AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 13,2001
OPINION
A Way Out
Lou Moore, well-known and respected Penn State economist, noted
that the “best efforts” were under way to avoid a recession.
As of Oct. 2, there were six interest rate cuts (an eight-year low),
consumer prices were low (only up 2.7 percent), unemployment stood
at 4.9 percent (good historically), oil prices were stabilized and falling,
the consumers kept the economy afloat, and gross domestic product
was up 0.2 percent.
“We had actually avoided a recession until the events of Sept. 11,”
Moore noted. “Now I believe a recession is a certainty.”
With the interest rate cut of Oct. 2, “the rates are the lowest in 40
years,” Moore noted. “This will help spur the economy, but it will take
a while. Probably not until next year will we see any growth.”
With all the events since that horrifying date of 9-11, the chaotic
nature of the stock market, layoffs and “ripple effect,” Moore noted,
even ag is affected.
For the ag economy, there has been too much grain production,
keeping prices down. Though the general ag economy still seems “un
moved” by the Sept. 11 event, Moore noted, exports still remain slug
gish, government supports are in question, and overall “farm income
suffering,” for some, continues.
Is there are a way out for agriculture? Perhaps the headway being
made in establishing a Mid-Atlantic ethanol facility, or groups of fa
cilities, could spur better com prices. But for our increasing depend
ence on ag exports this may be on hold until the war is resolved.
And the resolution of this war is unclear, though it seems certain, un
fortunately, more innocent lives will be lost.
/ /
* Farm Calendar ❖
Leesport,
larvest raft
thru Oct. 14,
air,
Fall Antique Tractor Pull,
Mason-Dixon Fairgrounds,
Delta.
Pumpkin Chunkin and Fall Fes
tival, York Expo Center,
Farm and Natural Land
Trust, York County, (717)
843-4411.
Beef and Forage Day, Eastern
Ohio Resource Development
Center, Caldwell, Ohio, (740)
732-2682.
Pa. Planning Association Con
ference, Genetti’s Best West
ern Hotel.
Wyoming County Sheep and
Wool Producers Association
Annual Meeting, United
Methodist Church, 6:30 p.m.
Ohio State Tree Farm Program
Tour, La whom Tree Farm, 9
a.m.-4 p.m.
Angus Association Fall Moun
tain Classic Sale, Previous
Mill Trail Farms, show 10:30
a.m., sale 1 p.m., (304) 472-
6828.
Hedgeapple Farm Field Day,
Buckeystown, Md.
Pa. Guild of Craftsmen’s Fall
State Craft Fest, and eval and
certified appraiser, Oct. 13-
14, Tyler State Park, Rich-
boro, noon-4 p.m.
Northwest Pa. Sheep and Wool
Growers’ Meeting, Woodcock
Township Building, Mead
il(^miJ724)6&Wl4l.
Gath
ering, Ag Progress Days Spe
cial Events Building,
Rockspring, 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Equine Infectious Disease Sym
posium For Veterinarians and
Horse Owners, Loudoun Hos
pital Center, Leesburg, Va.,
Dairy Success (MEDS) Work
shop, consecutive Mondays,
mm ww +u -mm mwn w
Altoona, (888) 373-PADA.
Berks County Extension Open
House and Annual Meeting,
Berks County Ag Center,
Leesport, 3:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.,
(610)378-1327.
Omoßeef and Forage Day,
Eastern Ohio Resources De-
velopment Center, Caldwell,
Ohio, (740) 732-2682.
Dillsburg Community Fair, thru
Oct. 20.
Lancaster 4-H Recognition
Night, Four Seasons, Landis
ville, 6:30 p.m.
World Food Day Teleconfer
ence, aired from Penn State
Lycoming County, Montours-
ville, noon-3 p.m.
Public Briefing From PMMB,
Majority Caucus Room 156
CB, 10 a.m.-ll:30 a.m.
Ephrata Area Young Farmers
9th Grade Mentoring Meet
ing, Ephrata High School,
7:30 p.m.. (7171721-9274.
PastureV7mKr<^^^^->ve^
anyon
stock Company, Jim and Beth
Weaver.
ADA District Meeting, Cha
teaugay American Legion,
Chateaugay, N.Y., 7:30 p.m.
Penn State Animal Science Pro
spective Students Open
house, thru Oct. 18, (814) 863-
4198.
Team Building Workshop,
Cambria County extension
office. 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Pa. Community F‘ ' ■ Con-
orestry
ference, Atherton Hotel, State
College, thru Oct. 19.
Maryland State Grange Session,
thru Oct. 20.
York County Agricultural Land
Preservation Board informa
tion meeting, County Annex
Building, York, 7 p.m., (717)
840-7400.
(Turn to Page A4l)
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To Participate In
The National Pesticide
Initiative Survey
A survey of corn and apple
growers is being conducted in
Pennsylvania in October and No
vember by the Pennsylvania Agri
cultural Statistics Service, in coop
eration with Penn State’s College
of Agricultural Sciences. The 2001
Fruit Chemical Use Survey and
2001 Agricultural Resources Man
agement Study will survey pesti
cide use and pest management tac
tics.
According to Bill Hoffman, sen
ior extension associate in Penn
State’s Pest Management Informa
tion Center, “It’s important that
growers cooperate because this in
formation could help protect the
tools-the state’s growers depend
on.”
Approximately 200 apple grow
ers and 200 com growers will re
ceive letters telling them they have
been selected for the survey. Sur
vey personnel will call to set up a
time to visit the farm or residence
to conduct the interview.
“Typically, the interview lasts an
hour,” Hoffman said. “Producers
THE LIMITS OF
NEIGHBORLINESS
Background Scripture:
Luke 10:25-37.
Devotional Reading:
Deuteronomy 15:7-11.
“And behold, a lawyer stood up
to question him...”
It is significant that this question
was posed by someone who ap
proached “eternal life” from a le
galistic standpoint. “Teacher, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?” It
is a straightforward question, and
Jesus gives him a straightforward
question in return: “What is writ
ten in the law? How do you read?”
The lawyer’s answer should have
been understood even by nonlegal
minds: “You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, soul,
strength, and mind; and your
neighbor as yourself.” And Jesus
answered: “You have answered
right; do this, and you will live.”
That could have been the end of it,
but it wasn’t.
“But he, desiring to justify him
self, said to Jesus ‘And who is my
neighbor?’” Jesus could have re
plied, “What part of ‘neighbor’
don’t you understand?”, but the
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should have their seed, fertilizer,
and/or pesticide records near at
hand so the interview goes quickly
and smoothly.” He emphasizes that
all information from individual
growers will remain confidential.
“Also, for the first time, growers
will receive one core pesticide cred
it for responding to the survey,” he
said.
The USDA and the Environ
mental Protection Agency will in
clude survey data in a national da
tabase of information on how
agricultural chemicals are used, as
well as the quantities used for spe
cific crops.
“The Food Quality Protection
Act of 1996 instituted much higher
food safety standards related to
pesticide residue,” Hoffman said.
“Without good data, the EPA may
assume farmers use more pesti
cides than they actually do. This
could lead to pesticides being
banned or restricted unnecessari
ly.” Hoffman also points out that
information on usage patterns
often influences manufacturers’ de
cisions to submit a product for re
registration and approval with reg
ulatory agencies.
State and national estimates of
agricultural chemical use by the
surveyed groups will be published
in mid-2002.
To Harvest
Frost-Damaged Corn
And Soybeans
With the hard freeze this week,
you may have some immature com
or soybeans that were damaged.
According to Bob Anderson,
Lancaster County agronomy agent,
com reaches maturity when the
black layer is formed at the base of
the kernel. In soybeans, maturity is
reached when the bean pods are no
longer green. At maturity, com is
roughly 35 percent moisture and
beans are between 18 and 20 per
cent moisture. At maturity, neither
crop will accumulate any more dry
matter. Frost before maturity will
reduce both quality and yields.
Frost-damaged corn will have
small and misshapen soft kernels.
The incomplete development of the
starch structure will cause a pithy
kernel resulting in a high percent
of kernel break during handling
problem was not that the lawyer
didn’t understand, but that he de
sired “to justify himself.” “Justify”
is a legal term and it helps us to re
alize that this man wanted to prove
his right to eternal life. In order to
do that, he set out to limit his re
sponsibility by trying to get a nar
row definition of “neighbor.”
What’s The Limit?
Setting narrow limits to our re
sponsibilities as Christians is a nor
mal human reaction. The disciples
also asked Jesus to set limits on
forgiveness: “Lord, how often shall
my brother sin against me, and I
forgive him? As many as seven
times?” (Mt.18:21,22). A legalist
would have interpreted Jesus’ an
swer as setting a limit of 490 times
or “seventy times seven.” Jesus
does not set a limit, but expands it
indefinitely. In his parable, he simi
larly refuses to set limits. The grace
of God, which we are called to em
ulate, sets no limits.
Think of some of the limits we
may hold on to. A priest and a Lev
ite passed by and they did not re
spond to the victim. Their compas
sion was limited to specific times
and places and this was not one of
them. Don’t condemn them too
quickly: their reaction was the pop
ular one. Helping a victim is often
taboo in our world today.
“Not getting involved” is a pop
ular limit now, just as it was then.
Other limits are the ethnic and
religious identity of the next person
along on this road: a Samaritan.
Just as the Jew disdained being in
contact with Samaritans, so it was
expected that a Samaritan would
have nothing to do with a Jew.
But, in this case, the man acted not
like a Samaritan, but as a child of
God, a neighbor. (If it would help,
and low-test weight (below 45
pounds per bushel). It will also re
sult in low protein levels and low
digestibility amino acid levels will
be very variable.
Managing frosted com appropri
ately can help reduce yield losses
and maintain the feeding value.
But if the grain has already dried
to or below 35 percent moisture,
losses will be negligible even fol
lowing a severe frost. If any green
leaves remain after a frost, even
leaves that are below the ear, the
corn plant will continue live and
mature and will increase in dry
matter content. A good rule of
thumb to remember let frosted
com stand as long as there are
green leaves and the ear has not
formed the black layer.
The best use of frosted com is
animal feed. However, it should be
tested so that the feeding program
can be supplemented with addi
tional protein and amino acids. In
addition, fungi can present a prob
lem with frosted com, so continue
checking for fungi during storage.
Expect storage time to be reduced
by as much as 50 percent with
frosted com.
Frost-damaged soybeans will
show green or elongated yellow
beans that shrink to smaller than
normal size after drying. Immature
beans are difficult to extract oil
from and the oil content is reduced.
The best use of frosted soybeans
is also for livestock feed. Processors
will discount for green soybeans be
cause the green color must be re
fined out of the oil. Oil from imma
ture beans often contains high
levels of free fatty acids, which
cause rancidity. Meal from imma
ture beans will contain more resid
ual oil than the normal 0.5 to 1.0
percent. Direct marketing from the
field of frosted beans usually result
in the highest discount for green
beans. Cleaning and proper drying
may improve the marketability of
these beans.
Quote of the Week: “A wise
old owl sat in an oak, The more
he heard the less he spoke; The
less he spoke the more he heard.
Why aren’t we all like that wise
old Bird?”
William Bennett
instead of “Samaritan” read “athe
ist,” “Moslem,” “Hindu,” or “Hari
Krishna.”)
A Couple Went
Down To Waco
I have previously told this story
here, but I will tell it again, be
cause, like a parable, it has a timely
point.
A couple friends of ours
was driving from Dallas to Waco,
and on the way their car had a
blowout. The husband was physi
cally incapacitated and the woman
did not know how to change a tire.
As they were pondering this, a car
stopped just ahead of theirs. Their
momentary relief dissolved when
the occupants of the car, two
bearded, unkempt young .men, got
out and started walking toward
them. These men certainly were
not within the limits Wherein they
would expect or even look for help.
To the couple’s surprise, how
ever, the two young men changed
their tire and, when offered “some
thing for your trouble,” smiled and
refused before driving away.
“Would I have stopped and helped
them?” the wife asked herself. The
answer, she knew, was certainly
“no, never.”
After all, there are “reasonable”
limits, aren’t there?. But Jesus
made it very clear, both for the
lawyer and for us, that there are no
limits to neighborliness, because
God himself sends his rain upon
our just and unjust neighbors (Mt.
5:45).
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