AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 7, 2002
V
OPINION
Blue Ribbons Or Not, Support
Our Farm Show Youth
Champion Sale Tuesday, Jan. 14,9 a.m.
It's sad, sometimes, when the reports we provide for our outstanding 4-H
individuals in the state literally look at only the blue-ribbon winners and theii
blue-ribbon efforts.
Sometimes little or no attention is paid to the white-, yellow-, or eyen red
ribbon winners. How unfortunate.
Perhaps we can be accused of spending too much time on farm family kids
who allow mom or dad to spend a lot of money and go visit the Midwest in
search of the best genetics to show at fair and Farm Show events Naturally,
the judge is going to pick the best. Sometimes you can literally buy your way
into a champion at many fairs and at Farm Show, too.
That's too bad. It would be nice if all our champions were homebred.
But what can be really distressing is when the family and friends and the
businesses that are supposed to back those families and friends at major live
stock sales are “no shows.”
We’ve seen many petitions from our 4-H youth for buyers to come out to
the events. Many business leaders show up. Some should show up. Of those
who do attend and get a bid number, often (except in rare cases) the price is
flat.
The children work hard. If they don't get the blue ribbon, their own self-es
teem suffers. How many kids fought long and hard through 4-H exhibit sea
son, winning many whites, yellows, and reds, and never the blue? And then
failing to see even mediocre bids for their animals?
Where was the industry to support them?
Businesses provide direct financial support of fairs and exhibitions through
out the year. We provide features of Farm Show families in our annual issue.
We provide the listings of the names of the top three winners during major
livestock contests a policy we adopted long ago because of the huge volume
of fairs we cover and the limited space we find ourselves to run results in.
We’d like to list all the winners, even to last place if we could but space
limits us.
I myself attend many fair sales throughout the season, as many as 1 can
physically get to. Perhaps I don’t cover enough.
The Penn State extension agents are there to take care of things, which we
are thankful for, when we simply cannot be two places at once.
Like many of you, we are striving to give the youth the recognition they de
serve. This should be especially true as we enter a new era of Farm Show, a
show that once again will focus completely on farming.
It’s a brand-new Farm Show, folks, with a new day and time. The sale, in
stead of Thursday as in years past, is Tuesday, Jan 14, at 9 a.m.
Make plans to bid, and bid high and often.
Don't forget the local fairs, too! The support doesn’t end with Farm Show.
Because only then despite maybe having a less-than-perfect ribbon can
our youth regain a feeling of accomplishment for their hard work.
Auction hosted by Washington
County Junior Fair Board at
Waterloo Boys Annual Christmas Washington County Ag Center,
Banquet, Family Cupboard Res- Sharpsburg, 6:15 p.m., (301)
taurant, Intercourse, 5:30 p.m., _ . _ ....
(717)292-0104. (Turn to Page A 26)
Saturday, December 7
rditor.
There are many people who make
any event run successfully. That is no
exception with the fairs conducted
this year by the Lancaster County
Dairy Committee.
How To Reach Us
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Editor, Lancaster F arming
P.O. Box 609,1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
• By e-mail
farming@lancnews.infi.net
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❖ Farm Calendar ❖
❖ Farm Forum ❖
This year, the committee entered
the Denver, Solanco, Ephrata, New
Holland, and Manheim parades. Our
float could not have been half of
what it was if we didn’t have local
companies and individuals who be
lieved in us and the importance of
dairy in everyone’s life.
These individuals and companies
helped us with materials, drivers,
and encouragement we needed while
waving through the cold and windy
parades. A big “thank you” goes out
to our drivers Andy Augsburger,
Gene Nolt, Darlene Groff, and Ken
Scott. 1 say to them, without your
commitment to drive, we could not
have gotten started. Thanks!
We also had companies involved
that donated the use of their tractors
or wagons. 1 am so glad that year
after year these companies have
made a commitment to help us. Not
only did we have people donate their
driving skills and transportation, but
(Turn to Page A 25)
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To Protect Your
Cows' Udder Health
Beth Grove, extension dairy/
environment agent in Lancaster, re
ports the chilly weather throughout
our area has many dairy farmers
thinking about udder health, specif
ically chapped teats and teat prob
lems.
Dramatic temperature changes
and post-dipping in very low temper
atures can easily lead to more chap
ped and frozen teats as well as teat
end lesions. Many studies have
shown cows with chapped and dam
aged teat ends are more vulnerable to
infection by Staph Aureus and other
organisms. Frostbite is also a risk
with very cold weather, particularly
in sick cows or cows with udder
edema.
For these reasons, many produc
ers, especially those with freestall or
loose housing bams, dislike post-dip
ping cows after milking for fear of
frozen teats and additional problems.
Farmers in tiestall barns often keep
the cow herd inside rather than al
lowing them outside for exercise and
heat detection. Before you lock the
barn door and keep your cows inside
all winter, try these cold-weather tips
to prevent teat end damage during
the winter months.
BLESSED
TO BLESS
Background Scripture:
Luke 1:26-56.
Devotional Reading:
Psalm 146.
Stories about babies usually evoke
a sense of tender miracles. It is diffi
cult to be hard-nosed and cynical in
their presence. We clothe them in
pastel blues and pinks and their
nurseries are usually the happiest,
brightest rooms in the house. Noth
ing un-hardens a hard heart than a
baby.
So, much of the story of the com
ing of Jesus and John in Luke 1
basks in joyous expectation. Mary’s
holy fear is overcome by Gabriel’s as
surance that her son, Jesus, “will be
great, and will be called the Son of
the Most High; and the Lord will give
to him the throne of his father
David....” (1:32).
This same mood prevails when she
goes to visit her kinswoman, Eliza
beth, who also is expecting a divinely
conceived child. As Mary enters Eliz
abeth’s house, she calls her greeting
and at this, her unborn son, John,
leaped in her womb, inspiring Eliza
beth to proclaim: “Blessed are you
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In the cold winter months, try pre
dipping instead of a water wash.
Washing removes the natural oils
from the teat, increasing the inci
dence of chapped teats in winter
weather. Check teat-end conditions
often so that you can detect problems
early. Don’t stop post-dipping in
very cold weather! This will give bac
teria a fighting chance to colonize
teat ends in the herd. After post-dip
ping, allow a 60 second “kill time,”
then blot the teat dry with a paper or
cloth towel. (Try warming the teat
dip before use to reduce drying time.)
Use a post-dip with 5-10 percent
“skin conditioners” to reduce the in
cidence of chapping in windy cold
weather. There are “winter” postdips
available, some that are dry or pow
dered, and others that contain high
amounts of emollient these have
shown varying amounts of success in
on-farm trials. It is recommended
that you always use products that
have been proven to be effective in
reducing new cases of mastitis. Make
certain they have been well tested!
Carefully use salves, ointments, and
creams during wet, freezing weather.
Some research has shown that these
products will actually increase bacte
rial growth at the teat end.
It is best to store teat dip in a
heated room if possible during the
winter months. In very cold condi
tions, some teat dips may “separate”
and will not have as effective a bacte
rial kill if not remixed before use. Be
fore refilling the dip cup, thoroughly
mix contents of the storage container.
To Learn About
Tomato Pith Necrosis
High tunnels can provide ideal en
vironmental conditions for the
growth of tomatoes.
According to Andy Muza, exten
sion agent in Erie County, these envi
ronmental conditions can also be
conducive to organisms which cause
diseases. One little-known disease,
which was observed on tomatoes in a
high tunnel this season, is tomato
pith necrosis.
Tpmato pith necrosis, also called
black pith, is a disease caused by the
bacterium Pseudomonas corrugata.
It can be a serious disease of green
house-grown tomatoes. In the field,
infection rates have been reported as
high as 10 percent.
among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb! And why this
granted me, that the mother of my
Lord should come to me? ... And
blessed is she who believed that there
would be a fulfillment of what was
spoken to her from the Lord”
(1:42-45).
Call Her Blessed
Mary is also inspired and, in a mo
ment of ecstasy, she proclaims, “My
soul magnifies the Lord, and my spir
it rejoices in God my Savior, for he
has regarded the low estate of his
handmaiden. For behold, henceforth
all generations shall call me bless
ed. ...” (1:46-498). Mary was correct:
all generations since then have called
her “blessed” and honored this sim
ple peasant woman. Mary is blessed
so that she herself may be a blessing.
This blessing, however, is not
about honor, but about the purpose
of God, and it is at this point in the
story that Luke paints, not in pastel
shades, but dramatic, arresting, and
shocking colors that fairly leap off
the page of his gospel. The little baby
sent by God is a blessing, but his
coming will transform forever the
meaning of “blessing.”
In this baby God will have “scat
tered the proud in the imagination of
their hearts,” he will have “put down
the mighty from their thrones and
exalted those of low degree,” he will
have “filled the hungry with good
things,” and “the rich ... sent away
empty” (1:51-53).
This does not sound like an invita
tion to a baby shower, but a manifes
to to revolutionize the world. It calls
for the powerful to be put down, the
rich impoverished, and the poor in
possession of God’s great bounty.
God is calling for a world that was
quite opposite that of the one into
which Jesus was born, a world al-
This disease was first reported
from greenhouse-grown tomatoes in
England in 1978. About the same
time, Dr. Felix Luke/ic, Department
of Plant Pathology, Penn State, iso
lated the bacterium from symptom
less roots of greenhouse-grown alfal
fa plants. This was the first report of
the occurrence of P. corrugata in the
USA. In the early 'Bos, the occur
rence of tomato pith necrosis was re
ported from field-grown tomatoes in
both California and Florida.
A combination of factors seems to
favor the development of this tomato
disease. These factors include exces
sive plant vigor, conditions of high
humidity, and extended periods of
cloudy weather. The first symptom
of infected tomato plants is often yel
lowing of young leaves. More severe
leaf symptoms include wilting and
chlorosis.
Infected stems have brown exter
nal lesions. Stems cut lengthwise
may show internal symptoms, such
as brown discoloration of the pith
and vascular system. (Pith is spongy
tissue in the center of tomato stems.
The vascular system is the conduc
tive tissue, xylem and phloem, which
transports water and nutrients
throughout the plant). Progression of
the disease causes a breakdown of
the pith, which results in hollowing
of the stem.
There is no effective treatment for
infected plants. However, plants that
are not severely affected can recover
if environmental conditions improve
(that is, the arrival of warm, sunny
weather). Preventive measures to
minimize the occurrence of this dis
ease in high tunnels include adequate
ventilation to avoid high humidity
levels, especially during periods of
cloudy weather and avoiding exces
sive nitrogen applications to prevent
overvigorous plant growth.
Remember that different fungi and
bacteria can cause similar disease
symptoms on plants. Therefore, cor
rect identification of diseases is im
portant to avoid unnecessary or inef
fective fungicide applications.
Contact your county extension agent
for assistance in identification of dis-
eases.
Quote Of The Week:
“In taking revenge, a man is hut
even with his enemy; but in passing
it over, he is superior. ”
Francis Bacon
most totally different from the one
which we inhabit today.
William Barclay says that the
“Magnificat” of Mary is a call to
moral, social, and economic revolu
tion. And if we do not hear that in
Mary’s song, we do not hear it at all.
A Marching Song
These revolutionary pronounce
ments in Mary’s “Magnificat” will
not permit this story to be merely
“cute.” The “Magnificat” of Mary
(1:46-55) is not so much a lullaby as
it is a militant marching song, except
that we are called to take up alms in
stead of arms.
The advent of Jesus Christ is a
time for awareness of the injustice
and corruption that infects the world
that hides behind lavender para
ments and Christmas decorations. It
is a time to be aware of the appalling
human need that exists wherever we
turn. Jesus comes to bless us and
make us to be blessings for others.
Christmas is a family event, so
long as your family is big enough to
include the man who falls victim to
robbers on the road to Jericho. No
road to Jericho in your neighbor
hood? It’s there, but under a differ
ent name. Look for that road and
that person and you will find it and
him. There are people on every road
you travel who need you to stop and
bind up their wounds.
The coming of Christ will be for us
a blessing only if we also will be a
blessing to others.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
—by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Steinman Enterprise
William J. Burgess General Manager
Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2002 by Lancaster Farming