AlO-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, October 6,2001
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OPINION
All Her Daughters
In the fall of 1998, this editor had the welcome and exciting oppor
tunity to cover the Pennsylvania State Dairy Princess pageant at the
Four Points Sheraton in Harrisburg. I watched Nichole Meabon, the
incumbent princess (how do you refer to them? Outgoing princess?
Year-present royalty? Predecessor princess?), offer the state tiara to
Jennifer Dotterer. I had a lot of fun taking photos of the outgoing and
the new princess, each in tears. I’m sure Jennifer and Nichole will
long remember the life-changing events of their reigns.
But equally strong in my memory are the Pennsylvania Dairy Prin
cess Promotion Program (PDPPS), which this newspaper has always
and wholly endorsed, and its director, Jan Harding.
At the pageant, if memory serves me correctly, I remember Jan,
who seemed to be trying to hold back tears, talk eloquently about her
“daughters.” I was wondering, what do daughters have to do with a
pageant? Then, of course, as slow as an editor may sometime seem, it
struck me: she’s being honest when she speaks about her “daughters.”
She meant her dairy princesses. Throughout all the (at that time up to
about 14 years) as executive director, Jan really thought of them truly,
through all the years of their “grooming” as dairy princesses and as
beautiful young women, her “daughters.”
Jan is retiring, but will continue to serve as consultant. Under her
leadership, 612 county princesses, 513 county alternates, and 1,388
junior promoters, influencing a total of 2,513 young people, achieved
dairy promotion.
At the past dairy princess pageant, also at the Four Points Shera
ton, new executive director Junia Isiminger said, “I have big shoes to
fill.”
Jan, along with former directors Bev Minor and Wanda Yoder, re
ceived awards during that banquet a couple of weeks ago.
Jan will be feted Sunday, Oct. 14, at the Rockspring Ag Progress
Days site. For those years of supreme and sublime dedication to the
program, and for all her “daughters,” and for those who admired her
work, we hope you can attend.
It was always a pleasure to work with Jan, the many times her
“daughters” visited our office for the annual Dairy Month drawing
and as part of the thousands of dairy promotions Lancaster Farming
has been part of. We wish her the best. The words “THANK YOU,
JAN” cannot be written large enough, with a big enough tyfte size, or
with enough meaning to convey thanks from all of us here at Lancas
ter Farming.
❖ Farm Calendar ❖
Fall Fiber Festival and Montpel
icr Sheep Trials, Historic
Montpelier Station, Va.
Harvest Fest In the City, Indus
trial and Agricultural
Museum, York, (717) 848-
1587 or (717) 843-4411.
HORSES Pasture Walk, Piper’s
Run, Glenwood, Md., 9:30
a.m.-noon.
Rabies Clinic, Mason-Dixon
Fairgrounds, Delta, 2 p.m.-4
p.m.
Pa Apple and Cheese Festival,
Manley Bohlayer Farm, East
Canton.
Goat Grazing Field Day,
Schuyler County, N.Y., (607)
753-5077.
West Central N.Y. Wool Pool,
Canaseraga, N.Y., (716) 624-
5951.
National Apple Harvest Festi
val, South Mountain Fair
grounds, Arendtsville, thru
Oct. 7 and Oct. 13-14, 6 p.m.,
.aratoga, . . iber /our,
seven farms, Cornell Exten
sion Service. (518) 885-5995
Manheim Community Farm
Show, thru Oct. 12.
Poultry Management and
Health Seminar, Kreider’s
Restaurant, Manheim, noon.
Obstacle Course, Ludwig’s
Corner Riding and Driving
Club, Marsh Creek Park,
Eagle.
7th Annual John Deere Antique
Tractor and Implement
Show, St. Peter’s Church, Ma-
al AgrAbUp^ra^
ationa. *grAbility Train
ing Workshop, Harrisburg,
(610)378-1327.
Dairy Feeder’s Workshop,
Meadow Woods Farm, Leba
non, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m., (717)
840-7408.
Nutrient Management Certifica
tion Exam, Pa. Dept, of Agri
culture, Harrisburg, 9 a.m.-
noon.
Nutrient Management Certifica
tion Exam, Penn State ASI
Building, 9 a.m.-noon.
Dairy Farm Bill Workshop,
Flamingo Reno Hotel, thru
Oct. 10,(607)255-1406.
Fall Sprawl 11, Planning and
Management of Change in
Southcentral Pa., Franklin
and Marshall College, Lan
caster, 9a.m.-1 p.m.
Power of Positive Expectations,
Wildwood Conference
Center, Harrisburg Commu
nity College, 8:30 a.m.-4:30
p.m.
Dairylea Cooperative Annual
Meeting, Holiday Inn, Liver
pool, thru Oct. 10.
Land Use and Growth Manage
ment Symposium, Franklin
(Turn to Page A t
To Complete Wheat
And Barley Plantings
Much-needed rains have delayed
small grain planting in many parts
of Pennsylvania. Ideally wheat and
barley plantings should be com
pleted in most of Pennsylvania by
the end of the first week in Octo
ber. Later plantings can still be suc
cessful, however, with a higher
seeding rate.
The desired population for win
ter barley and wheat is 1.5 million
per acre (28 to 34 plants per square
feet). This requires a seeding rate
of approximately 96 pounds per
acre for barley and 90-120 pounds
for wheat. These seeding rates are
adequate if you are seeding under
ideal conditions; however, the rates
should be increased for seeding
under poor conditions. When seed
ing later than the suggested dates,
increase the seeding rate by 30 per
cent.
Remember, the seeding rate
should be based on the number of
seeds per acre rather than pounds
per acre.
Refer to your owner’s manual to
PUT OUT
YOUR HAND
Background Scripture:
Exodus 3:1 through 4:17.
Devotional Reading:
Exodus 4:10-16.
When I was in my first pastorate
in the suburbs of Harrisburg one
day on the way to call in the hospi
tal, I saw a woman hit by a car. As
I pulled over to the curb, I was sure
that she had not survived, for she
had been thrown into the air and
came down with a terrible thud. I
had always been squeamish about
physical injuries.
The sight revolted me. So, I as
sumed that on this busy street
there would be someone less
squeamish and more knowledge
able to do whatever needed to be
done before an ambulance arrived.
But, although several other peo
ple looked on with me, none made
a move to go to the fallen woman’s
side.
At last, I realized that if any
thing was going to be done, it
would have to be me. So, for the
first time in my life, I put aside my
abdominal butterflies and knelt be
side the bloodied woman to do
whatever I could do.
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
determine the proper setting for
your drill to achieve the appropri
ate seeding rate. Sow the seed 1.5
to 2 inches deep and make sure
your equipment is covering the
seed. Maintain a uniform seeding
depth. Shallow seedings cause poor
stands.
Satisfactory yields depend on
having approximately 40 heads per
linear foot of row when winter bar
ley or wheat is planted in 7-inch
rows. To achieve this, you need a
stand of 18 to 20 plants per foot of
row. Winter grain plants have the
ability to increase tiller production
as the population is reduced. This
reduces the effect of low popula
tions on yield. However, popula
tions can be reduced to the point
that the land area should be re
planted into another crop later in
the spring. This occurs when about
a 50 percent stand, or 9 to 10
plants per linear foot of row, re
mains.
To Use Treated
Small Grain Seed
Seed- and soil-borne diseases
may reduce wheat, barley, oat, and
other small grain yields. Principal
diseases include seed decays, seed
ling blights, and loose and covered
smuts. Seed treatment with a pro
tectant fungicide increases stands,
improves seedling vigor, and elimi
nates covered smut of wheat and
barley as well as loose and covered
smut of oats.
Treatment with the proper sys
temic fungicide eliminates loose
and covered smut of wheat, barley,
and oats, and prevents damage
from seed decay and seedling
blights.
For example, grain yield losses
from loose smut are directly pro
portional to the percentage of
smutted heads. Ten percent loose
smut heads in a wheat field mean a
10 percent yield loss. Carboxin (Vi
tavax), a systemic fungicide, pro
vides excellent control of loose
smut of barley or wheat. Other ma
terials provide control of seed de
cays, seedling blights, and covered
smuts, but not loose smut of barley
Miradulously, she was still alive,
although 1 was sure she could not
long survive. Nevertheless, later
that same day in the hospital I saw
her again and was told that she
would recover and live.
An 80-Year-Old Failure
I must confess that putting out
my hand that day to touch her was
one of the hardest things I had ever
done.
But, it seemed, I had no choice
because no one else was going to do
it and I knew that someone had to
at least try. I had no idea how I
could be of help to her, but that all
became pretty academic when I
put out my hand and did what I
thought, for me, was impossible, I
have since come to realize that
most the worthwhile things in the
world have been accomplished by
people who were just as scared as I
was, and just as certain they were
, not equal to the task.
Today, we celebrate Moses as a
great man of faith, but we overlook
the fact that he was certain that he
was not the man for the job. Up
until the time of this great wayside
experience, Moses had not demon
strated any leadership or spiritual
sensitivity. And, most important of
all, something we usually overlook
when this challenge came to him,
he was already 80 years old, an age
long past the point at which people
today think they can be of any
service.
I Will Turn Aside
So, what made the difference be
tween this 80-year-old failure and
the man of faith we revere today?
For one thing, Moses made the
change possible when, seeing the
burning bush, he said to himself, “1
will turn aside and see this great
sight, why the bush is not con
sumed” (Exodus 3:).
or wheat. Fungicide formulations
are available for use in commercial
treating machines and, in some
cases, other formulations are avail
able for use in farm drill boxes. In
general, treating machines provide
more uniform seed treatment. If
such service is not available, a drill
box treatment may control diseases
effectively.
Baytan (triadimenol), a recently
registered seed treatment, sup
presses early season powdery mil
dew and leaf rust fungi infection.
In years of moderate foliar disease
pressure, seed treatment with Bay
tan may eliminate the need for a
foliar fungicide spray. In seasons of
severe foliar disease pressure, Bay
tan seed treatment allows more ef
fective use of fungicide sprays by
delaying the onset of infection.
Baytan can only be applied with
commercial seed treating equip
ment.
To Scout Fields
For Corn Stalk Rot
Dr. John Ayers in the Penn State
Plant Pathology Department rec
ommends evaluating your com
fields now to determine which ones
have the greatest potential to de
velop stalk rot.
Averaged over a number of
years, stalk rot is clearly the most
important disease limiting yields in
Pennsylvania com fields. Anything
that stresses a com plant can in
crease the potential for stalk rot.
Moisture stress was a major fac
tor this year in Pennsylvania and
this contributes to stalk rot inci
dence. Additionally, diseases such
as northern leaf blight and gray
leaf spot also contribute to stress
and can result in increased stalk
rot as well. Growers should scout
fields for diseases and make har
vest plans to minimize losses be
cause of downed com. Stalk rot not
only results in harvest losses, it can
cause problems the following grow
ing season because of volunteer
plants from ears left in the field.
Quote Of The Week:
“if passion drives you, let rea
son hold the reins. ”
Benjamin Franklin
Probably that one decision is
what most differentiates us from 1
Moses. Too many of us would have
said, and do say today, “Hmm,
isn’t that strange!” and kept going.
God has a message for each of us,
but we will never hear that mes
sage unless we are willing to “turn
aside and see,” to give God a
chance to speak from some of the
“holy ground” in our own lives.
Perhaps another reason that
God was able to reach Moses was
that when he was challenged, he
was honest about his doubts and
reservations. When God proposed
to send Moses to Pharaoh as his
representative, Moses did not beat
around the burning bush: “Who
am I that I should go to Pharaoh
and bring the sons of Israel out of
Egypt?” (3:11). And: “But behold,
they will not believe me or listen to
my voice... “Oh, my Lord, I am
not eloquent... I am slow of
speech and tongue” (4:10). And fi
nally: “Oh, my Lord, send, I pray,
some other person” (4:13).
And because Moses was upfront
with his reactions, God was able to
deal with them. To every objection
Moses raised, the answer is found
in God’s reassurance: “But I will be
with you” (3:12).
None of us, by ourselves, is equal
to the tasks God lays upon us. We
may not have all it takes to do
what has to be done. But if we give
God what we have, he will make
up the difference. If we trust him,
we can, if we will, respond when he
says to us: “Put out your hand ...”
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Panning, Inc.
A Stemman Enterprise
William J. Burgess General Manager
Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2001 by Lancaster Farming