AIQ-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 10,2001
OPINION
Old Is New Again
For businesses in the late 1980 s, the popular buzzword at the time
was “diversification.” Because of the economic uncertainty of the
times, raging since the stock market crash of October 1987, businesses
decided to adopt the policy of “not putting all their eggs in one bas
ket.” In other words, not producing simply one product.
The buzzword is back. What is old is new again.
Early last week a couple of Lancaster Farming representatives
toured the Land O’Lakes plant in Carlisle. Speakers included Gordon
Hoover, Land O’Lakes corporate secretary; Bill Schreiber, vice presi
dent, eastern operations; Chuck Cruickshank, director of procure
ment, member relations, and transportation; and Steve Patience, plant
manager.
Land O’Lakes Mid Atlantic has 2,500 dairy-farmer members. Na
tionally it processes 12 billion pounds of milk annually. The Carlisle
plant produces milk powders, condensed milk products, and butter,
with a process capacity of 6 million pounds of milk per day. The total
national cooperative serves more than 7,500 producer-members and
serves family farms in 39 states, with annual sales approaching $6 bil
lion.
The company isn’t just dairy. It markets dairy, beef, and swine
feed, alfalfa seed, plant food and crop protection products. Land
O’Lakes, surprisingly, is very diverse and like many companies,
doesn’t want to stick to a single product. They recognize that, too, in
tough economic times, strength remains in market diversity.
So, too, must our farms. According to Vince Philips, government af
fairs representative for the Independent Insurance Agents of Pennsyl
vania, in a letter to U.S. Ag Secretary Ann Veneman, “Although
Pennsylvania is a major producer of numerous crops, the dynamic of
our farmer population is such that the farms are usually smaller and
more diversified.”
At a recent crop insurance seminar, Gene Gantz, president of Ag
Risk Strategies Inc. president, noted that in Pennsylvania, 85 percent
of the state’s farms have annual gross receipts of less than $lOO,OOO.
Today’s producers, for the most part, depend on a variety of income
sources, including off-farm. That diversity keeps them strong.
The title of Land O’Lakes’ 2000 annual report is “Building On Our
Best.” That “best” doesn’t come from one product, but, as many pro
ducers know, from many.
❖ Farm Calendar❖
Nittany Lion Fall Classic Sale,
Ag Arena, State College, 11
a.m.
VeteransDav^__^_^___^^_
Poultry Management and
Health Seminar, Kreider’s
Restaurant, Manheim, noon.
Nutrient Management Voucher
Training, Maryland exten
sion, Chestertown, Md., 7
a.m.-9 a.m., also Nov. 15, 8
a.m.-10 a.m. and Dec. 3.
4-H Achievement Night, Dau
phin County Agriculture and
Natural Resources Center,
6:30 p.m., (717) 921-0135.
Pa. Farm Bureau Annual Meet
ing, Hershey Lodge and Con
vention Center, thru Nov. 14.
Agri-Energy Conference, Penn
Stater Hotel, State College,
thruNovJ^(Bl4^B6s-4802.
Lancaster Fanning’s Family
Farm Transitional Seminar,
Farm and Home Center, Lan
caster, (preregistration re
quired), 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.,
(717) 721-4416.
Alfalfa Intensive Training Semi
nar, Boise, Idaho, thru Nov.
15,(814) 863-1019.
Mid-Atlantic Crop Management
School, Princess Royale Hotel
and Conference Center,
Ocean City, Md., (410) 778-
1661.
Rural Summit In the City,
Hilton Towers, Harrisburg,
thru Nov. 14.
PennAg Industries Feed Indus
tries Roundtable, Marriott
Hotel, Harrisburg, 9:30 a.m.-
12:30 p.m., (717) 651-5920.
Beef Quality Assurance Certifi
cation Training, Days Inn,
Meadville, 7 p.m., (717) 939-
7000.
ADA District Meeting, Yoder’s
Restaurant, New Holland, 7
p.m.
Northeast Greenhouse Growers
Seminar, Luzerne County
Community College Confer
ence Center, Nanticoke, 8:30
a.m.-3:50 p.m., (570) 825-
1701.
Westmoreland County Farm-
City Dinner, Mountain View
Inn, Greensburg, 6:30 p.m.,
(724) 837-1402.
Land O’Lakes Membership
Meeting, Clarion (Embers)
Hotel and Convention Center,
Carlisle, dinner 6 p.m., (717)
243-1717.
Business Sense Management
Training For Dairy CFOs,
Lancaster County extension,
Farm and Home Center, Lan
caster. 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
S<the?'-' P'- -'svlv ' - Re-
loutheast .ennsyl vania
gional Cattlemen’s Associa
tion annual dinner meeting,
Hoss’s Steak and Seafood
House, Lionville, 6 p.m.
Lebanon County DHIA annual
meeting, Schaefferstown Fire
Hall, 7 p.m., (717) 270-4391.
(Turn to Page A 23)
To Leant To Safely
Field Dress Deer
A wild game meat food safety
workshop will be conducted at
the Farm and Home Center in
Lancaster Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. At
this workshop you will learn
techniques to properly field-dress
your deer and other game.
Proper handling of deer and
other game in the field assures
that the meat you bring home
will be in prime, safe condition
for the table. There is a $3 cost
for the workshop, which covers
five publications and a laminated
Pocket Guide to Field Dressing
Deer. Preregistration is requested
and can be done by calling
(717)-394-6851. Take advantage
of this timely workshop before
you head off to the woods.
To Count Your Chickens
In December the USDA will
conduct its annual Chicken and
‘MORE’—
NOT ‘LESS’
Background Scripture:
Matthew 5:17-48.
Devotional Reading:
Amos 5:4-16.
Recently, in the Zurich, Swit
zerland airport, we were among
the thousands of stranded air
passengers during the Sept. 11
terrorist tragedy. Valere’s heart
medicines would be exhausted
the next day, but, going to the
airport pharmacy, we were very
pleasantly surprised to purchase
these medicines for about one
half their cost in the USA. Get
ting them for less rather bright
ened our day.
Some look for bargains in
Christian discipleship, wanting
more benefits for less commit
ment. Recently, someone told me
that Jesus had “repealed the Ten
Commandments! Because of
Jesus we’re under grace,” he
said, “not the law.” But Christ
requires of us not “less,” but
“more” than the commandments.
“Think not that I have come to
abolish the law and the proph
ets,” he taught. “I have come not
to abolish them but to fulfill
Lancaster Farming
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Egg Survey to officially measure
the entire layer industry in every
state. This survey is a part of a
national study to establish official
USDA statistics for egg produc
tion and layer, pullet, and rooster
inventories (excluding broilers)
on Dec. 1, 2001. Hatcheries and
some of the largest laying opera
tions contribute data for monthly
egg production surveys, but De
cember is the chance to contact
many more commercial opera
tions.
In late November approxi
mately 101 Pennsylvania poultry
operations will receive surveys
and, in December, nonrespon
dents will be contacted by phone
to ask for their help. The results
of the survey are used by farmers,
grower associations, extension
specialists, suppliers, lenders, and
lawmakers when reviewing farm
practices and policies. As with all
surveys conducted by the Nation
al Agricultural Statistics service,
individual operation information
is kept strictly confidential. The
individual reports are only used
with data from other operations
to establish state and national
statistics.
The survey results will be re
leased in the Chicken and Eggs
Annual Summary report from
Washington, D. C. in January
2002. All reports are available on
the Internet at http://
www.usda.gov/nass/. Statistics
for Pennsylvania will be reprint
ed in the February issue of the Ag
Digest.
Pennsylvania ranked third na
tionally for the number of eggs
produced in 2000. Only Ohio and
lowa ranked higher than Penn
sylvania in egg production. Lay
ing flocks in Pennsylvania pro
duced 6.31 billion eggs from Dec.
1, 1999 through Nov. 30, 2000.
The inventory of all chickens (ex
cluding broilers) on Dec. 1, 2000
them” (5:17). “For I tell you, un
less your righteousness exceeds
that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will never enter the kingdom
of heaven” (v. 20).
This teaching runs through
much of the Sermon on the
Mount. “You have heard that it
was said to men of old, ‘You shall
not ki11... But I say to you that
every one who is angry with his
brother shall be liable to
judgment’” (vs. 21,22). Jesus re
quires more of us than the Ten
Commandments. So it is with our
sexual behavior; we must go be
yond not committing adultery
(vs. 27,28), as well as not “swear
ing falsely” (v. 33).
A Hard Teaching
Most of all, however, Jesus re
quires us to go beyond all previ
ous standards in regard to our
enemies. “You have heard that it
was said, ‘An eye for an eye and
a tooth for a tooth’... But I say
to you... if any one strikes you
on the right cheek, turn to him
the other also’” (vs. 38,39).
This is a hard teaching par
ticularly since Sept. 11, 2001.
There are people demanding that
we seek vengeance for these terri
ble atrocities. This is understand
able, for it is quite human for us
to react to violence with a desire
to inflict violence in return, the
standard, not only in the “eye for
an eye” passage of Exodus
21:23,24, Leviticus 24:19,20, and
Deuteronomy 19:21, but also in
the Code of Hammurabi and the
Roman law.
Despite 2,000 years of Chris
tianity, it is still the code by
which most people live. But Jesus
calls us to go beyond this code in
reacting to one’s enemies; “You
have heard that it was said, ‘You
was 30.6 million birds. Of these
birds, 79 percent were hens and
pullets of laying age (20 weeks or
older).
To Plan For Spring
Planting Of Tree Seedlings
The Giatfelter Pulp Wood
Company, Spring Grove, will
share the cost of tree seedlings for
spring planting for interested
nonindustrial landowners. Since
the beginning of the program in
1951, more than 19 million tree
seedlings have been furnished to
landowners in 16 southeastern
Pennsylvania counties.
Tree seedlings available under
this year’s program include red
pine, white pine, pitch pine, Nor
way spruce, and Japanese larch.
The Pennsylvania Department of
Conservation and Natural Re
sources supplies all the seedlings.
Orders are filled on a first-come,
first-served basis.
Landowners must comply with
state regulations in regards to the
planting of these trees. These reg
ulations state that these trees
may not be used for Christmas
trees, decorative or ornamental
uses, or for windbreaks. The min
imum order is for 500 trees which
will plant three-quarter acre. All
trees become the property of the
landowner who may harvest
them at a future date for any
wood product.
For information about placing
your order, contact your Bureau
of Forestry District Office or the
Giatfelter Pulp Wood Company
at (717)-225-4711.
Quote Of The Week:
“The very short period of my
life which / have passed uncon
nected with public business suf
fices to convince me it is the
happiest of all situations, and
that no society is so precious as
that of one’s own family.”
Thomas Jefferson
shall love your neighbor and hate
your enemy.’ But I say to you.
Love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you” (vs.
43,44).
Human Nature
It is difficult enough to apply
that to the nasty neighbor, but
seemingly impossible to even
think of applying it to the terror
ists who killed thousands.
Jesus should have given us an
escape clause like except when
your enemy does something real
ly evil. But there are no escape
clauses in the gospel, no time
outs for revenge. It is human na
ture to feel the desire for revenge,
but Jesus calls for us to move be
yond what is human nature.
Remember, loving your enemy
does not mean feeling nicely
about him. For most of us that
would be impossible. But
Christlike love is the resolve that,
no matter how angry or vengeful
we feel, we will do the loving
thing anyway! And doing the
“loving thing” doesn’t require
that we should not bring enemies
to justice, but that we will leave
vengeance to God and not make
others suffer because of our pas
sion for revenge.
If, in order to assuage our fury
at those who have done this terri
ble deed, we feel compelled to
adopt their savage violence for
ourselves, then we will have given
up Jesus Christ and adopted the
ways of our enemies. Let us not
forget that Christ requires that
we go beyond society’s norms,
that we give more, not less.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stemman Enterprise
William J. Burgess General Manager
Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2001 by Lancaster Farming