AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 15, 2003
OPINION
Green Banking?
A few weeks ago we received an e-mail informing us of a new grass
roots phenomenon known as “green hanking.”
It’s a movement in which credit unions, banks, foundations, social
venture capital firms, and other organizations support environmental
projects, including recycling, new technology, organic farming, eco
tourism, and other “Earth-friendly” products and services, according
to the e-mail.
The e-mail recognizes Chittenden Bank, Brattleboro, Vt.; Coastal
Enterprises, Inc., Wiscasset, Maine; Permaculture Credit Union,
Santa Fe, N.M.; Wainwright Bank and Trust Company, Boston,
Mass.; and others as “green banking” organizations.
Amazing! Just when you thought life couldn’t be more amusing. I
suppose, later on, unless you are a certified organic dairy farmer who
markets less than 42.7 percent of the milk to a co-op, you might not be
eligible for a loan . .. or if you don’t compost at least 83.3 percent of
your dairy manure, could it be possible that your credit rating would
decrease?... or if you don’t employ at least 32.4 percent methane col
lection techniques, perhaps you wouldn’t qualify for that new truck
loan
It’s a nice idea but one in which needs to be real. Singling out cer
tain types of operations who qualify could create real headaches. Bad
actors who risk the environment could simply employ one or two
“green techniques” and then qualify ... and who defines these tech
niques anyway? Have the techniques been proven to actually “pro
tect” the environment?
Sadly, it’s a sign of these increasingly restrictive times for many
producers.
Saturday, February 15
National FFA Week, thru Feb.
22.
North Carolina Winegrowers’
Association annual meeting,
Marriott Hotel, Greensboro,
N.C.
New and Beginning Farmer
Workshop, Harrisburg Her
shey Holiday Inn, Pa. Farm
Link, (717)664-7077.
Program on West Nile Virus for
Horse Owners, Clarion Hotel
(formerly Holiday Inn), 7
p.m.-9 p.m., (908) 475-6503.
“Introduction to Small Farm En
terprises,” Maryland Coopera
tive Extension Office, Elkton,
Md., six consecutive Wednes
days, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.,
(410)996-5280.
Sorghum Industry Conference,
Albuquerque Marriott, Albu
querque, N.M., thru Feb. 18,
(806) 749-3478.
Monday, February 17
Pesticide Update, Fiddler’s
Building, Fayette Fairgrounds,
7 p.m., (814) 865-4700.
Bradford-Sullivan Counties
Dairy Day, Harlan Rowe Jun
ior High School, Athens, 9:30
a.m.-3 p.m., Bradford Exten-
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.
Lancaster Farming reserves the
right to edit the letter to fit and
is not responsible for returning
unsolicited mail.
sion, (570) 265-2896.
Octorara Young Farmers meet
ing, Vo-Ag Dept., Octorara
High School, 7:30 p.m., (610)
593-8259.
Mercer County Ag Day, Mercer
County Career Center, 9 a.m.-
3:15 p.m.
Adams County Fruit Growers’
Educational Meeting, Bigler
ville High School, Biglerville,
(717) 334-6271.
Tuesday, February 18
Northeast Vegetable Growers
meeting, Thompson’s Dairy
Bar, Clarks Summit, (717)
963-4761.
Conference on Building Freestall
Barns and Milking Center,
Radisson Penn Harris Hotel
and Convention Center,
Camp Hill, thru Feb. 20, (607)
255-7654.
Ohio Dairy Conference on Infec
tious Diseases of Dairy Cattle,
Greenbriar Conference Cen
ter, Wooster, Ohio, 9 a.m.-3:30
p.m., (330) 264-8722.
Lancaster Dairy Days, Lancaster
Farm and Home Center, 9
a.m.-3 p.m.
Pesticide Update Meeting, Ne
shaminy Manor Center, Doy
lestown, 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m.,
(215) 345-3283.
New York State Dairy Princess
Coronation and ADADC
meeting, Hotel Syracuse, Syra
cuse, N.Y., 6 p.m., (315)
472-9143.
Pesticide Update, McGuffey
High School, 7 p.m., (814)
865-4700.
Pesticide Update, Greene County
Extension office, 1 p.m., (814)
865-4700.
Franklin County Crop and For
age Day, Lighthouse Restau
rant, Chambersburg, (717)
263-9226.
Armstrong County Crops Night,
Kittanning, (724) 548-3447.
Indiana County Crops Day, Rus
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To Plan Your Farm’s
Financial Future
Every farmer who is experienc
ing the current cash-flow crisis
needs to carefully plan the cash
flow projection for the farm for at
least the next 12 months. The best
tool available for this
is FINPACK. The Center for Farm
Financial Management at the Uni
versity of Minnesota has just an
nounced a special offer which will
enable you to use Finpack on your
farm computer for a year for about
the price of one cull bull calf.
The FINPACK Annual Sub
scription Program, available with
the release of FINPACK 2003,
gives you the full power of the Per
sonal Version of FINPACK for one
year for only $99!
It’s for producers only, and in
cludes the hill working version of
FINPACK, technical support, and
Internet patches.
During 2003, you would be able
to update your balance sheets,
evaluate “what if’ FINLRB plans,
create FINFLO cash flow plans,
and complete FINAN year end fin-
NOT ALWAYS
‘SECOND BEST’
Background Scripture:
Acts 16:1-5; Philippians 2:19-24;
1 Timothy 1:1-3; 2 Timothy 1:1-5.
Devotional Reading:
2 Timothy 2:1-7.
An ancestor of mine, Monroe Al
thouse, was conductor of one of the
most historic concert bands in the
USA. He also was the composer of
many fine marches. At the same
time, however, there was another
conductor/composer who substan
tially overshadowed him: John
Philip Sousa.
The grandson of Monroe Al
thouse also became an outstanding
musician, a leading tenor at the
Metropolitan Opera in New York.
But there was another tenor who
outshone him: Enrico Caruso.
When I was in grades one
through six, even at my best I was
only second academically to anoth
er boy. He even got the part in a
play that I thought was going to be
mine. Since then, I’m not sure I’ve
been first in anything all that sig
nificant, but I have learned that, in
life, not being “first” doesn’t neces
sarily mean being “second best.”
Lancaster Farming
An Award-Winning Farm Newspaper
• PDA Friend of Agriculture Award, 2003
• 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
ancial analyses.
Give CFFM at Minnesota a call
at (800) 234-1111 or visit their web
site at www.cffm.
umn.edu for more details on soft
ware options. Penn State Extension
will offer two days of practical
FINPACK hands-on-computer
training March 4 and 5 at the
Cumberland County Extension Of
fice to the first 10 paid registrants.
The program will be repeated in
Lancaster, March 18 and 19. The
fee will be $5O per participant for
two days. Call Roland Freund or
Laura Watts at 717-240-6500 for
more information on the training.
To Attend Penn State’s
College of Agricultural
Sciences Open House
Penn State’s College of Agricul
tural Sciences invites you to attend
our Open House on Saturday,
March 22,2003.
Visitors will have an opportunity
to meet with deans, faculty, and
current students, and tour our Col
lege and the University Park cam
pus. Penn State Housing and Food
Services will be offering special
meal deals for brunch and dinner.
The following listing of events will
give you an idea of the various ac
tivities you may participate in
throughout the day.
The day will begin with a wel
come and College presentations on
majors, minors, scholarships, clubs,
organizations and societies, intern
ships, undergraduate research, and
education abroad. College faculty
will provide group academic in
formation sessions by major.
Before lunch agricultural re
search and teaching facility tours
and demonstrations will be con
ducted by students and faculty.
Tour options will include the Agri
cultural and Biological Engi
neering Department, the Animal
Sciences Laboratory facility, the
Food Science Creamery, the horti
culture greenhouse, the Animal
Bioscience Laboratory facility, a
Landscape Contracting demonstra
tion using LandCAD, and an Agro
ecosystems tour.
An all you can eat brunch will be
‘Everything’?
Last evening I was watching a
rerun of a 1960’s film, “Grand
Prix,” and there was a scene in
which a driver who caused an acci
dent was confronted by the wife of
the seriously injured driver of an
other car: “What a terrible way to
win!” she said. “No,” the driver re
plied, “Winning is everything.” I
realize that is one of the prevailing
values in our world today and I
have nothing against “winning” or
being “number one,” but to believe
that it is “everything” or even most
important is a denial of what Jesus
teaches us.
God has a different way of defin
ing “winning.” Therefore, some
people in this world who think they
are winning are in actuality losing.
As Jesus warned us, “For what
does it profit a man if he gains the
whole world and loses or forfeits
himself?” (Lk.9:25). God’s values
are often completely opposed to
those of society: What we’re called
to is not being “first,” but making
and sharing the most of what God
gives us.
Timothy was a valued helper for
all of his ministry, but he never
achieved the stature of Paul. Yet,
suppose that the early Christian
churches had been filled with the
likes of Paul! What the church
needed in abundance were disci
ples like Timothy, people who, al
though they probably couldn’t
preach with the power of Paul,
could and did provide a powerful
witness as valued helpers. Paul rec
ognized Timothy’s gifts and he
wanted this young man to accom
pany him on his second missionary
journey.
available in the dining commons.
After lunch faculty and staff will
provide information on careers in
the agricultural sciences, intern
ships arranged by the College, and
international experiences in agri
cultural sciences.
In the afternoon staff will pres
ent information on financial aid,
there will be bus and walking tours
of the University Park campus, a
residence hall tour and a Penn
State Forest Lands tour. A large
animal facility bus tour will feature
several stops including the Dairy
Education and Research Center,
the Beef-Sheep Center, the Poultry
Research and Education Center
and the Horse Bam.
For anyone interested in a career
in agricultural sciences, this open
house is a one-stop shop for in
formation. More information and
on line registration is available at
the College of Agricultural Sci
ences website (www.cas.psu.edu),
from your local extension office or
you can call Dr. Marianne L. Fivek
at (814)-865-7521.
To Attend Lancaster
County’s Dairy Day
Dairy Day will be held at the
Farm and Home Center at 1383
Arcadia Road, Lancaster on Tues
day February 18.
The program runs from 9 am to
3 pm and the theme for the day is
“Strategies for Success”. Dr. Lou
Moore will speak on “Strategies
For Success In Your Dairy Farm
Business”, Dr. Arlen Mills will
speak on “Emerging Technolo
gies”, and Dr. Bob Munson and
Mr. Bruce Kreider will speak on
“Strategies in Nutrition”. There
will be several other break out ses
sions. This year there is an optional
program for spouses that includes
a talk on “What’s New in Home
Canning” by Nancy Wiker, Family
and Consumer Science agent. For
more information call
(717)-394-6851.
Quote Of The Week:
“A ship in the harbor is safe,
but that is not what ships are
built for,”
Author Unknown
A Genuine Concern
Paul’s high regard for Timothy
is spelled out in his letter to the
Philippians; “I have no one like
him, who will be genuinely anxious
for your welfare” Timothy was
quite unlike many of the others:
“They all look after their own in
terests, not those of Jesus Christ.”
“But Timothy’s worth you know,
how as a son with a father he has
served me in the gospel” (2:20-22).
One tradition holds that Timo
thy became the first bishop of
Ephesus. But other scholars won
der whether there may not have
been two disciples named Timothy
in this era. It doesn’t matter, for
what we know of him is sufficient.
He was highly valued as Paul’s
helper. He had a genuine concern
for the welfare of the Christians he
visited. He was also a trustworthy
helper who put the cause of Christ
ahead of his own ambitions.
There’s nothing “second-best”
about that kind of discipleship.
Like Timothy, I, too, had a spir
itual father. He also was a Paul:
Dr. Paul Price, first my pastor and
sponsor in the ministry. While I
was still in seminary he brought me
into his pastorate as a “ministerial
trainee.” Later, when he was a re
tired, he joined me as my assistant
in my pastorate in Mohnton, Pa.
But one does not have to be in the
clergy in order to have a spiritual
parent or to be one. This is a gift
that all of us can receive and give
and it will never be “second
best.”
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 2003 by Lancaster Farming