AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 21,2002 OPINION Record-Breaking Event In Store At All-American What supporters consider the largest dairy show in the world begins tomorrow as about 3,200 dairy cattle from 24 states and Canada will be entering the Farm Show Complex during the Pennsylvania All- American. Agriculture Secretary Sam Hayes said, “The All-American Dairy Show is one of the great agricultural expositions in North America and a spectacular showcase for the dairy industry. Expositions like the All-American bring the very best of our dairy industry together.” The 3,198 entries represent an increase over the 3,077 entered in 2001. For the third straight year, premiums have increased to the tune of more than $160,000. “The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture wants the All-Amer ican Dairy Show to remain a leader in North America,” Hayes said. “We recognize the importance of the dairy industry and want our dairy breeders in Pennsylvania and throughout North America to ex hibit their superior dairy cattle at the All-American. And, we are pleased to provide increased financial resources for the dairy exposi tion.” More than $8,400 in premiums will be offered to recognize the high quality of dairy animals taking center stage during the youth classes in the Large Arena of the Farm Show Complex. This is the first year that premiums will be offered in all six youth breed shows. “Our Pennsylvania-based All-American Dairy Show has enhanced premiums and world-class facilities which are setting the pace for in ternational dairy shows. That’s what should be done for the dairy in dustry of North America and we are glad to do it,” Hayes said. The All-American Dairy Show was started in 1963 to recognize the importance of genetic quality and excellent dairy cattle. The All- American Dairy Show takes pride in setting an exemplary standard of excellence on the national show circuit. The International Association of Fairs and Expositions (lAFE) has recognized the Pennsylvania based dairy show as the Best Non-Fair Agricultural Event. We hope to see you there! Saturday, September 21 Farm Aid Concert in Pittsburgh. Garden State Sheep Breeders Sheep Festival, Warren Coun ty Farmers Fairgrounds, Har mony, N.J., (908) 730-7189. Field Day, Brent D’Atri’s farm, Oldtown, Md., thru Sept. 28. Bloomsburg Fair, thru Sept. 28. Catskill Mountain Ginseng Festi val, Village of Catskill, New York, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., (578) 622-9820. Lancaster Farmland Trust Old fashioned Farm Picnic, Lowell and Daphne Fry Farm, Man heim, noon-5 p.m. Maryland Wine Festival, Carroll County Farm Museum, noon -6 p.m., thru Sept. 22, (410) 848-7775. Northeast Small Farm and Rural Living Expo, West End Fair grounds, Gilbert, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 22, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Pa. Dairy Princess Pageant, Ra disson Penn Harris Hotel, 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.infi.net Please note: Include your full name, return address, and phone number on the letter. Ijancaster Farming reserves the light to edit the letter to fit and s not responsible for leturnmg insolicitcd mail >„ * + - *&**(* tm* V. k .'■if *,> V- ..»♦,.* fr Jt . . s, *■' ❖ Farm Calendar ❖ ■£*** > y t *> Camp Hill, banquet 6:30 p.m. Fawn Grove Olde Tyme Days, Fall Gas Engine Garden Trac tor Show and Swap Meet, Fawn Grove, southern York County, thru Sept. 22, (717) 382-4577. Washington County Cattlemen’s Association Club Calf Show and Sale, Washington County Fairgrounds, Meadow Lands, 4 p.m., (724) 239-3556. 4-H 100th Anniversary, Craw ford Park, Pine Bush, N.Y., noon. Indiana County Farm Bureau Farm Tour and Open House, Jewart Dairy, Home, 1 p.m.-5 p.m., (724) 397-8115. Horticulture Show, Ag Arena UP, thru Sept. 22, (814) 863-6167. Sunday, September 22 Oxen Training Workshop, Han cock Shaker Village, Pittsfield, Mass., (919) 542-5704. World Fertilizer Conference, Western St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, Calif., thru Sept. 24. All-American Dairy Show, Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, thru Sept. 26. Pace Event, LCR&DC and Willis Trail Association, Marsh Creek Park, Glenmore, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., rain date Sept. 29, Farm Show Comp burg, thru Sept. 27. ADADC Meeting District 5, Best Western Cobleskill, Cobleskill, N.Y., 7:30 p.m., (518) 673-5895. (Turn to Page A3l) • ##<>• <r f * r » r ♦ v vV f V i lex, Harris- /««*•< •**•***•*•••****»*****■*■*• *#■ 11 J* ** f * *ft* * •- To Maximize Forage Production Results of a three-year study on forage systems by a Penn State beef cattle expert should help farmers save money on livestock feed and help protect them from the effects of drought. During this sizzling summer, when a lack of rain and searing heat have parched much of Pennsylvania’s ag ricultural landscape resulting in crop losses approaching 100 percent in places the findings are especial ly timely. According to John Comerford, as sociate professor of dairy and animal science, many beef cattle farmers are out of grass because of the drought. “They are using feed stored for win ter now,” he said, “and they are fac ing the prospect of buying feed to get through the winter.” The results of Comerford’s re search represent a departure from tradition for many Pennsylvania farmers. “Historically, beef cattle farmers had fenced pastures and they just turned the cows out into them to graze,” Comerford ex plained. “From our work with rota tional grazing systems and pasture management, we know that is not the best way to use pasture.” Perhaps the biggest weakness with ON FOLLOWING THE LEADER Background Scripture: 2 Chronicles 34 through 35; 2 Kings 22 through 23. Devotional Reading: Psalms 199:1-8. The president of Vassar once wrote to the father of a girl who was applying for admission; “Is she a good leader?” “I am not sure about this,” the fa ther replied, “but I know she is an excellent follower.” Back came a surprising reply: “As our freshman class next fall is to con tain several hundred leaders, we con gratulate ourselves that your daugh ter will be a member of the class. We shall be thus assured of one good fol lower.” The world, like Vassar College, needs both good leaders and good followers. Leaders get started what other people only dream about. Often, instead of whining, “Why doesn’t do something about it?” they say, “Let’s go! We can do this.” King Josiah was such a man. He is generally regarded as Judah’s great est king, as well as its last good king. Lancaster Farming An Award-Winning Farm Newspaper • Keystone Awards 1993,1995 • PennAg Industries 1992 • PACD Media Award 1996 • Berks Ag-Business Council 2000 • Recognized for photo excellence throughout the years by the sloitheast Farm ''ommiimcators the old way of managing or actual ly not managing pastures and for age is that farmers are very depen dent on weather. And in years like this one when severe drought grips the state the grass is mostly gone by mid-summer. Comerford’s re search shows farmers how to take advantage of growth periods and capture rainfall in ungrazed, uncut pastures. “Normal grazing periods for con tinuous grazing systems in this re gion are 170 to 180 days,” Comerford said. “But in very dry years such as this one, cows only can get their own feed for closer to 140 days.” Comerford’s research, an evalua tion of three grazing systems for beef cows, was carried out in two loca tions from 1996 to 1998, with 45 acres in each location. Cows were fed grasses (such as fescue, sudangrass, and orchardgrass), com stalks, small grains and alfalfa alone, and in various combinations. “When we rely on one kind of grass for forage we are vulnerable to the weather because the growth of the grass is sensitive to rainfall,” he said. “When we take advantage of different kinds of forage, such as leg umes, com and stockpiled grass, grazing becomes less sensitive to rainfall amounts. “The study showed that beef cattle are not picky about the forage they graze,” Comerford said. “There just has to be enough of it on a daily basis. The most cost-effective grazing system will have a combination of several types of forage, including cool season perennials, stockpiled grass, alfalfa-plus-grass pastures, and com stalks.” Comerford had a good idea what any one of the forage varieties would offer farmers individually. “What we tried to do in this study, for the first time in this region to the best of my knowledge, was look at them in vari ous combinations and look at the cost of each,” he said. “What we have done is put a dollar value to for age, and that’s not readily available elsewhere.” For more information about Comerford’s research into the best mix of forage varieties, contact him at (814) 863-3661 or e-mail jxcl6@psu.edu. To Focus On Farm Safety Dennis Murphy, a safety expert in Penn State’s College of Agricultural He ascended the throne at the age of eight, when his father, Amon was murdered, and reigned 31 years be fore his untimely death in battle at the age of 39. He was only 20 when he began his great reform movement, purging Jerusalem and Judah of pagan sites of worship and restoring the temple that had lain in disrepair. Not In His Genes What was the source of his re markable ability to lead Judah to do what others had only contemplated? The answer was probably not in the genes he inherited. Although his great-great-great-great-grandfather Hezekiah had attempted reforms, these did not outlast the ruinous reigns of his grandfather Manasseh and his father Amon. Neither does it appear that he passed any leadership genes to his son, Jehoahaz, who, be coming king upon Josiah’s death, was judged as had most of his for bears been judged: “He did what evil in the sight of the Lord his God” ( 36:5). The chroniclers do not tell us much. They don’t tell us if he was a brilliant thinker or stirring speaker, nor do they hint at charismatic gifts or an impressive stature. Rather, they focus on what he did, observing that “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left” (34:2). He was an earnest seeker after God and this search directed the way he lived and ruled. Often, that commitment is the cradle of true leadership. The chroniclers also show us that he backed up his dreams with an un failing will. Josiah’s reform suc ceeded because of his single-minded will to do the job that must be done. Although it was Hilkiah the Levite who actually found the lost scroll in a Sciences, reports of the 34 people who died on Pennsylvania farms in 2001, eight were children age 9 and under. ‘Even one fatal farm accident involving a child is too many,” said Murphy, “The number of fatalities has been pretty stable the past few years, but last year the number of fatal accidents involving young chil dren was sharply higher.” In 2000, 32 people died in Pennsyl vania farm accidents, compared to 30 in 1999, 45 in 1998, 45 in 1997, and 44 in 1996. “The trend has been toward fewer fatal accidents until the number of fatalities rose slightly the past two years,” said Murphy. “Changes in statistics year to year are difficult to attribute to any one cause. “In the last few decades, as the number of people working on farms has dropped, equipment has become safer and safety education has be come more readily available to farm ers, the number of fatal accidents has dropped dramatically. By far the most common fatal accidents on Pennsylvania farms involve tractors nine people died in tractor-related accidents in 2001. “2001 was a particularly bad year for very young children on the farm stead,” Murphy said. “It points out that parents can never let down their guard or relax in protecting their children on the farm. It’s hard to un derstand because there are more youth farm-safety programs than ever. Six of the fatal accidents involv ed children age 4 and under, and kids that young normally aren’t working.” Ten of the 34 deaths last year on Pennsylvania farms involved people age 65 to 79. But that’s not unusual, according to Murphy. “Farmers often don’t retire they just keep working as long as they can,” he said. “Other industries don’t have those older age groups working, so fatal accidents among seniors is mostly peculiar to agriculture.” Some months are more dangerous than others working on the farm the months when most work is done. In 2001, six people died in June, five in July, and five in September. Quote Of The Week: “Most coaches study the films when they lose. I study them when we win to see if I can figure out what / did right. ” Paul Bear Bryant forgotten comer of the temple, it was because of Josiah’s will to restore the temple that Hilkiah was there to find it. It was also because of Josiah that the scrolls of Deuteronomic law were brought to the people and the ancient covenant with God publicly renewed. Josiah The Healer He was aptly named, for Josiah may be translated either as “Yahweh (God) cures” or “Yahweh (God) gives,” and Josiah both Jiealed his nation and gave it back its priceless spiritual heritage. Unlike many polit ical leaders, when faced with the scroll's obvious judgment upon the previous generations on Judah in general and his royal family line in particular, Josiah did not choose to defend his predecessors, but con fessed: "... for great is the wrath of the Lord that is poured out on us, be cause our father have not kept the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this book” (34:21). Yet, for all of his dedication and will, Josiah’s reforms hardly survived him. Upon his death, much of the momentum was quickly lost. Does that mean that his leadership was flawed? Perhaps the answer is to be found, not in his leadership, but in the following of his people. Under the force of his will, his people fol lowed his lead, but when he was gone, many lapsed back to what they had been and done before Josiah. One person can get a reform going, but it takes stalwart, dedicated fol lowers to keep it going. 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 «'•• V»■ »-«• «'
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers