AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 25, 2003
OPINION
Decisions That Affect
Agriculture And You
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.
Pennsylvania State Statistician
National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA
You have probably heard the phrase “information is power.” I be
lieve that growers and their organizations and representatives should
all have access to basic information that creates a level playing field
for our industry.
Your agricultural service-providers use ag statistics when making
decisions such as justifying funding for extension and university re
search, grower groups lobbing in Harrisburg or Washington D.C. on
your behalf, locating farm supply outlets, evaluating farm loan appli
cations, re-registering pesticides, developing and implementing disas
ter or Farm Bill programs, land preservation, etc.
You can affect these decisions by taking the time to complete and
return the Census of Agriculture. We need your help so that decisions
made that affect you and your farm are based on accurate informa
tion.
To put it another way, consider the following questions: Do you use
information, advice, or educational services from the extension serv
ice? Have you ever used agricultural advances developed by state uni
versities and extension?
Do you buy supplies such as farm equipment, fertilizers, pesticides,
etc.? Do you belong to a cooperative, commodity, trade, or farmer as
sociation?
Have you ever borrowed money to finance your agricultural opera
tion? Do you buy crop insurance? Have your received financial help
because of market losses, drought, or other natural disasters? Do you
take advantage of farm programs in the current or past Farm Bills?
If you have answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you have
been the beneficiary of agricultural statistics generated by the Census
of Agriculture and other surveys conducted by USDA’s National Ag
ricultural Service (NASS).
Saturday, January 25
Pa. Holstein C larion/V enango
Annual meeting, Wolfs Den
Restaurant, Knox, 7:30 p.m.
Central Susquehanna Counties
Farm Managers’ Workshop,
Session 5, Watson Inn, Wat
sontown.
Editor
Recently, I had the opportuni- sights and sounds all met under a
ty to attend the 87th Annual continuous 16-acre roof, it is al-
Pennsylvania Farm Show in ways valuable for me to meet
Harrisburg. * with members of the farming
community and to hear their per
spectives on the commonwealth’s
agricultural issues.
Though the Farm Show is a
seasonal highlight for the state
capital, 2003 is a banner year for
this event. This past December,
(Former) Gov. Schweiker opened
a 360,000-square-foot annex to
the Farm Show Complex. With
the new facilities, the show is un
deniably the largest indoor agri
cultural affair in all of America.
Harrisburg’s complex attracts
more than 200 events and exhibi
tions each year, but with an esti-
i How To Reach Us
'-To address a letter to the editor:
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Editor, Lancaster Farming
P.O. Box 609,1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
• By e-mail:
farming @ lancnews.intl.net
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phone number on the letter.
Lancaster Farming reserves the
right to edit the letter to fit and
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unsolicited mail.
Marc Tosiano
(Turn to Page A 29)
Bradford County Holstein Asso
ciation meeting, Troy Fire
Hall, Troy, 11:30 a.m.
Forest Landowners’ Conference,
Penn State Behrend College,
Erie, 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., (814)
(Turn to Page A 26)
In addition to witnessing the
- --^umtoPageAes)----•
We have had a chilly winter this year
and it looks like we will be facing more
of the same in the weeks ahead.
Beth Grove, extension dairy/
environment agent in Lancaster, points
out when temperatures reach down
below 30 degrees Fahrenheit (F), most
dairy calves need extra energy for
warmth. Low temperatures and wind
chills can cause a baby calf to use ener
gy stores and bum body fat if it does
not receive enough energy and dry
matter. Weight loss and hypothermia
are the result, and the calf may conse
quently become weak and less aggres
sive at feeding. Their immune systems
may also be compromised, making
them more susceptible to illness.
Here are some thoughts on ways to
keep your calves healthier and growing
during the cold winter months to come.
When new calves are bom in the
winter, the first step is to provide a
clean and dry calving pen. New bed
ding should be used for each cow be
fore calving, mostly to help prevent the
spread of disease. During extra cold
weather, deeper bedding provides
warmth and insulation for the calf.
Calves should not be allowed to
Til TV <
NDAR ❖
Background Scripture:
Luke 22:31-34,54-62; John 21:1-22.
Devotional Reading:
Acts 4:1-13„
Remember when we just threw trash
away? Well, now we recycle much of it,
because we know that it has some in
trinsic value that can be renewed. Al
though we, as Americans, still have a
long way to go in matters of ecology,
the recycling movement is catching on
across our nation.
If only we did as well with people.
We live in a throwaway society and, as
wasteful as we are with things, we are
even more prodigal with our children.
Lisa Aversa Richette, once an assist
ant district attorney in Philadelphia
and later a judge, wrote of her experi
ences in juvenile court in “The Throw
away Children.”
“Established at the turn of the cen
tury,” she writes, “ the Juvenile Court
was designed to reclaim America’s lost
youth by providing a second chance, a
moment of hope, which the child and
the adults in his world could seize upon
to reconstruct his life.”
But, “the American people have been
content to regard juvenile courts as
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* ‘NdrtFreasmi’m Comtrmtrtcarors
To Keep Calves
Healthy During Cold
Winter Weather
GETTING
RECYCLED
nurse directly from the cow, particular
ly if vour herd is fighting Johne’s Dis
ease. It has been shown that Johne's
can be spread through fecal matter
and/or colostrum from cows in later
stages of Johne’s Disease.
Feed 3-4 quarts of colostrum as soon
as possible after birth, using an esopha
geal feeder if necessary. Consider using
a colostrometer to ensure that the Igti
(immunoglobulin concentration) is ade
quate for providing disease resistance
for the calf, and colostrum from
Johne’s negative cows when possible.
It is a good idea to feed a high fat
(greater than 20 percent) milk replacer
during winter months, at 12-14 percent
of body weight. Researchers at Penn
State estimated that the energy require
ment of maintenance alone for calves
fed milk replacers was increased by as
much as 32 percent when they were
housed at 25 degrees F compared with
calves housed at SO degrees F.
A simple way of adding energy to the
milk replacer is to add a small volume
of whole bulk tank milk to the liquid,
but this is not highly recommended be
cause of the possibility of disease trans
mission. According to Dr. Jud Heinrich
at Penn State, waste milk from cows
with known infections of Johne’s, E.
coli, leukosis, or salmonella should not
be fed to calves unless it has been pas
teurized first.
A better way to increase the energy
concentration of the replacer may be to
add more powder to the water before
mixing, but you may want to check
with your supplier or veterinarian for
recommendations. There are also com
mercial fat supplements available to
add to replacers for winter feeding,
usually added to replacers at '/< to 'A
pound per day to provide extra energy.
We feed dairy calves twice daily for
our convenience, not theirs! It has been
shown that, given a choice, most young
calves would consume about 20-25 per
cent of their body weight daily in 6-8
feedings for rapid growth and optimum
health. If we fed this much twice daily,
health problems would result, so in se
vere weather, consider feeding three
times daily, where you could feed a
higher percentage of body weight in re
placer.
Keep fresh water available to calves
at all times, even baby calves. Tty using
warmed water to keep it from freezing
as fast, and replace the water often if
you can. Water can aid in rumen devel
sanitation departments whose job is to
keep the community clean by picking
these kids off the streets.”
Instead of “recycling centers,” our
juvenile detention prisons rarely rise
above the level of warehouses for “ruin
ed” human beings.
This is no less true of our prison sys
tems. In what is the most enlightened,
privileged nation in the world, why?
Because most people, including Chris
tians, do not believe in rehabilitating
our most precious national resource,
human lives.
Sheep Vs. Goafs
Many believe that, whether by choice
or biological programming, some peo
ple are “good” and others are just
“bad.” Furthermore, they believe that
there is little or no crossing that line.
The latter must be warehoused so that
they do not impinge upon the “good”
people.
After 2,000 years of Christianity, it is
incredible that so many of us who pro
fess to be Christians still believe that
people are rarely recyclable.
Just how “bad” can a person be and
still be redeemed? Simon Peter’s story
gives us an answer. Because he is the
leader of the Twelve, extreme loyalty to
Christ was to be expected. But, in
Jesus’ greatest hour of need, Peter
failed him, a failure that Jesus foresaw;
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demand
ed to have y0u...” But Jesus also fore
saw his redemption; “... and when you
have turned again, strengthen my peo
ple.” Peter’s failure does not mean that
he is unredeemable. Jesus has a job for
him to do.
Peter’s failure was monumental.
When Jesus was seized and led away to
the high priest’s house, “Peter followed
at a distance” (22:54b). Three times
that evening he had an opportunity to
stand with Jesus, but each time he de
nied that he even knew Jesus. If you
opment and can increase grain con
sumption by young calves. Baby calves
without easy access to water will take
longer to wean.
Encourage grain starter at an early
age, particularly in winter calves
with working rumens are less stressed
by cold than those on milk diets.
As a final note, the person who cares
for heifer calves on the dairy will need
to take extra time in the winter months
to care for each calf as an individual,
rather than all baby calves as a group.
Watch calves carefully for signs of de
pression, weakness, or unusually cold
extremities, all signs of hypothermia,
and treat calves accordingly.
To Jump-Start
Equipment The Correct Way
Vehicles and machinery that have
been idle during winter may be difficult
to start.
If you need to jump-start a piece of
equipment that has a weak or dis
charged battery, be sure to follow these
safety tips.
First, connect the positive cable
marked with a “+” or red clamps to the
positive terminal of the weakened bat
tery. Then clamp the other end of the
positive cable to the positive post of the
charged battery.
Next, connect the negative cable to
the negative post of the good battery.
Finally, make the last connection of the
negative cable to the engine block or
frame of the nonstarting vehicle.
The engine block or frame acts like a
negative terminal. By keeping the
clamps of the weakened battery sepa
rated, one reduces the possibility of un
wanted stray sparks causing an explo
sion or fire. When jump-starting a
vehicle, remember to wear safety glass
es to protect your eyes from acid or bat
tery parts in the event of an explosion.
If battery acid does contact your
skin, it should be flushed off immedi
ately with clean, cool water. If your
eyes should be splashed, flush them
with water and seek medical help.
Once the vehicle is started, remove
the cables in reverse order. Be careful
not to allow the cables to contact each
other when removing them. Store the
jumper cables in a clean, dry location.
Quote Of The Week:
“Surround yourself with the best
people you can find, delegate author
ity, and don’t interfere. ”
President Ronald Reagan (1986)
and I had served on a “membership
committee” for the Twelve, we would
have decided right then and there that
Peter was “out” and never again would
be “in.”
Peter And Us
Haven’t there been times when we
also have followed Jesus at a distance
so that people would not recognize that
we are with him? Have there not also
been times when we have denied him
if not so bluntly as Peter, at least as
surely? Yet did Peter’s cowardly failure
disqualify him from reclamation? Do
ours?
Whenever in doubt, we need to re
member how Jesus responded: “Simon,
son of John, do you love me more than
these?" Three times, Jesus asks this
question, because it is one that Peter
and we might answer too quickly.
There is an interesting parallel be
tween Peter’s three denials of Christ
and his three questions about Peter’s
loyalty. And three times Jesus em
phasizes the importance of the ques
tion: “If you love me,'he says to Simon
and us ‘Feed my lambs,” “... tend
my sheep,” “Feed my sheep” (Jn
21:15-17). Despite his terrible failure,
Jesus found him worth redeeming and
gave him a task.
If anyone must believe in the recy
cling of human beings, we, the follow
ers of Jesus Christ, are those people.
The gospel is the good news of redemp
tion. The Church is a redeeming force
in the world, or it is not the Church.
And a Christian who is not into the re
cycling of society’s moral “goats” is re
ally not part of Jesus’ flock.
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
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