster Farming. I remember John mostly for the countless Penn State Poultry Health and Management Seminars, still ongoing almost monthly, at Kreider’s Restaurant in Manheim. Of course, John was instrumental in helping us cover the Poultry Progress Days seminar every March in Lancaster, in addition to the long-past Northeast Poultry Conference, and in past Poultry Sales and Service Conference meetings at Penn State. He also contributed Poul try Pointers columns for our paper. I remember attending a Lancaster Cooperative Extension banquet a few years ago when John was still extension director in Lancaster. As part of his duties, he addressed those in attendance. He re cited numbers I seem to remember something about how many people attended the meetings and the number of articles about cooperative extension, many of which appeared here. It was then I real ized how much extension meant to our paper, how critical their work, and his work, was to ours. One final thought: what stands out most about John was that he was one of the few people I knew who began and ended a meeting right on time. He was a stickler for timeliness this made a perfect match for his “Now Is The Time” contributions. We’re proud to be able to honor him mostly for his work as columnist, for his countless editorial contributions to Lancaster Farming, and for his contributions to farming in general. Editor: I find it a privilege in my role as regional director to write let ters of recommendation and commendation for many of the staff in our organization. While I have never before experienced the loss through death of an ap^r Pa^ufldofCranOT« Craft Fair, Shawnee-On-The- Delaware, thru Aug. 26. Seven Springs Wine and Food Festival, Champion, (800) 452-2223, ext. 7757. New Hampshire Pork Producer - Council Meeting, Musterfleld Farm Day, Sutton, N.H. Farm City Day, Laurie and Rob Todd Farm, Lansing, N.Y., 11 a.m.-4 p.m.. (607) 272-2292. __ IndlanaO- Fair, thru Se' 1. ounty Manure Management Field (Turn to Page A 34) active extension agent, the recent unexpected loss of a col league and friend, Dr. John Schwartz, prompts me to write this letter to share publicly some aspects of a man’s life that has certainly touched and influ- (Turn to Page All) STILL TIME! Background Scripture: 2 Kings 17;1-2J. Devotional Reading: Exodus 20:1-16. Many years ago, while I was teach ing a confirmation class, a teen-ager told me he was confused about sin and forgiveness. There were times when he sought God’s forgiveness, he told me, but he didn't feel forgiven because he still was paying the consequences of his sin. •ept. Lots of people, I believe, share this young man’s consternation. Confessing and repenting our sins does give God the opportunity to give us the most im portant gift we can seek of him; forgiv eness, the restoration of our relation Agriculture lost a friend and en thusiastic supporter when Dr. John Schwartz passed away unexpected ly August 20. John worked tireless ly to promote agriculture. Virtually all of John’s adult life he served in a number of assignments with Penn State Co operative Exten sion. John Schwartz In recent years John shared on numerous occasions with this staff the importance of balancing work and family commitments. I re spected him greatly for demon strating this in his own life when he stepped down as Lancaster County extension director, a position he loved and fulfilled with all his en ergy, to the take the director posi tion in York County. Since John lived in York, this change allowed him to spend more time with his family. Sadly he only had several months to enjoy this extra time at home. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to his wife Kathryn and chil dren Katie and John. ship with our Creator. But that doesn’t mean that because we are forgiven the situation is magically repaired. Sin causes other consequences; the damage to ourselves and others. God does not promise to cancel the consequences. If we have sinned against another person, God will forgive us if we re pent, but we may end up with a rup tured relationship that may never be healed. If we drive too fast and have an accident that cripples another person for life, God’s forgiveness does not au tomatically set aside the tragic result of our carelessness. Sin costs dearly! That is what the people of Israel found too late and the hardest of ways. Their humiliation and virtual ex tinction at the hands of the Assyrians were the natural consequences of the willful, arrogant lives they had been liv ing. The writer of 2 Kings tells us of Ho shea, the King of Israel, that “he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him” (17:2). It is a curious pas sage. because the writer says that he was sinful, but not as sinful as most of the kings who had preceded him. I don't know if Hoshea would have taken comfort in knowing that he was not the most evil king of Israel, but it was a dubious distinction. The bottom line is that Hoshea, while not the most evil king, was evil To Remember John Schwartz He began his career working on the extension staff in Adams and Chester counties and later served as a regional poultry agent. He was known by many for his efforts during his 10-year tenure as Lancaster Coun ty extension di rector, including writing this col umn. John was very committed to youth devel opment and strongly support ed the 4-H pro gram. Natural Consequences John also served in numerous capacities at his church, Advent Lutheran Church in York. He served as usher, senior high Sun day school teacher, Christian Edu cation committee member, and fi nance committee member. Brent Landis, agricultural serv ices manager for the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce, worked closely with John and shares the following memories: “John joined the agriculture committee of The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry in 1991. John served with a strong devotion on the agri culture committee for nearly 10 years. He was a major contributor to nearly every sub-committee dur ing his tenure, including the forma tion of the Farm Business School, Family Farm Days, Clean & Green regulations, nutrient management legislation, Agriculture Industry Banquet, township agriculture edu cation, and the ‘Lancaster Farming Facts’ brochure, along with many other areas. “John brought dynamic leader ship to the agriculture industry in Lancaster County. His extensive knowledge of almost every area of agriculture, complimented with his personal approach, made him a strong consensus builder among people. John was always the per son I turned to when facing a diffi cult decision or when searching for wisdom for future planning. His opinion was highly respected by our agriculture community. “He was always very involved in the ag community’s outreach and education. John loved to put on a chefs hat and make omelets for the Chamber’s Board Farm Break fast. During Family Farm Days, you would find him with the chick hatching display, educating chil dren about a newborn chick.” Tom Stouffer, president of Lan caster Farmland Trust, also worked closely with John and shares the following comments: “John Schwartz became a trustee of Lancaster Farmland Trust in December 1994. In 1996 he was elected secretary and joined the ex ecutive committee. From Decem ber 1997 until the end of November 2000, he was chairman of the board of trustees. “1 believe John’s leadership dur ing his entire period of board serv ice was instrumental in keeping the organization’s focus on preserva tion as it related to the needs of Lancaster County agriculture. John’s approach to problem-solv ing always took into account the wants and needs of the people in volved or affected. This was more than just organizational political savvy. Rather, John cared about others, and he always sought solu tions that respected others. He was unafraid of controversy, yet he spoke ill of no one, and he facilitat- enough to bring terrible consequences upon the northern kingdom. Sargon 11, the King of Assyria, says that he car ried away info captivity 27,290 inhabit ants of Israel who were scattered in far away places. History lost track of these people and the ten tribes are often re ferred to as “the ten lost tribes of Isra el.” The name of the land changed from “Israel” to “Samaria” and Israel disappeared from world history from that moment on, 722 B.C. We can feel sorry for them and re gret the final outcome, but we can see that they brought these terrible conse quences on themselves by arrogantly living and worshipping in the customs of the pagans whom God had subdued. Again and again, God had sent them prophets and the plainest possible warnings; “Turn from your evil ways and keep my commandments and my statutes..(l7:l3,). Time To Repent God was giving them an opportuni ty, not only for forgiveness, but to es cape the terrible consequences that lay in wait for them. “But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been ... They went after false idols, and became false, and they followed the nations that were round about them” (17:14. IS). Worst of all, they in dulged in the sacrifice of their own chil dren —• with the best of intentions, of course... ed realistic conflict resolution. Sim ilarly, because he understood or ganizations, he appreciated the challenges and opportunities of the day-to-day business activities of the Trust. When he spoke, we listened carefully, and usually heeded! “John was a strong advocate of farmland preservation. He often pointed out that Lancaster Count> could be the next Los Angeles County if it did not emphasize the permanent stewardship of its fertile farmland. He supported our efforts at the Trust, and he used his influ ence to support the growth of county and state preservation pro grams. As much as any other single individual, 1 believe he was respon sible for bringing farmland preser vation into the mainstream of Lan caster County agriculture. “John was my mentor. He edu cated me in the ways of agricul ture, particularly in Lancaster County, and he assisted me in my role as leader of the Lancaster Farmland Trust staff. 1 always sought his advice and insight, and he never let me down. I am one of very many who will sorely miss him.” Jim Shirk, with Penn Ag Indus tries and the Poultry Council, re members John’s tireless efforts on the behalf of that industry. “The poultry growers and processors in Pennsylvania have been especially fortunate to have John’s dedication to their industry. John was a cat alyst for distributing and creating knowledge plucked from research around the world that had a posi tive impact and a practical applica tion for our poultry industry. His personal mission to improve poul try efficiency and profitability re sulted in an annual Poultry Pro gress Day, monthly poultry health seminars, and attending countless association meetings that kept growers on the leading edge of pro duction technology, food safety, and environmental stewardship. “With his sharp eye for econom ics and politics, John advised the poultry industry on how to main tain a balance of profitability and community involvement that will keep the industry viable for generations to follow. We will truly miss his insight, vision, and passion for poultry as we move into the fu ture he has helped us to see.” John served as my mentor as well for the last 10 years. His en couragement and investment in my life were major factors in my deci sion to accept the invitation to fol low in his footsteps as Lancaster County extension director. He presence and encouragement will surely be missed. Quote of the Week: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. ” —Jesus (Matthew 5:4) It is hard to believe that a people could be so headstrong and rebellious. Of course, they didn’t see themselves that way, just as today people would be shocked to see themselves categorized that way. “Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight; none was left but the tribe of Judah only” (17:18). So, at least there was Judah. The southern kingdom of David could prof it by the intransigence of Israel. They could but they didn’t; “Judah also did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the cus toms which Israel had introduced.” It would take another 136 years for Judah to go the same way as Israel, but in 586 8.C., Judah also was humiliated and carried into captivity. Why didn’t these people ever learn? Why don’t we while there is still time? 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 Burgees General Manager Andy Andrews, Editor Copyright 2001 by Lancaster Farming
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