AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 5,2002
OPINION
Farm Show And 4-H ‘Conversations’
We have heard numerous stories about how much of an impact 4-H
membership has had on adults, their lifestyles and careers. And the
many “4-H Farm Show” success stories have molded many a person
ality, countless minds.
National 4-H will begin celebrating its centennial with “conversa
tions” on youth development. Youth and adults in 3,067 communities
across the nation will identify critical youth-development strategies
for this century.
“Young people need the kind of hope that will help them aspire to
become the best they can be,” said Marilyn Corbin, Penn State Coop
erative Extension and Outreach state program leader for children,
youth, and families. “4-H is nationally recognized as one of the fore
most youth organizations in the country. With a strong local program
that draws on the strengths of a statewide and nationwide organiza
tion, 4-H is uniquely positioned to help youth in this complex informa
tion age.”
Delegates will be chosen at sessions all over the state to carry con
cerns to the state meetings.
During this year’s Farm Show, the Pennsylvania State Conversa
tion on Youth Development will be conducted.
Local conversations will establish the foundation for the statewide
conversation. From the state meeting, delegates will be chosen to rep
resent Pennsylvania at the national meeting in Washington, D.C.,
Feb. 23-March 3. The national event is expected to draw about 2,500
participants.
Don Floyd, president and CEO of National 4-H Council, noted that
the centennial won’t simply feature a huge granite monument. Rath
er, “in the tradition of 4-H, we’re creating an action plan for families,
youth leaders, and communities across the nation” to guide 4-H into
the coming century.
The goal: 72 delegates from Pennsylvania to the national conversa
tion, according to Michael Martin, Pennsylvania state coordinator for
the 4-H centennial. The mission: send three representatives from each
congressional district and three at large.
Check our Farm Show schedule in our special section this week for
meeting times.
4-H represents 123,220 members in the state and about seven mil
lion members in the U.S.
If you are a 4-H member or alumnus, you might want to be part of
this event. Certainly, like any critical national program, 4-H needs
and invites your experience and input.
Lancaster Farming extends its best wishes to all the 4-H members
and families attending the 2002 Farm Show, the state’s premier agri
cultural event for youth and families.
❖Farm Calendar ♦
Pennsylvania Farm Show, Farm
Show Complex, Harrisburg,
thru Jan. 10.
Virginia Bred Commercial Ewe
Lamb Sale, Virginia Tech,
Dept, of Animal and Poultry
Science, Blacksburg, Va.,
(540)231^1^^^^^^
American Farm Bureau Federa
tion Meeting, Reno, Nev.,
thru Jan. 9.
The passing of Dr. John H.
Swartz Jr. was a loss to agricul
ture. Many of us had the pleas
ure ot watching John develop
from adolescence to adulthood.
We watched him sharpen his
skills in 4-H. He won several
awards in public speaking and
later pursued his formal educa
tion in the field of agriculture.
It is truly fitting that a memo
rial be established in John’s
name. The new Adams County
Agricultural and Natural Re
sources Center is a perfect place
to honor him, since John was
born and raised in Adams
lusiness Sense, 2nd of 3 meet
ings, CFO Dairy Manage-
ment, N.W. Pa., Meadville.
3rd meeting Jan. 8.
Tilling the Soil of Opportunity,
Milton Hershey School, Her
shey, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Also
Jan. 14, 28; Feb. 4, 11, 25;
March 4,11,18,25; April 1,8.
Pa. State Grange Farm Show
Meeting, Room B, Farm Show
Complex, 1-3 p.m.
(Turn to Page Al 6)
❖ Farm Forum ❖
County.
Donating to a memorial will
provide a way for all of us to re
member him. A memorial con
tribution will be set aside in an
endowment fund to purchase
the land the building occupies
from the county when the mort
gage is paid off.
Please mail all contributions
to the Adams County Conserva
tion District, 670 Old Harrisburg
Road, Suite 201, Gettysburg, PA
17325-3404 and make sure your
check is marked “Memorial
Fund Dr. John H. Swartz Jr.”
Tom Clowney
Capital Campaign
To Use Chain
Saws Safely
As you head to the woods to re
stock your firewood supply, having
proper safety equipment is an im
portant step in preventing acci
dents.
Peter Finamore, chairman of
John Deere Consumer Products
product safety, recommends the
following items. Proper protective
equipment should start with chain
saw-resistant boots. Steel-toed
boots with chain saw-resistant tops
layered with ballistic nylon can
slow the action of a chain saw
enough to give you precious time to
react and save yourself from disas
ter. Cut-resistant gloves protect
you from the saw as well as wood
shards.
Sound resistant hearing protec
tion is important to prevent hear
ing loss. A hard hat is important to
protect against flying debris and
falling limbs. A face shield protects
against flying chips. Even with a
face shield on a hard hat, however,
safety glasses are still needed for
EPIPHANY 2002!
Background Scripture:
Isaiah 60 through 61.
Devotional Reading:
Isaiah 60:17-22.
Apart from today being Sunday,
Jan. 6, 2002, do you know what
day it is? It is Epiphany (ee-PlFF
eny), one of the most important
if not one of the most neglected
days in the Christian year.
As you read this, our Christmas
tree here in Dallas will still be up
and lighted, because we celebrate
the traditional 12 days of Christ
mas and tonight is Twelfth Night.
Tonight there will be 20 or so of
our friends here for our annual
Epiphany party.
Why, you might ask, do we ex
tend our observance Christmas for
12 days and then observe Epipha
ny? Is it simply a tradition? Not at
all. We believe that, despite Christ
mas decorations and advertising
now coming close on the heels of
Halloween, the observance of the
deeper meaning of Christmas be
comes more shallow every year.
At our house, we observe Epiph
any each year because it reminds
forgetful Christians, ourselves in
cluded, just what Epiphany means.
It comes from a Greek word mean-
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adequate eye protection. Chain saw
chaps are important to protect
your legs. The outer surface works
to keep you dry. The inner surface
of ballistic nylon will choke a chain
saw before it can reach your leg.
Of course, good maintenace on
the saw itself is an important step
in safety. Make sure the safety
shutoff is working and the chain
guard is in place. Also keep the
chain sharp. When cutting, posi
tion yourself so your limbs are not
directly in the way if the saw kicks
back from the wood.
To Participate In
The USDA Dairy
Health Survey
Representatives from the USDA
will visit area dairies in January to
conduct the initial survey for Dairy
2002, a national study of health
and health management practices
at U.S. dairies.
Conducted by the USDA’s Na
tional Animal Health Monitoring
System (NAHMS), Dairy 2002 is a
continuation of studies that ad
dress priority issues of the U.S.
dairy industry. Preliminary data
will be published by NAHMS in
August 2002.
Data collectors from USDA’s
National Agricultural Statistics
Service (NASS) will begin the
study by contacting about 4,000
dairy producers in 21 states, in
cluding 390 operations in Pennsyl
vania. These states represent 83
percent of U.S. dairy herds and 85
percent of U.S. dairy cows. The
data collected is summarized and
used in regional and national esti
mates.
Objectives of the study serve to:
• Describe management strate
gies that prevent or reduce the
prevalence of Johne’s Disease and
identify how these strategies have
changed since 1996.
• Evaluate management factors
associated with key food safety
pathogens in U.S. dairy cattle.
• Describe the level of under
standing and preparedness of U.S.
dairy producers to respond to
threats of foreign animal diseases.
ing “manifestation” or “appear
ance” and, if you are Greek Ortho
dox, you certainly know what
Epiphany is all about: the revealing
of Christ to the world.
It is based upon the visit of the
Wise Men (Matthew 3) to the in
fant Jesus. As these men were not
Jews, but foreigners, their visit in
dicates the global, even cosmic sig
nificance of the coming of Christ.
Epiphany may be called by differ
ent names: the Theophany, Feast
of the Manifestation, Twelfth
Night, Day of the Three Kings, Old
Christmas, or Feast of Lights.
Arise, Shine!
The Epiphany of Jesus is linked
to the prophecies of Isaiah: “Arise,
shine, for your light has come and
the glory of the Lord has risen
upon you” (60:1). We remember
also Isaiah 9:2: “The people who
walked in darkness have seen a
great light; those who dwelt in a
land of deep darkness, on them has
light shined.” The star that guided
the wise men to Jesus is symbolic
of the light that guides us to the
manifestation of God in Christ.
The light of this star is not sent
to Christians alone, but to people
everywhere who “walk in dark
ness.” But, if many, perhaps most,
Christians are unaware of the
Epiphany message, then what
makes us think that Epiphany is
either known or understood by
those who are not Christians?
Good question I’m glad you
asked.
Epiphany is intended not only
for us to enjoy, but to manifest to
others. Like most messages from
God, this message carries with it a
challenge from God. Isaiah tells
the people of Israel, “... but... his
glory will be seen upon you. And
nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your
arising” (60:2). This is what Jesus
• Describe biosecurity practices
and trends on U.S. dairy opera
tions.
• Describe baseline dairy cattle
health and management practices
used on U.S. dairies and the
changes in these practices since
1996.
• Describe animal waste han
dling systems used on U.S. dairies.
• Describe U.S. dairy producers’
attitudes towards, and uses of, ani
mal identification
In 1991, NAHMS conducted the
Dairy Heifer Evaluation Project
(DHEP), leading to baseline in
formation on heifer health, ill
nesses, and management practices,
and prevalence estimates tor Cryp
tospordium, Eschericia coli
0157:H7 and Salmonella.
The NAHMS’ Dairy ’96 study
built on the DHEP. Objectives of
the Dairy ’96 study included ac
quiring national prevalence esti
mates of Mycobacterium paratu
berculosis (Johne’s disease), bovine
leukosis virus, and fecal shedding
of E.coli 0157 and Salmonella in
adult dairy cows.
Baseline dairy cattle health and
management practices were also
studied to examine changes since
the DHEP. Levels of participation
in quality assurance programs, the
incidence of digital dermatitis, and
a profile of animal waste handling
systems used on U.S. dairy opera
tions were also examined. The
Dairy 2002 study will continue to
address these important issues. Se
lected producers may choose to re
ceive an additional contact by a
Veterinary Medical Officer from
the Animal and Plant health In
spection Service who will explain
the second phase of the study.
Participation in the Dairy 2002
study is strictly voluntary. NAHMS
data and operations where the data
were collected are always confiden
tial and not included in national
databases. For more information
on Dairy 2002, visit the Website at
www.aphia.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cahm.
Quote Of The Week:
“Character is what you are in
the dark. ”
Dwight L. Moody
told his disciples: “You are the
light of the world ... Let your light
so shine before me, that they may
see your good works and give glory
to your Father who is in heaven”
(Matt. 5:16).
To Make Manifest
My computer thesaurus lists the
following synonyms for “manifes
tation”: display, demonstration, ex
hibition, show, materialization, and
revelation. Each of these speak to
our Epiphany challenge.
In our lives we need to display
Christ and demonstrate what Jesus
has done for us. Our lives should be
a living exhibition of who and what
Jesus is in our lives. How we live
will show others the Christ who
works in us. Our lives must be a
materialization of what Jesus can
do with us and, as Christ is a reve
lation to us, we must make the way
we live a revelation of his presence.
It is very likely that Jesus re
garded both Isaiah 60 and 61 as
normative for his mission: “... the
Lord has anointed me to bring
good tidings to the afflicted; he has
sent me to bind up the broken
hearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives and the opening of the
prison to those who are bound, to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s
favor, and the day of vengeance for
our God to comfort all who
mourn ...” (61:1,2).
The servant role that Jesus took
upon himself is the same servant
role to which he calls us so that,
not only may we see his Epiphany
light, but that we may be it for oth
ers.
Is your Epiphany light shining?
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. Burgees General Manager
Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2002 by Lancaster Farming