AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 16,2002
** J*J«W >. **
OPINION
Farm Bill And The Best
‘Safety Net ’
In put it milcJK. it's difficult (or producers in nwm parts of the country to
decide what long- (or c\cn short-) langc plans to ha\c for their business when
the I arm Bill still hasn't been signed into law.
Some (arm organizations can't agree what version is best.
American I arm Bureau federation (AFBF) recently noted they want the
final hill b\ the end ot this month. They oppose provisions in the Senate bill,
including commoditv payment limits of $275,000 per farm family. (House ver
sion is $550,000 ) Ihev also don't like a provision that would shift water regu
lation authontv Ironi states to the (cdcral government. AFBF would rather
have expanded voluntarv conservation incentives to increase cost-sharing op
tions lor farmers.
I lie National I armers L nion (NFL ), on the other hand, supports the Sen
ate version, which provides, thev sav. a broader, more comprehensive safety
net compared to the House version.
In the March 4 farm Bureau News, pages 4-5 outline niccl) what AFBF's
priorities would be and compares the two versions. The> should approve of
some aspects ol the Senate version, with its soybean loan rate reductions.
I hev also are on the "same page" regarding payment limits (AFBF wants
550,000 tor Bl C direct payments. $75,000 tor countercyclical payments, and
$150,000 for MK.s/l DIM
Al Bl prelers a total payment limn ol $550,000. same as the House version,
compared to the Senate’s $275,000.
I very body believes that conservation incentive programs should continue.
\ big area ol the new 1 arm Bill proposals, under the Senate bill, contains a
dairy title thal would piovide support tor dairy producers in 12 northeast
dairy slates, including Beiinsv Ivama, New 'lork, Maryland, and others. The
piogiam would provide producers a payment whenever the monthl> Class I
(fluid milk) price tails below $16.94 per hundredweight (CWT). This program
is taigeted to dairy (arms with about 400 cows or less. The Senate bill would
cslend the dairy price support program at the current level of $9.90 per CWT.
Stale (iiange has noted that producers should be allowed to choose between
the Dairy Compacts, which they believe promote stable milk prices, or the
new dnecl payment program Orange also backs a federal dairy support price
ol at least $9 90 C W 1
Nl I sees that the hill must provide an economic safety net that "provides
leahstic support lor working farmers." according to a recent news release.
VVc agree I ven the Soil and Water Conservation Society recently released
a report, which clearly notes the Senate bill favors more long-term, wide-rang
ing progiams. with funding to conservation programs outstripping the House
bill bv about S 4 billion over 10 years.
What’s keeping this thing from passing? Well, politics, as usual. So much is
al stake, with the country now only pulling out of recession and commodity
pi ices the lowest we’ve seen Not to mention election-year turmoil, with all the
candidates promising to solve constituent problems. ,
\nd lemember. 1 urope still far "out-siibsidi/cs" ag programs compared to
the I S I Ins continues to create a trade disadvantage lor farmers here. And if
tiade lemauis a priority, producer/constituents want critical provisions met.
/ aiutnlcr / anniiifi doesn’t want to see the needs of larmers hampered, es
pecially in these trying times. But we like the Senate version better, since we
believe larmers would benefit in a variety of wavs, not just on direct payments
but on many other provisions. It’s reasonable. They should sign it.
I’.i I loot liimmer's Gel-Together.
Kish \ less Holstems. Relies ille.
(717)994-16)6
4-H l<nm Consignment Sale. York
Counts 4-H Center. (717)
2')2-2 19S
Inuime Oppoi tunnies lor Rural
\reas Meeting, \ikmis C omits
/ diior.
On February 9. I was invited to
attend an informational meeting
an Minneapolis-St. Paul. Minn,
loi the purpose of discussing
state milk orders. Through the ef
forts of a large and active group
of Minnesota dairymen known as
Milk Powei, the Minnesota state
legislature is considering enacting
a state marketing order not dis
similar to the Pennsylvania Milk
Marketing Board (PMMB).
1 found Dr. Ken Bailey of
Penn State University in attend
ance, and he presented a compar
.1
❖ Farm Calendar ❖
■C oopcrati\c extension
burg. (717) 334-6271.
Ohio Bed Fxpo. Ohio Fxpo Center
Columbus. (785) 776-7067.
I asettc Counts Extension Annual
Board Meeting. lasette Counts
I airgrounds. 6;.W p.m.
"rite Future ol Agriculture,
(Turn to Page A 11)
❖ Farm Forum ❖
ison between the existing PMMB
and the proposed Minnesota leg
islation. He included a six-page
handout with his presentation.
To say that I was shocked by
what Dr. Bailey had to say would
be an understatement. His initial
presentation omitted extremely
relevant information on the
PMMB, making it seem both in
effectual in dairy pricing and as
little more than a regulatory state
sanitation board. His "advice" to
Minnesota was to forget the no-
(Turn to Page A2B)
Getty s-
Twin
To Apply Nitrogen
To Small Grain
Dr. Elwood Hatley in the agrono
my department suggests the rate and
timing of spring-applied nitrogen de
pends on several factors.
The first factor is growth stage. If
the plants are at growth stage 2
(main stem and one or two tillers) or
less, apply the nitrogen as soon as
plants start “greening-up." If the
plants are past growth stage two, the
nitrogen can be applied from “green
up" to growth stage 5 (early erect
growth). Refer to the 2002 Agronomy
Guide, page 73, for a description of
growth stages. The 2002 agronomy
guide is available on the Internet at
http://agguide.agronomy.psu.edu/.
The nitrogen rate will depend on
anticipated yield, previous crop yield,
previous fertilizer amounts, and fre
quency and amount of manure ap
plied. Each bushel of wheat grain
produced will require 1.3 to 1.5
pounds of nitrogen. Estimating the
amount that will be supplied by the
soil is important. Excessive nitrogen
applications effect profitability, in
crease disease pressures, increase
lodging potential, decrease yields,
and increase the potential for nitro
gen leaching. Inadequate nitrogen
also affects profitability since it will
result in reduced yield.
One of the major factors affecting
soil available nitrogen is frequency of
manure applications. Research indi
cates that when fields are manured
every one or two years, one should
apply 0 to 30 pounds nitrogen per
IS ABRAHAM IN
YOUR FAMILY TREE?
Background Scripture:
Romans 4.
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 32:6-11.
It seems that we spend the first
half of our lives hoping anxiously
that we will get what’s coming to us.
and the second half hoping desper
ately that we will not get what is
coming to us. We begin looking for
justice and end depending upon
mercy. At the start, our lives are fo
cused on our own merit: at the end,
upon the grace of God.
Sooner or later in life we realize
that we will never be righteous
enough to earn the favor of God. The
gap between our moral capacity and
God's will is just too wide to be
bridged by human effort. God alone
can and does bridge this terrible dis
tance.
Mam of us enter adult life belier
ing that, if we work hard enough,
long enough, sincere!) and wisel)
Lancaster Farming
An Award-Winning Farm Newspaper
• Kevslone Aw aids 199! 199 S • PennAg Industries 1992
• PAC D Media Auaid 1996 • Berks Ag-Business Council 2000
• Recogm/ed lor photo excellence throughout the vears bv the
Noitheast farm Communicators
acre; if applied every three to four
years, one should apply 30 to 60
pounds nitrogen per acre: and when
applied less frequently, one should
apply 60 to 90 pounds nitrogen per
acre.
Winter barley has less resistance to
lodging then wheat; therefore, the ni
trogen rates should be reduced
accordingly. Keep the nitrogen rates
between 45 and 60 pounds per acre
when manure is not applied fre
quently to the field. When manure is
frequently applied, use only 0 to 30
pounds nitrogen per acre.
To Scout Small
(•rain Fields For Weeds
A good vigorous stand of a small
grain crop sometimes does not need
any herbicide to get acceptable weed
control. However, one needs to walk
the fields to be able to see winter an
nual weeds that could be growing ag
gressively at this time of the year.
Shepherds purse, henbit, chick
weed, and mustard are common win
ter annuals that infest small grains.
If these weeds are present and the
field does not have a history of Cana
da thistle, then apply a postemer
gence product as soon as possible.
Check in the 2002 agronomy guide
for the list of recommended products
and the suitable growth stages of the
small grain when the products can be
applied. For best control, these prod
ucts should be applied when the
weeds are actively growing and a
surfactant should be added to the
herbicide.
However, if the small grain field
has a history of Canada thistle, then
delaying the application until the
thistle emerges is necessary to get
control. To get the best thistle con
trol, one should add to the tank mix
a product strong on thistles or switch
to one of these products alone. Sting
er is the best rated product for thistle
control and can be applied up until
stage nine of the small grain develop
ment.
To Seed Alfalfa
Using Good
Establishment Principles
According to Dr. Marvin Hall,
good stand establishment is essential
to optimizing the production poten
tial of alfalfa. Thin stands encourage
weed invasion, reduce yield, and may
shorten the life of the stand. Consid
ering these negative consequences of
poor stand establishment along with
the high actual and opportunity costs
associated with establishing alfalfa, it
is important to minimize the chances
of failure.
Numerous activities including
enough, we can win whatever it is in
life that we are seeking. Our trust is
basically in ourselves. But then,
along the way, life deals us some
blows and we learn that the results
are not in our own hands. It is then
that many of us realize that the only
solution is to trust, not in ourselves,
but in God and his promises.
Far Beyond Belief
This trust entails belief, but it goes
far beyond belief. There are lots of
things which I may believe, but it is
the things in which we trust that
make the difference in my life.
For example, there is a test which
is sometimes given to determine in
advance if a particular person can be
hypnotized. The hypnotist stands be
hind the would-be subject and tells
him to let himself fall backward into
his arms. Many people will do just
that because they believe he will do
what he says. But there are some,
who, no matter that they believe the
sincerity of the hypnotist, cannot
bring themselves to fall backward.
They believe him but they do not
trust him.
When Paul and other biblical writ
ers speak of “faith," most often they
are talking about the trust whicri
goes far beyond belief. Belief is easy,
but trust asks much more of us. So
when Paul quotes Genesis 15:6, he is
speaking of a “belier which is dem
onstrated in trust. Abraham believed
God's promises and entrusted him
self to the Lord. Faith is a belief so
strong that we entrust ourselves to it.
The word “reckoned" here means
"credited." God gave Abraham cred
it, not for his works or his pro-
weed control, adjusting soil pH and
fertility, and selecting the best variety
need to be completed well in advance
of actually seeding a new alfalfa
stand. Remember that "the lack of
planning is planning for failure.”
Hall suggests the number one rea
son for poor alfalfa stand establish
ment is seeding too deep. The agron
omic rule of thumb is not to plant a
seed deeper than 5 times its diame
ter. That means that alfalfa
shouldn't be seeded deeper than A
inch. Any deeper than 'A inch in
creases risks of poor emergence and
a weak stand. A tilled seedbed must
be firm in order to have accurate
seeding depth.
It is very important to attain good
seed-to-soil contact. The alfalfa seed
must absorb approximately 125 per
cent of its own weight in water to
germinate. From the alfalfa seed’s
perspective, that's a lot of water!
Since the water must move from the
soil into the seed, it is crucial that the
seed be in contact with as much soil
as possible. Poor seed-to-soil contact
results in poor and sporadic germina
tion that lowers the number of pro
ductive alfalfa plants in the stand.
Alfalfa seeding rate recommenda
tions vary considerably across the
country depending on soil and envi
ronmental conditions. Reducing
seeding rates below the recommend
ed level is not the place to cut corners
on alfalfa establishment. Economic
analyses show that less than 4 per
cent of the total cost associated with
altalfa production is seed cost. Re
ducing alfalfa seeding rates is truly
being “penny-wise and pound fool
ish.”
While there has been a lot of de
bate over which seeding method (for
example, broadcast, fluid seeding, or
no-till) is the “best,” it really isn’t a
big issue as long as each method is
done correctly. This includes not
seeding too deep, getting good seed
to-soil contact, and making sure
enough seeds are being seeded per
acre.
While these basic alfalfa establish
ment principles seem rather routine,
every year there are unnecessary es
tablishment failures. Many of these
failures occurred because of one or
more of the basic principles outlined
above weren’t followed. This year,
don't focus on the details of alfalfa
establishment so much that the basic
principles are forgotten.
» Quote Of The Week:
“Surplus wealth is a sacred trust
which its possessor is hound to ad
minister in his lifetime for the
good of the community. ”
Andrew Carnegie
nounced beliefs, but for his trust. It is
like getting a bill for a million dollars
and finding on the statement a credit
in the same amount. The amount of
the credit is a gift that you could
never have earned.
Easy To Say
It is easy to say “1 believe in God
Almighty,’' but something else to put
yourself and life into the hands of
that God. This usually requires
something of a struggle.
For example, the promise of God
to Abraham seemed utterly ridicu
lous. At their age they knew it was
\irtually impossible to conceive and
bear a child. So the faithful response
of Abraham is based not upon the
reasonableness of the promise, but on
the One who makes it. Certainly
Abraham must have doubted the
promises, even if only momentarily.
But Paul says, “No distrust made
him waiver concerning the promise
of God, but he grew strong in his
faith as he gave the glory to God,
fully convinced that God was able to
do what he had promised” (Rom.
4:20,21).
This trust is not a family or racial
trait. Any and all of us can have it. If
we offer God this trust we become
the spiritual descendants of Abra
ham. It is offered to all “those who
share the faith of Abraham, for he is
the father of us a 11...” (4:16).
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Kphrata Kc\ic« Building
I K. Main St.
Kphrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stemman Enterprise
William J Burgess General Manager
Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2002 by Lancaster Farming