A 1 G-Uancgster ir F;afming r 17,, ,2Q02 OPINION Full Slate Next week we are granted the privilege of attending what we be lieve is the “show of shows” of field days for Northeast and Mid-At lantic agriculture: Penn State’s Ag Progress Days. We could spend three days at the event and come back with stories to fill three months’ worth of issues, if we could only be everywhere at once. Besides Ag Progress, we are in the midst of Fair Season, and we cover quite a few fairs in the next several months. We are planning additional fair coverage some areas of which we have not visited in quite some time. When you see our staff in the field, let them know what you think of Lancaster Farming. More importantly, let them know how we'can provide a better paper. To survive, we ask for, seek out, and need reader input. We can’t serve you better unless we hear from you. And this editor won’t rest. Sometimes editors get accused of sitting in the office, moving papers. Yes, they do that, too, but the editor of Lancaster Farming believes that to stay in touch, he has to be out of the office, in the trenches with the troops. So perhaps you’ll see me at several fairs and field days. We have planned upcoming coverage of Elizabethtown Fair, Allen town and others throughout the region. If we can’t make it to your fair, we might have a correspondent who can. If not, there are always reliable 4-H extension agents who can send the material in, and we al ways are very thankful for that. I hope you learn as much as we have, throughout the years, at Ag Progress Days. We hope to see you there! And have fun at the fairs! Saturday, August 17 Central Pa. Holstein Champion ship Show, Huntingdon Coun ty Fairgrounds, Huntingdon, 6 p.m. Warren County Holstein Show, Fairgrounds, Pittsfield, 11:30 a.m. Crawford County Fair, thru Aug. 24. Aquaculture Field Night, Ohio State University at Piketon, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Southwest Pa. Woodland Owners Summer tour, Bob Brown’s Tree Farm, (724) 852-2663. Organic Dairy Farm Overview, Tilldale Farm, Rt. 7, Hoosick, N.Y., 1 p.m.-3 p.m. 4-H District Dairy Show, Lycom ing County Fairgrounds. 4-H District Dairy Show, Wyo ming County Fairgrounds. Tree Identification Workshop, Ingraham Stewardship Forest, 9 a.m.-noon, (814) 723-0262. Cameron County Fair, thru Aug. 24. Franklin County Fair, thru Aug. 24. Fulton County Fair, thru Aug, 24. McKean County Fair, thru Aug. 24. How To Reach Us To address a letter to the editor: • By fax: (717) 733-6058 • By regular mail: Editor, Lancaster Farming P.O. Box 609,1 E. Main St. Ephrata, PA 17522 • By e-mail: farming @ lancnews.inh.net Please note: Include your full name, return address, and phone number on the letter. Lancaster Farming reserves the right to edit the letter to fit and is not responsible for returning unsolicited mail. Somerset County Fair, thru Aug. 24. Williamsburg Community Fair, thru Aug. 24. Bradford 4-H Achievement Pic nic, extension office, 1 p.m. Monday. August 19 Small Fruit and Tree Fruit and Vegetable Field Day, Rock spring, (917) 694-3596. Elizabethtown Fair, thru Aug. 24. Harford Fair, thru Aug. 24. Mountain Area Fair, thru Aug. 24. Ohio: Horticulture Field Night, Southern State Community College, Hillsboro, Ohio, (740) 289-3727. New York: Organic Crop Farm producing direct marketed an imal feeds, Lightning Tree Farm, Millbrook, N.Y., 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. Lebanon County Farmland Pres ervation, 6,000-Acre Cele bration at Bowman Farm, 3635 Tunnel Hill Road, Leba non, 10 a.m., (717) 272-3908. Farm Bill Workshop, Southern Maryland Association of Real tors Bldg., Hughesville. Tuesday, August 20 Penn State Ag Progress Days, Rockspring, thru Aug. 22. Northeast Holstein Champion ship Show, Albion Park, Troy, 10 a.m. 4-H Wildlife Field Day, Ag Pro gress site, Rockspring, 9:45 a.m.-3 p.m. 4-H and FFA District Dairy Show, Lebanon Fairgrounds, (717) 270-4391. Blue Valley Open Holstein Show with Youth Show. Also Aug. 21. Blue Valley Farm Show, thru Aug. 24. Hookstown Fair, thru Aug. 24. Perry County Community Fair, thru Aug. 24. South Mountain Fair, thru Aug. (Turn to Page A 33) *V»«* • ■ •’•Hi 11 rSM AMt WtM riVlt • i I • eVH? i To Harvest Com Silage At The Right Moisture Level Extension dairy agent Glenn Shirk reminds us moisture level at time of harvest is one of the most important factors affecting silage quality because it has such a big effect on how well the silage ferments. Determining moisture levels can be very tricky this year! It may not be as dry as what you think, based on how many dry leaves you see. Remember, the dry leaves may represent only a small percentage of total plant weight, and thus have only a small impact on total plant moisture. Most of the weight is in the ear and stalk. A stalk that is still green may contain 75 to 80 percent moisture or more, but as hot, dry weather persists, and as the plant speeds to maturity, moisture levels can drop rapidly. Under more normal conditions, as the com approaches the ensiling stage, whole plant moisture drops about 0.65 percentage units per day. So, if mois ture is at 72 percent it would take about 11 days for it to drop to 65 per cent (7 point drop/0.65 = 11 days). This year, there also is a lot of varia tion from section to section within fields, and as you try to determine the average condition of the field, consider the size of the area affected and also its yield potential. For example, if it repre sents 50 percent of the field, but its yield potential is only SO percent of the rest of the field it only has a 25 percent impact on the field’s average condition THE WISE FOOL Background Scripture: Proverbs 15 through 17, Devotional Reading: Proverbs 16:16-30. The wisest people in the world are all “sophomores.” The term is derived from two Greek words. The first is “sophos” or “wise” as in philosophy, love of wisdom. “Moros,” on the other hand means “fool,” as in “moron,” one whose mind is not fully developed. Put them together and you have the “wise fool,” one who is wise enough to know that he or she does not know every thing. So a sophomore, a second-year student, is one whose mind has been opened to the vast world of knowledge but has not yet grasped all the truth. The wisest fool of all is the person who realizes he or she will never know it all. The late German Chancellor Konrad Adenuaer complained that “The good Lord set definite limits on man’s wisdom, but set no limits on his stupidity.” Perhaps that is because get ting wisdom usually takes time and ef fort and many of us want -ft in sound bytes that can be repeated over and over again without ever gaining any real insight. 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 (0.50 x 0.50 = 0.25). So, the message is, check the pollina tion of your fields if there is no grain you can salvage the crop as silage, chop several stalls and determine their moisture content, or at least monitor the moisture condition of the stalks, de termine the average condition of the field, and be “ready to roll” when the crop is ready. A simple way to check moisture is to take 10 ounces of the chopped sample and dry it in a warm but not hot oven or a microwave oven that is on a low setting. Weigh the sample fairly often and when it stops losing weight, you are finished driving off the moisture. If you continue to heat the sample after it is dry, you could bum up dry matter and get an incorrect moisture reading. Therefore it is important to check the moisture fairly often to make sure you don’t miss the point when the sample is dry. Weigh the dry sample. The num ber of ounces of dry weight times 10 is the percent dry matter. The moisture content in percent is simply 100 minus the percent dry matter. To Protect You And Your Family From Silo Gas Each year farmers face the danger of silo gas, but this year’s drought is likely to make the problem worse. This threat has been around since the first use of silos and it is easy to take shortcuts or become complacent about the dangers associated with silo filling. The fact that many have worked around this for years without a prob lem contributes to not taking this seri ously. However, a simple mistake could cost you your life, so take the time to use adequate precautions. Silo gas is formed by the natural fer mentation of chopped forages in the silo. Several gases are formed and the type of silo the forage is stored in de termines the amount of different gases. In a conventional or open-top silo, ni trogen dioxide is the major gas formed. This gas is characterized by a strong bleach-like odor and low-lying yellow, red, or dark brown fumes. It reaches a peak about three days after filling and quickly begins to decrease shortly thereafter, especially if the silo is venti lated. After two weeks it is unlikely that any more gas will be formed, but some could still be present if it was trapped and unable to escape the silo. Ideally everyone should avoid the silo durinjg the critical period when gases are forming. Since this is not al ways possible, it is best to use a self contained breathing apparatus when entering during the danger period. This is the only breathing device that is cer tain to protect you from all silo gases. Dust masks or even chemical cartridge respirators do not provide sufficient These chapters in Proverbs are not meant to be read at one sitting. Each proverb is like a jewel to be looked at from all angles and pondered. As there are so many in these chapters, I have arbitrarily picked out four that are es pecially challenging to me. Speak Softly The first of these is 15:1-7, beginning; “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Thousands of years old, this is just as relevant today. In your own experience you have probably seen how angry words hastily spoken had the same effect as pouring gasoline over a lighted match. What heartache would we escape if we could leant to give the “soft answer’ in stead of the belligerent one! Valere and I conduct an intensive premarital weekend two to three times a year at our church. One of the most important sessions is on communica tion. We try to help them realize that words that come across as a personal attack almost always make things worse. We teach them to express their feelings without attacking and putting the other person on the defensive. “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it. Better is a dinner of where love is than a fatted ox and hatred with it.” (15:16,17). This is a challenge to learn what is truly important in life. Many couples, when asked what was the hap piest time in their married life, remem ber when they had little in material goods, but were united in the effort to establish their families. Lack of materi al wealth did not deny them happiness. Wisdom is learning to realize what is really important in life. Home Rule “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (16:32). protection and are not intended to be used where gases are extremely toxic or where the air has been replaced by gases such as carbon dioxide. If you do not have access to a self contained breathing device, it is possi ble to enter the silo safely if the follow ing precautions are followed. First, ven tilate the silo and adjacent areas by running the blower 15-20 minutes be fore entering. All doors should be opened down to the level of the settled silage and the windows in the feed room should be opened. Leave the blower running the entire time you are inside. Never enter the silo unless an other adult is present who can go for help if needed. This person should maintain visual contact with you. Although it will not protect you from silo gases, wear dust mask or some other respirator to protect your lungs from the high concentrations of dust and mold spores, which are found in silos. Keep children away from the silo room and keep it well ventilated all through the time when silo gas could be formed. To Learn About Invasive Species At Ag Progress Days Plots of com, soybeans, hay, and other crops will be growing all around the Crops and Soils Tent at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, Aug. 20-22 at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Re search Center. But one of this year’s most intriguing crops will be plants that no self-respecting farmer wants to grow. Along with grain and forage crops, Penn State crop and soil sciences facul ty will be growing common weeds of Pennsylvania, including some invasive weed species. “Invasive weeds are be coming more of a concern to land man agers and farmers,” said Greg Roth, as sociate professor of agronomy. “Our display will demonstrate the invasive weeds that are invading crop and for estland around the state. Some of these invasive weeds actually are cultivated species that we should be concerned about escaping into the wild and taking over natural environments.” The area again will present the latest developments in forage, com and soy bean production. Along with demon strations of new tillage practices and displays of crop research, Penn State specialists will be on hand to talk to producers about crop-related produc tion issues. « Quote of The Week: “I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to main tain what I consider the most envi able of all titles, the character ofian honest man. ” George Washington People who consciously or uncon sciously try to control others may do so because they have never mastered themselves. Instead of ruling others, we need to focus on home rule, taking con trol of our lives. Remember Jesus’ command to “first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Mt. 7:5). Self-control is the highest power of all. In the last several decades medicine has often confirmed the wisdom of Prov. 17:22: “A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.” While a cheerful, posi tive spirit is not medical magic, it can have a very therapeutic effect that can be clinically measured. Jeanne Achter berg and G. Frank Lawlis found in working with burn victims that the un derlying attitude of the patient, re vealed in simple patient drawings, en abled them to accurately predict which patients would recover more quickly than others. (See Bridges of the Body- Mind, 1970.) Later, they researched other kinds of patients with similar phenomenal results. They demonstrat ed that a cheerful spirit can help to heal the body, while the downcast spirit can be the ruin and even death of it. As Holland Schloerb puts it: “The good medicine of a cheerful heart can not be brewed in an apothecary shop, encased in a capsule, and swallowed. It is the product of a will that refuses to give way to gloom, and it grows from a faith that all things can be made to work to some good end as one cooper ates with God.” 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 2002 by Lancaster Farming
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers