AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 1,2001 OPINION Hope All Is Fair \ And Reported Every once in a while we strive to provide a personal reflection on what may be a very common, widespread concern. Over the course of some time, we have witnessed a very interesting development: how time and again local media tend to either ignore the concerns of the farm community or get those concerns completely wrong. Often at the fairs we attend, we hear about how such and such weekly or daily newspaper in certain areas never covers the fair. Many never run 4-H or FFA happenings. When an event of particular inter est will suit and possibly benefit a wide range of readers, invariably the local media are not present. Why? That’s the question some of our staff receives. We may not have di rect, well-documented, correct answers, but we have our observations and beliefs. • One “belief’ the general public may have is that many small town newspapers, regional weeklies, and even the large dailies don’t cover ag events, particularly fairs, much anymore. (Fortunately, this is far from the case here in Lancaster, where most fair events get com plete coverage on a consistent basis. Maybe they listen to us, we don’t know.) Possibly it’s because ag in general is given low priority on the slugsheet (the sheet used to track headlines and reporters covering stories), handled by rookie reporters or stringers. We Consider this des perately unfortunate. • Belief number two, “positive ag news in general doesn’t get re ported.” Some in the general public believe some news media simply find reporting about agriculture either boring or Unappealing. We find that unprofessional attitude quite profound in its own juvenile, sim plistic way. • Three, “bad news sells newspapers.” Another myth, like the one above about good news not getting reported. Unfortunately for some daily and weekly general news media, they’ve obtained this cynical at titude somewhere, perhaps unintentionally. The bad news; sometimes they believe in and subscribe to this myth. • Four, “nothing can be done about ag news coverage.” This is completely, undeniably wrong. Every newspaper has a managing edit or. He or she is the one responsible for what the newspaper publishes. Seek that person out and talk to him or her. State your case, your rea sons, and reasonable editors will make the changes and you may find your event covered. Remember that there is a face behind what news gets reported. It isn’t some untouchable council or high assembly reporting out of some wordless monastery. It’s more like a tired, sometimes overworked, or dinary person who simply may have forgotten how important agricul ture is to the town and community. It’s a situation we believe can be fixed. J ❖ Farm Calendar ❖ Juniata County FairTthruSepT Mon Valley District 4-H Roundup, Westmoreland Number 17, Timonium Fair grounds. Editor. I would never have thought the Maryland and Virginia Co operative would have ever con sidered merging with Land O’Lakes. Up until now, I felt that I was in a very safe coopera tive. I thought that my mana gers and elected directors were very capable at running our co op. Since our recent change in Cambria County Fair, thru Sept. 8. Labor Day, Lancaster Farming office closed. Ox Hill Community Fair, thru Sept. 8 Spartansburg Community Fair, thru Sept. 8. (Turn to Page A4l) * Farm Forum ❖ management, I have seen more change just for the sake of change. I have felt more distress in the last two years than in the previous eight years of our membership, I believe that we have been manipulated and put in positions that we would not have beeh in because our leader ship has forgotten that they are working for our members and (Turn to Page A4l) To Harvest Corn Silage At The Proper Moisture Harvesting corn silage at the proper moisture is one of the most important steps in producing quali ty silage. The ideal moisture for your operation will be determined by what kind of storage structure you will use. For sealed airtight silo,s the ideal range is 60-65 per cent; for upright silos, 63-68 per cent; and for bunker silos, 65-70 percent moisture is the desired range. Ideally, one should monitor moisture during harvest to stay within the optimum moisture range. If this is not practical, you can monitor moisture by the stage of crop development. There is a simple method you can use to determine this optimum stage for harvesting your com si lage. When the kernels reach early dent stage, a separation can be seen between kernel starch and milk. Take an ear and snap it in half. You will see the firm starch depos ited in the outer part of the kernel while the milk will occupy the base THE PROOF IS IN THE TASTING Background Scripture: John 2:1-11. Devotional Reading: Psalms 77:11-15. The incidents recorded in John’s gospel may be read on sev eral different levels of meaning. This episode often serves as a scriptural blessing on the institu tion of Christian marriage. It is also a story that gives us some in sight into the relationship between Jesus and his mother. On a meta phorical level John is telling us that the “new wine” of Jesus is su perior to the sacramental waters of the Jewish purification ritual. John also speaks of this as “the first of his (Jesus’) signs.” We may mentally translate “signs” into the more common term “miracles,” but that word occurs only 12 times in the RSV Bible and none in any of the four gospels. Ancient peoples had no concept of scientific laws and thus no concept of “miracle.” As a boy I used to love to read the rhymed Burma Shave signs along the road “Joe said... his car couldn’t skid ... This monu ment shows... it could ... and did!... Burma Shave.” These red and white signs and their humor ous verse were not intended to be the message. The message was 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 of the kernel. This gives the ap pearance of a whitish line separat ing the two areas. As the kernels continue to ma ture, the milk line moves down the kernels. When this line reaches the midpoint, 90 percent of the kernel dry weight has been achieved. When the milk line reaches the base of the kernel, a black layer is formed separating the kernel starch from the cob and the crop is mature. When the crop reaches full dent and the milk line first appears, the crop is usually about 70 percent moisture. When the milk line reaches the midpoint, silage yields should be at their maximum and the moisture is at 65 percent. When the milk line reaches the base of the kernel, the crop moisture is usually about 60 percent. By ob serving the development of the milk line, one can determine opti mum harvest time. The one limitation of this meth od is the weather variation. If you have experienced extremely wet or dry conditions for a few weeks be fore harvest, the moisture can vary by as much as 5 percent from the predictions given above. To Eliminate Mosquito Breeding In Tires Used To Cover Bunk Silos Bunk silos are a very efficient way to store silage and numerous tires are used to hold the plastic tarps which cover them. The recent arrival in this country of the mos quito-borne West Nile Virus has raised awareness of the importance of eliminating mosquito-breeding areas around the farm. Jay Smoker, the West Nile Virus Program coordinator in Lancaster County, suggests that if you are still using whole tires to cover your bunk silos, this would be a good time to consider exchanging them. Old tires lying around can contrib ute to the mosquito problem around the farm. Mosquitoes can breed in any standing or stagnant water. Tires and tire piles can produce a large crop of mosquitoes in a short time. “buy Burma Shave.” So it was with the wondrous works of Jesus. They were not the message, but the t power and glory of God manifest in Jesus was. Levels Of Meaning In the 35 years that I have been writing this column, I have ad dressed this passage many times. Still, each time I read it, something pops out that I had not thought of or fully explored previously. For example, Mary’s simple statement to her son, “They have no wine” (v. 3). Why would Mary have said this to Jesus? Was she simply reporting on what had hap pened to the celebration, or was she in expectation that her son could do something about it? I doubt that Mary expected him to turn water to wine or had any idea just how he could alleviate this crisis, but there is in it a tone of expectancy. I have sometimes thought that, for his “first sign,” Jesus might have picked a more important cri sis than the host’s embarrassment when the wedding celebration lasted longer than his supply of wine. But it also occurs to me that Cana stands as a reminder that nothing in my life is too trivial to God in prayer. If a mere wedding feast was not too unimportant for God’s concern, then there have cer tainly been lots of things that I have not shared with God in pray er because 1 thought them not worthy enough. I am also intrigued at Jesus’ re sponse, “O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour is not yet come.” This reply could be taken as a rebuke, but to me it sounds like some of the subtle playful ban ter between two persons who know and understand each other pretty well. Whatever his intention, her instruction to the servants indicates that Mary and Jesus have under stood each other quite well; “Do whatever he tells you.” There are no natural predators such as fish or other aquatic life to eat the larvae in the tires. Also, the warm autumn sun beating on the tires accelerates the life cycle. Bits of silage or other or ganic debris found in the tires pro vides an ideal decaying food source for the developing mosquitoes. In addition to being a nuisance around animals and humans, some species of mosquitoes carry the West Nile virus. They circulate around the animals, the female mosquitoes looking for a blood meal to fertilize their eggs. Infected females can transmit the virus to humans. The best method of control is to eliminate standing water around the farm where mosquitoes breed. In bunk silos, the way to solve this problem is to use cut tires. Not only are halves easier and lighter to handle, water will not accumulate in them when turned upside down. Other advantages: there is no muck and they can be conveniently stacked. Some tire recyclers now use a process called bageling where they cut the tire in three parts. The re sulting sidewall looks like a bagel, thus the name. These sidewalls are very desirable for covering bunks. They are flat and tend to have fewer problems with protruding wires. The cost for these sidewalls is $.90 to $l. Perhaps you may be able to ar range a swap. Take the old tires and bring home the sidewalls. You will want to check prices first with the tire-recycling dealer. Expect a fee to get rid of old tires as well. If you consider the cost in relation to the reduced health risk for humans and animals, the balance will be positive for your operation. For more information on where to acquire split tires, contact Jay Smoker in the Lancaster County extension office at (717)-394-6851 or e-mail jaysmoker@psu.edu. Quote of the Week: “No race can prosper ’til it teams that there is as much dig nity in tilling a field as in writ ing a poem. ” Booker T. Washington Mary’s Confidence Note that Mary never said to Jesus that he should run out and buy some more wine, much less suggest that he turn the water into wine. She doesn’t presume to tell him how to solve this problem, but she is confident that he can do something. This high expectancy must cer tainly been an important factor in what follows. Jesus tells the ser vants, “ ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them to the brim.” That done, he instructs them again: “Now, draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast.” Up to now they had no way of knowing what Jesus was doing and no guarantee that their obedience would bring them anything but hu miliation and censure. But Mary’s expectancy was con tagious and, although they under stood nothing of what was going on or how it would end, they did as they were told. On a rudimentary level this is faith taking the risk to act on a promise or assurance. 1 have no way of knowing if this “sign” would have occurred if Mary had not come expecting her son, if he had not reacted to this need with compassion, and if the servants had not done as they were told. But this incident, I believe, is instructive for us and our relation ship to God in Christ. Prayers that are not expectant are not really prayers. We can not often know how God will help us, but we need to live in expectation that he will and discover for ourselves that the proof of the promise is to be found in the tasting. 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
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers