AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 28, 2002
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OPINION
New Solutions Are
Required In 2003
Editor's note for all Guest Editorials: Please keep in mind that the opinions
of the writers don’t necessarily agree with the editor's. For the benefit of our
diverse readership, we strive to provide a balance of opinion in Lancaster
Farming.
Guest Editorial By Brian W. Snyder
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Association For Sustainable Agriculture (PASA)
Now that much of the dust has settled from the vigorous debate over Senate
Bill 1413, it is time for all of us to pause and imagine where we should go
from here. Already, some messages are circulating that a third incarnation of
the bill will be introduced early in the next session of the legislature many
readers will recall that SB 1413 started out in life as SB 826.
My fear is that such a shortsighted and reactionary approach would only
lead to more division within Pennsylvania's agricultural community, and cer
tainly less chance of a lasting solution that supports both farmers and rural
communities.
I read with great interest the account in this paper of remarks from Walt
Peechatka, executive vice president of PennAg Industries Association. It was
reported that Mr. Peechatka described the proponents of excessive local regu
lation in the state as falling neatly into the categories of environmentalists,
preservationists, animal rights advocates, newcomers to country living, anti
ag activists, and/or members of other well-funded groups who know how to
use e-mail.
Sadly, an understanding of the essential nature of the current debate is
missing entirely in this and other attempts to pigeonhole away the very real
problems facing modern agriculture. Such oversimplification serves only to
fan the flames of discontent.
The fact ignored in Peechatka’s remarks, and he is by no means alone in
making this omission, is that a different view of agriculture is rapidly on the
rise in Pennsylvania and across the country. This new perspective on agricul
ture is in stark contrast to the tired, old one in which farms are industrialized
and must continually grow or fail. There are many differences between the old
and new views of farming in this country, but for the purposes of this discus
sion, the identity and location of a farm’s “customers" is a key.
New farms, as I describe them here, have easily identified customers that
range from private individuals to buying clubs, restaurants, institutions, and/
or grocery stores that are within a reasonable driving distance of the farm.
Consumers of products from these farms are often able to interact directly
with the farmer on a personal level, and can even visit the farm if they wish.
in contrast, the customers of industrialized farms, by which 1 mean those
facilities that prioritize high production through animal confinement or other
capital-intensive means, tend to have customers that are more difficult to dis
cern. They include large marketing co-ops, corporate food processors and dis
tributors, commodity markets, etc. Farmers operating by this model rarely in
teract personally with or get to know the people who consume their products.
In fact, the current indicator of success for this model is that more and more
product is exported further and further away from its source, and is mixed be
yond recognition with similar products from countless other farms.
T here will surely be some folks who would hope to dispute the contrasting
definitions I have offered, but it is time for all of us to realize the big differ
ence between farmers whose customers live in close proximity and are willing
Happy New Year! Lancaster
Farming office dosed.
Thursday, January 2
Annual Vegetable Growers’
Meeting, Bareville Fireball,
Bareville, 12:30 p.m.-3 p.m.,
Editor.
We also are members of RASA
(Pennsylvania Association for Sus
tainable Agriculture), like Paul E.
Hauser of Chester County, and ap
plaud his logic in opposing 581413
because it does not allow commu
nities to have a voice in their own fu
tures. We all need clean air and
water.
The problem of perchlorate con
tamination of water as reported re
cently in The Wall Street Journal
could be serious. Autism is some-
i
(Turn to Page Al 9)
* Farm Calendar ❖
(717)656-9592.
“Vegetable, Flower, and Herb
Transplants: What Buyers
Need and Consumers De
mand,” Kutztown Produce
Auction meeting room, 7 p.m.,
(610) 682-6094.
Dairy Marketing Meeting, Berks
(Turn to Page A 18)
❖ Farm Forum ❖
thing we do not want to see in our
grandchildren. We must protect the
water from endocrine-disrupting
chemicals.
The organic sustainable produc
tion of food movement is growing
faster every year. It takes three years
to get your organic certification. We
hope that the farmers are preparing
for this financial windfall.
Let us all oppose 581413.
, Paul and Janet Baer
Jarreltsville, Md.
To Celebrate The
New Year With
Your Family
The beginning of a New Year is a
great time to stop and reflect on the
blessing we base enjoyed in the past
year and to look ahead to the oppor
tunities of the New Year. In the par
agraphs below are some thoughts on
evaluating your business and making
changes. While it is specifically fo
cused on dairy enterprises, most of
the principles apply to other busi
nesses as well, so read on even if you
arc not in the dairy business.
New Year’s celebrations, like
birthdays, are reminders of how
quickly our season of life is passing.
This provides a reminder to review
how we are meeting life’s most im
portant goals. We may need to evalu
ate how to modify our business activ
ities to make sure our work isn’t
crowding out other important goals.
Think about how to get more time
for family and faith in your activities
in 2003.
Don’t forget to start the New Year
properly, showing your support for
the livestock and horticultural indus
tries by enjoying a hearty meal ot
GET READY!
GET SET!
Background Scripture:
Matthew 3; 11:2-19.
Devotional Reading:John 1:1-14.
When I first saw the scripture pas
sages for this week, I thought there
must be a mistake. John the Baptist
is usually treated in Advent. But then
it occurred to me that (1) Christmas
does not end at midnight on Decem
ber 25 and (2) the message of John
the Baptist is always relevant, for we
have to continually prepare to re
ceive him into our lives. Every day of
our lives can and should be both an
Advent and a Christmas.
“When he saw many of the Phari
sees and Sadducees coming for bap
tism ... (John)... said to them,
‘You brood of vipers! Who warned
you to flee from the wrath to come?’”
(3:7). People were heeding his mes
sage to “Repent” and they confessed
their sins and sought his baptism.
But John knew that for many, repen
tance was more of a ritual than a
spiritual reality.
Especially the Pharisees and Sad
ducees. This is ironic because they
thought of themselves as the spiritual
elite. They were proud and often ar
rogant concerning their religious
pedigree. So when they repented.
Lancaster Farming
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pork, sauerkraut, and mashed pota
toes. Then sit down to cheer on the
Penn State Football team in the Cap
ital One Bowl. Pork, sauerkraut, and
Penn State Football on New Year’s
Day it doesn’t get any better than
that'
1 o Make New Year's
Resolutions For
Your Business
Beth Grove, extension agent,
dairy/environmcnt in Lancaster,
agrees that New Year’s is a good
time to reflect on the family dairy
farm business and goals for the fu
ture of the operation.
Like our personal resolutions, such
as getting more exercise, often our
New Year’s resolutions for our busi
ness don’t come easily. They require
hard work and discipline to achieve.
In that same sense, many times it is
easier on a dairy farm to keep work
ing with your head down and not
make the time to look ahead and
plan for future goals on the farm.
The enormous amount of work in
volved in keeping the operation run
ning on a daily basis can be over
whelming, particularly to young
dairy farmers with little children,
leaving little time for reflection.
The time and energy in planning
for the coming year on a farm is
often time well spent, however. Why
not sit down with your family in the
coming weeks and analyze your farm
business? For example, are the sales
from your operation meeting your
financial needs and goals? This past
year was terrible for milk prices, but
were you able to keep the family and
farm expenses met? Are production
costs in line, or are some costs grow
ing more rapidly than usual? What
are your strengths and weaknesses
on the dairy, and what might be cre
ative ways to improve the shortcom
ings on your farm? Do you have
enough family time, and if not, how
can this be changed?
A great way to make some effec
tive changes and gain ideas from out
side sources is to create a dairy advi
sory team for your operation. There
are many such teams already in
place in the area, and they normally
consist of the herd owner, a herds-
they weren’t really repenting; their
egos kept them from recognizing the
depth of their sins.
Repent? Me?
There is nothing more difficult
than to teach someone something
they think they already know and
just as difficult for people who think
they are upstanding in their religion
to really repent. Both think they are
already “there” and don’t realize
how far they are from “there.” The
finest people I know are those who
do not think of themselves as “righ
teous” and vice versa. The higher
our spiritual consciousness, the more
we realize how much further we need
to go.
Both John and Jesus had a simple
test: tangible or visible “fruits.” John
proclaimed, “Bear fruit that befits re
pentance” (3:8). Later, Jesus said,
“You shall know them by their
fruits” (Mt. 7:16) and “Herein is my
father glorified, that you bear much
fruit” (Jn. 15:8). Still later. Paul
writes. “The fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temper
ance” (5:22,23).
Instead of bearing fruit, the Phari
sees and Sadducees focused on their
pedigree. John, however, warns
them: “... do not presume to say to
yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as
our father,’; for 1 tell you that God is
able from these stones to raise up
children to Abraham” (Mt. 3:9).
Today, Christians may think of
themselves as children of Luther,
Calvin, Knox, Wesley, and others.
And in a sense, we are their children.
But if we are truly their children
and therefore disciples of Jesus
Christ our lives will be fruitful.
True pedigree bears fruit that befits
repentance.
man (if different from the owner),
nutritionist, veterinarian, financial
adviser, extension agent, and/or other
farm consultants. At first thought,
this may sound like something most
farmers don't feel comfortable with,
but these groups can be very helpful
m allowing for communication be
tween the vet, nutritionist, and other
advisers on a regular basis.
Best of all, outsiders often bring
experience and ideas from other
farms to your doorstep, free of
charge! Again, such a group takes
time and effort to create, but the ben
efits can more than outweigh the
costs.
If finances are a problem, there are
qualified farm consultants available
in many areas to assist with evaluat
ing options. Since you will be prepar
ing for taxes in the next few weeks,
use a balance sheet to evaluate your
costs of production. Perhaps there
are places you can save money on
your dairy by using available re
sources differently or by changing
the way the cows are fed or man
aged. Are you better off to purchase
some feeds rather than growing
them? Could someone else raising
your heifers free up pasture and re
sources to make the milking herd
more profitable? If you have access
to good pasture but limited cropping
equipment, is glazing an option?
If you are using DHIA on your
farm, this is an excellent way to eval
uate the basic performance and pro
ductivity of your herd. DHIA is one
of the best tools available to the dairy
producer. How can you change
something if you don’t measure it?
There are many goals and “bench
marks” available to evaluate your
herd’s performance, with most based
upon the economics of increasing
milk quality and production while re
ducing the costs associated with poor
reproduction. The goals are simply
designed to get you started. You can
ask your farm consultants or call the
Lancaster County Extension office at
(717) 394-6851 for more information.
Quote of The Week;
“You got to be careful if you
don't know where you are going,
because you might not gel there. ”
Yogi Berra
Really Changed!
Not that we earn our salvation
with these fruits, but that the stamp
of authenticity is the fruits it produc
es. As J.B. Phillips renders in Mt.
3:18: “Go and do something to show
that your hearts are really changed.”
A repentance not resulting in a
“change of heart” is not a true repen
tance. A “change of heart” that does
not produce “fruits” is not a true
“change of heart.”
It is easy to say the words or go
through the motions of repentance,
but that is not what it means to be
“ready" for the coming of Christ.
I have never come to the end of a
day thinking that there was nothing
in those 24 hours for which I needed
to repent. Even when my efforts have
produced some “fruits” and I have
refrained from saying or doing any
thing injurious or unhelpful to oth
ers, I know 1 have not completely
walked the way of Jesus. Even in my
best moments, “self gets m the way,
especially when 1 congratulate myself
for them. But there is so much more
that 1 could do or be in every day. If
that is not also true in your life, what
an exalted accomplishment! But how
lonely it must be standing on that
higher level.
If every day is a potential Christ
mas for Christ to be bom anew into
our hearts, so it is also axiomatic that
it is a day for us to “Prepare the way
of the Lord, make his paths
straight”. Every day of our lives we
need to “Get ready, get set...” to re
ceive him.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
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Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2002 by Lancaster Farming