AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 15, 2003
OPINION
Editor's note for all Guest Editorials: Please keep in mind that
the opinions of the writers don't necessarily agree with the edit
or's. Eor the benefit of our diverse readership, we strive to provide
a balance of opinion in Lancaster Farming.
Vote *Yes’ For Vegetables
David Miller
Chairman, Pennsylvania Vegetable
Marketing And Research Program
During the last two weeks of March, Pennsylvania vegetable grow
ers will have the opportunity to vote on the future of the Pennsylvania
Vegetable Marketing and Research Program (PVMRP). The PVMRP
is the statewide marketing order for all growers who grow one or more
acres of vegetables for sale (or 1,000 square foot of greenhouse vege
tables for sale).
The Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association (PVGA), the in
dependent association of commercial vegetable, potato and small fruit
growers in the state, strongly urges growers to vote “Yes” in this re
view referendum. The Agricultural Commodities Marketing Act,
under which the PVMRP is established, requires a review referendum
every five years to determine if growers wish the Program to continue.
The PVMRP was established in 1988 on a petition to the secretary of
agriculture from PVGA. It has been re-approved by growers in review
referendums in 1993 and 1998.
Since its beginning in 1988, the PVMRP has compiled an impres
sive list of accomplishments. The PVMRP has helped fund more than
150 vegetable research projects with more than $290,000. (PVGA has
helped fund those same projects with an additional $240,000.) Those
research projects have covered a broad range of problems facing
Pennsylvania vegetable growers, including tomato and snap bean dis
ease control; sweet corn insect control; tomato fertility; development
“Grape Expectations,” a Viticul
ture and Enological Symposi
um, Forsgate Country Club,
Jamesburg, N.J., (609)
758-7311, ext. 10.
Pond Management, Franklin
County Extension office,
Chambersburg, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Winning Ways Horse Clinic, Ag
Arena, University Park, thru
March 16, (814) 863-3657.
Pa. German Heritage Festival,
Editor:
The Rodale Institute’s mission
is to increase consciousness of the
natural connection between
healthy soil, food, and people’s
health. Chemical industrial agri
How To Reach Us
To addicss a Ictlci to the cditoi
• By lax (717)733-6058
• By icgulai mail
Editor, Lancaster Farming
P.O. Box 609,1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
• By e-mail
fanning@lancnews.infi.net
Please note Include yotn kill
name, letuin addiess, and
phone numhei on the Icttei
iMitcaUer Farming icseivcs the
light to edit the lettei to In and
is not icsponsihlc loi ictuming
unsolicited mail
(Turn to Page A3O)
* Farm Calendar *
Lebanon Campus, Harrisburg
Community College, Lebanon,
9 a.m.-4 p.m., (717) 272-4220.
Legislative tour of Harrisburg
sponsored by Pa. Farm Bu
reau Young Farmers and
Ranchers Committee, (717)
761-2740.
Farming, Nutrition and Tradi
tional Diet Seminar, Flack
Family Farm, West Topsham,
Vt., 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m., (802)
(Turn to Page A3l)
❖ Farm Forum ❖
culture that has grown explosive
ly since World War II is fraught
with acute and long-term dangers
to the soil, food, and people. This
type of agriculture is dependent
on off-farm toxic chemicals in the
form of herbicides, fungicides, in
secticides, and yes, chemical fer
tilizers. These products were orig
inally developed to allow for the
production of explosives the
Bosch-Haber Process from World
War I. and to exterminate people
via chemical warfare organo
phosphate insecticides during
World War 11. The redirection of
these products after the major
World conflicts does not mean
they are safe for us or for our
food system.
A recent study in Seattle has
shown that more than 10 times
the concentration of organophos
phate insecticide is found in chil-
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* X
To Learn To
Manage Conflict
With urban neighbors moving next
to farms all across Pennsylvania,
learning to deal with potential con
flicts that can result is an important
management skill for farmers. Penn
State Cooperative Extension Service
will host an all-day public conflict
resolution workshop April 1 in Lan
caster.
The program, “Public Conflict:
Turning Lemons into Lemonade, A
Hands-On Workshop for Commu
nity Leaders.” is aimed at farmers,
public officials, community leaders,
and others who are interested in
learning how to use conflict resolu
tion techniques. It will be presented
by Tim Collins,* community and eco
nomic development extension agent
from Adams County.
Growing areas such as Lancaster
County face potential conflicts be
cause of issues such as economic de
velopment and changes in agricul
ture and land use. The program is
designed to help participants under
stand conflict and use it productive
ly-
DO YOU
NOT CARE?
Background Scripture:
Mark 4:35 through 5:20.
Devotional Reading:
John 5:2-17
Jesus and his disciples were cross
ing from Capernaum to the eastern
shore of the Sea of Galilee. On the
way, a great wind storm arose and,
finding Jesus asleep in the stern, his
disciples waken him with these re
proachful words; "Teacher, do you
not care if we perish?" (4:38). Years
later, when Mark was writing his
gospel, one might expect him to tone
down these words (as Matthew and
Luke do).
The words sound impertinent.
None of us ate likely to have ever
said anything like this to Jesus, but
some of us have certainly thought
along these lines when we have been
confronted by something dangerous
and frightening. In one way or an
other perhaps by the bedside of a
dying loved one, or at the office when
we have been told we’re being “let
go,” or when a natural disaster is
staring us in the face we have
asked: “Lord, don't you care?”
We should not be so surprised by
this reproach from Jesus’ disciples.
Lancaster Farming
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Northeast Farm Communicators
The workshop will cover a wide
variety of topics, including the bene
fits of conflict, conflict styles and
strategies, the difference between po
sitions and interests, reframing issues
to broaden stakeholders’ involvement
and bridge their interests, speaking
for oneself, various approaches to
problem solving, and evaluating op
tions and reaching agreement.
A program fee will cover refresh
ments, lunch, and printed materials.
The workshop will be conducted
from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lan
caster County Penn State Coopera
tive Extension office, 1383 Arcadia
Road, Lancaster. Attendees are ex
pected from Lancaster, Lebanon, and
York counties.
For more information about the
conflict resolution program, contact
Pat Simpson at the Adams County
Cooperative Extension office in Get
tysburg, toll-free (888) 472-0261.
To Welcome Our
New Associate Director
Of Penn State
Cooperative Extension
Daney G. Jackson, associate pro
fessor and personnel leader for Ohio
State University Extension, has been
named associate director of Penn
State Cooperative Extension, effec
tive immediately.
“During his 17 years in extension,
Daney has demonstrated outstanding
leadership and a talent for building
effective coalitions,” said Theodore
Alter, Penn State associate vice presi
dent for outreach and director of co
operative extension. “His success in
shaping the human resource func
tions of a large state extension sys
tem, combined with his experience in
regional extension administration
and in conducting educational pro
grams in the field, makes him
uniquely qualified to help lead our
organization during this time of eco
nomic uncertainty.”
Jackson will provide leadership for
the day-to-day operations of Penn
State Cooperative Extension and will
be a key member of the College of
Agricultural Sciences administrative
team. He will assist the director of
It is what Jesus said to the disci
ples after he stilled the storm that
trouble us: “Why are you afraid?
Have you no faith?” This “faith” is
trust in God and relying on his help.
Didn’t they realize that he would
save them from the storm?
The answer, 1 think, is both yes
and no. They must have looked to
him for rescue or they would not
have reproached him. It indicates
that they thought fie could help
them, but that he had not.
Fear Vs. Faith
Many of us are fearful about many
things because we don’t really trust
in God to help us. Fear paralyzes us
and is the antithesis of faith.
If we trust God, we should fear
nothing, trusting that the power and
grace of God are more powerful than
any danger or threat. Fear means
that we believe in our obstacles more
than we believe in God.
Civil War General John B.
McClellan was a popular command
er of whom, from President Lincoln
on down to the buck private, people
expected great things. But he had a
fatal flaw; he could not bring himself
to employ his armies effectively be
cause of his persistent irrational be
lief that the enemy he faced was
many times stronger than his own
forces even when, in fact, they
were often half his strength. Many of
us fail to live up to our potential be
cause we magnify our obstacles and
minimize our resources.
Still, I must ask: what, then, was it
that the disciples of Jesus should
have known? Should they have
known that God would not permit
them to perish on the Sea of Galilee?
Should they have known that God
would not permit any of them to end
up on crosses? Even if Jesus was in
the same boat in a terrible storm, and
even if he was the Messiah and the
cooperative extension in facilitating
collaboration across the College of
Agricultural Sciences and with other
colleges and outreach units of the
university.
Jackson began his extension career
in 1985 with Mississippi State Uni
versity, serving as a 4-H youth agent
in Hancock County, Mississippi.
From 1987 to 1991, he was an agri
culture and natural resources exten
sion agent in Lauderdale County,
Mississippi.
After a year as a graduate associ
ate at Ohio State University Exten
sion’s Ohio Center for Action on Co
alition Development, Jackson
returned to Mississippi Cooperative
Extension, serving Lauderdale and
Kemper counties as an area exten
sion agent for forestry and horticul
ture from 1992 to 1994.
Jackson joined Ohio State Univer
sity Extension as director of the
16-county south district in 1995.
After being named statewide person
nel leader in 2000, he directed the or
ganization’s human resources func
tions, including needs assessment, job
analysis, job design, performance
management, recruitment, hiring,
compensation and benefits.
Jackson is a member of several
professional organizations, including
the national extension honorary so
ciety Epsilon Sigma Phi, the Society
for Human Resource Management,
the National Association of County
Agricultural Agents, and the Nation
al Association of Extension 4-H
Agents, which recognized him with
its 1993 Achievement in Service
Award.
Jackson received dual bachelor’s
degrees (forestry, banking, and fi
nance) and a master’s degree (exten
sion education) from Mississippi
State University in 1984 and 1990,
respectively. He earned his doctorate
in agricultural education from The
Ohio State University in 1994.
Quote Of The Week:
“/ have always said, and will
always say, that the studious pe
rusal of the sacred volume will
make us better citizens. ”
Thomas Jefferson
Son of God, should they have be
lieved that none of them would be
swept overboard?
What Guarantee?
The Pilgrim’s Progress is a prayer
that I often use in the evening: “Visit,
O Lord, this dwelling, and drive from
it all the snares of the enemy; let thy
holy angels dwell in it to preserve us
in peace, and may thy blessing be
upon us evermore; through Jesus
Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
I use it as a prayer for God’s pres
ence and protection during the night.
But when I pray it, do 1 have a guar
antee that no burglar will break in or
that my house won’t catch on fire? If
I get on an airplane, train, or ship,
and pray for a safe trip, am I guaran
teed against all dangers? Well, no,
there’s no guarantee. But does hav
ing faith mean that I should expect a
“guarantee”?
No? But then, why do I pray it?
(And why do you?)
I've wrestled with these questions
for years and I have come to the con
clusion that, for me, the guarantee 1
have as a follower of Jesus Christ is
not that God will save me from every
potential disaster, but that he will be
with me in every one. Sometimes that
will mean I will come through un
scathed. Sometimes it means I maj
be hurt in some way. And sometime 1
will perish and, if that happens. God
will be with me then as in all the
other times.
Does God not care? Yes, he does
care in every trial and trouble and
the assurance he gives us is that he
will be there with us. And. if God is
with us. what other guarantee do we
need?
Lancaster Farming
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Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2003 by Lancaster Farming