AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 5, 2003 OPINION Making The Most Of Conflict For too long, perhaps too many of us have pushed aside the idea of making any good use of conflict. Many readers think conflict should be avoided in all matters and at all cost. But those who work on developing public policy, including many of to day’s community movers and shakers, think otherwise. Just this week, Penn State conducted a special hands-on public conflict workshop at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center. More than a dozen community leaders met to iron out ways to organize and constructively use conflict and make the most out of situations involving conflicts be tween parties. These parties could be developers and farmers, farmers and township boards, environmentalists and industry, and all the various combinations in between. More than a dozen planning commission members, school board offi cials, township board members, and agri-industry representatives learned a lot about how people behave in conflicts, how to react to that behavior in a positive, constructive way, and how to use time-honored skills to re solve conflicts in a systematic fashion that benefits everyone. That’s a tall task! We were reminded of an article that appeared in a professional journal in 1989. The title centered on “cutting-edge trends” in Training and De velopment Journal. Gordon Lippitt, an expert in this field, noted, “The goal of organizational leadership is not to eliminate conflict, but to use it.” Conflict, Lippitt noted, is “predictable and should be channeled for use ful purposes.” Communities that don’t embrace and use conflict resolution are dying, according to experts. Without conflict, relationships can actually be de stroyed. The successful communities, we are told, anticipate conflict and work on it to the extent by looking at the most critical area keeping re lationships intact. We learned that the actual process, as complex as it sometimes can be, is so important to conflict resolution. Those who try to resolve conflicts must listen carefully, must address interests over simple positions, must learn to logically get to the heart of issues by bringing everything to the bargaining table, and must learn patience. The critical component by far is listening making sure the needs of parties in a conflict resolution remain paramount. For mpre information about conflict management and resolution, con tact Tim Collins, extension agent, community and*economic development, Adams County, (717) 334-6271. Saturday, April 5 Wye Angus annual sale and Mar yland Bull Test Sale, Queens town, Md., (301) 405-1394. Keystone Classic Horse Show, thru April 6, (717) 249-0975. Farm Safety Day Camp, Junge Farm (Moyer’s), Kistler Valley and Sechler Roads, Lynnville, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Editor: This is a note of encourage ment for the people of the USA encouragement in this time of war, not negativism. We should be rooting for the men and women who are risking their lives to keep America free, and help ing others to be free who are now in bondage. We should be standing up for the U.S. and her efforts to help a world that is in danger of being overtaken. In history, think of all the men and women who gave their blood, sweat, and tears so that we could live in peace and prosperity all these years. Those of you in rose-colored glasses who poke fun at these oyal efforts take off the glasses and see all. Write your songs of encouragement. rV-' fc <JWwS >,, v < ** ff ❖ Farm Calendar ❖ r 4, .iv, A Maryland Small Poultry Flock Seminar, Carroll Ag Center, Westminster, Md., (410) 386-2760. Maryland Simmental Cattle Sale, The Great Frederick Fair, Frederick, Md., (410) 833-3949. (Turn to Page A 29) God will fight for us if we stand together. Editor: The Harrisburg Farm Show certainly did get bigger and bet ter this year. There were new things to see and taste and the shuttle worked great. Although there were almost no machinery salesman or literature on the last days, the show was not crowded. One thing that has not changed is the lack of seating, or a table to eat at. People just sat down on the hard, rough floor. It would be nice to see some tables and chairs next year. kt* * irlN —Alexis Hyneman Birdsboro Neal McCleary Elkton, Md. To Apply Asparagus Herbicides With the snow gone and the days getting longer and warmer, the first asparagus spears will be appearing before long. If you have not already mowed off last years ferns, do it as soon as you can get into the field. Then the field will be ready to apply preemergence herbicides. A number of herbicides are avail able to assist the commercial grower. It is important to know the weed spe cies that have been problems in the past and then choose herbicide com binations most suited to your partic ular fields. Available products that control broadleaf weeds include Karmex, Lorox, Sencor, Lexone, and Sinbar. Products that control grasses include Devrinol and Sinbar. Since these pre emergence herbicides need to be in corporated, irrigate after application if no rain occurs within 24 hours of application. For more details, check the 2003 Commercial Vegetable Pro duction Recommendations book available from your local county ex tension office. THE GRAND UPSETTER Background Scripture: Mark 11:1 through 12:12. Devotional Reading: Luke 19:28-40.7, The people of Jesus’ day would probably be aghast at his benign pop ularity in our time. His name rolls off the tongues of multitudes, he is rep resented in beatific tut as the “gentle Jesus, meek and mild,” and his name is spread obligingly over all manner of things and causes founded on something other than the gospel. The people of his own day would be surprised because, friend and foe alike, they saw him as the Grand Up setter. Jesus was not opposed by the scribes and Pharisees because he dif fered somewhat from their legalism. He was persona non grata with the priests and Sadducees, not because his presence graced the temple. Even his disciples had experienced how his life and teaching could turn their lives upside down. His first day started off unobtrusi vely. Jesus sent two his disciples to Bethphage, a town on the outskirts of Jerusalem, to find and bring to him a colt to ride into the Holy City. Why a colt? This was an allusion to Zechari ah 9:9, depicting the coming of a Lancaster Farming An Award-Winning Farm Newspaper • PDA Friend of Agriculture Award, 2003 • Keystone Awards 1993,1993 • PennAg Industries 199? • PACD Media Award 1996 • Berks Ag-Business Council 2000 • Recognized for photo excellence throughout the years by the Northeast Farm Communicators To Extend The Growing Season With High Tunnels High tunnels are simple unheated greenhouses designed to reduce envi ronmental extremes during the early spring and late fail growing season. The most common application of high tunnels to vegetable production is the use of the structures to extend the cropping period for warm-season vegetable crops such as tomato, pep per, eggplant, cucumbers, and sum mer squash. Penn State Horticultural special ists William J. Lament and Michael Orzolek suggest the following tips for using this tool to increase your horti cultural profits. They suggest the keys to successful production in high tunnels for horti cultural crops are crop scheduling and ventilation. When planting crops in the spring in high tunnels, it is generally recommended that you transplant the vegetable crop about 4-6 weeks earlier compared to your earliest planting date in the field on bare ground. In most regions of Pennsylvania, this means that grow ers can establish warm season high tunnel crops during April, rather than May. However, there is considerable var iation in acceptable planting dates as a result of geographic location within the state. The inherent differences in regional microclimate across Penn sylvania suggest that it is important that growers be conservative in set ting out early plantings. Even if plants survive colder tem peratures, certain physiological dis orders can result from transplant stress that can significantly impact vegetable yield and quality. Two ex amples are “buttoning” in broccoli and cauliflower and “cat-facing” in tomato. Both of these physiological disorders result from temperature stress following transplanting. When selecting a transplant date, it is therefore important to bear in mind that survival does not necessarily equal success. If unusually cold night tempera tures are experienced several days to weeks after planting the vegetable crop in the high tunnel, a portable propane heater that bums cleanly can be placed in the high tunnel until more seasonal temperatures return to the location. The most critical component of the king both triumphant and humble, an image particularly appropriate for Jesus, who embodied both in his ministry and upset some of the popu lar Messianic expectations. The Lord Has Need Of It If asked, “Why are you doing this?” they are to answer, “The Lord has need of it ” “And they told them what Jesus had said; and they let them go” (11:3-5). We do not know if this was some thing that Jesus had prearranged, but when the owners of the colt real ized Jesus had need of it, they ac quiesced. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, in our lives, we could let go of this or that because we understand “the Lord has need of it?” Our money, our abundance of material goods, our su perfluity of food and drink, our re sources? I deeply regret that ecology has be come an ideological issue between conservatives and liberals, the haves and the have-nots. The stewardship of this good earth that God created and has put in our care is basically not a political issue but a spiritual one at the very deepest level. That is not a matter of being liberal or con servative, but obedience to God the Creator who “has need of it.” Again, we do not know how much or little of Palm Sunday was planned, if any, but it was an upset ting phenomenon. What could be so wrong about a quiet, orderly religious procession? For the priests and Sadu cees, what was wrong was that it took place without their approval. They were the ones who decided what was spiritually correct and in correct, but Jesus and his disciples had not even asked for a parade per mit. A Den Of Robbers Most upsetting of all, however, is system is ventilation (high tunnels are placed in the field perpendicular to prevailing wind direction). Venti lation is accomplished by rolling up the sides of the tunnel to the batten boards, approximately 4 to 5 feet in height on each side of the tunnel. Maintaining optimum growing conditions inside the high tunnel without having extreme fluctuations in temperature will guarantee early, high yielding, and high quality horti cultural crops. Checking high tunnel internal temperature several times a day will help insure crop yields and profitability. Select both tomato and pepper va rieties that have a determinant or compact growth habit since placing plants in high tunnels that are not well ventilated can cause them to be infected with powdery mildew. Smaller plants will enable greater air movement through the high tunnel, removing both heat and moisture (lowering relative humidity). Both to mato and pepper plants are pro duced more efficiently on raised beds with plastic mulch and drip irriga tion. Because of the width and height of high tunnels, a smaller, modified plastic mulch layer has been de signed for use in high tunnels. After transplanting tomatoes, it is recommended that the plants be staked using the Florida weave sys tem. If the sides of the high tunnel are rolled up during flower develop ment, the wind will act as a pollina tor, resulting in fruit set; no addition al pollination methods will be required. Begin scouting for pest problems within seven days of trans planting the tomato or pepper plants, especially scouting for thrips, aphids, and whiteflies. If populations of any of these insect pests exceed threshold levels, introduce appropriate preda tors at recommended rates. The only disease that has been a problem in high tunnel tomato pro duction is powdery mildew. Use of resistant varieties or application of labeled fungicides will control mil dew problems. For more details on high tunnel production, contact your county extension office. Quote Of The Week: “Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you’re aboard, there is nothing you can do.” Golda Meir what happened the next day. This unauthorized, unorthodox rabble rouser dared to come into the temple court and literally drive out the money changers and those who sold sacrificial pigeons there. His words were even more of an affront to them, the legally consti tuted temple authorities: “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of rob bers” (11:17). Certainly Jesus could have soft pedaled this issue some. He could have said, “There are some things going on here that are not what they should be.” Commentators today wonder why Jesus chose such harsh words and action. It is reasoned that the money changers performed a valuable serv ice, making it possible for worshipers to change their money into coinage approved for use in the temple. Those who sold pigeons were simply providing worshipers with an oppor tunity to buy the prescribed animal sacrifice. One can rationalize all these activities, but Jesus condemned them, not because they rendered a service, but because they let commer cialism take over. With his Palm Sunday record, I’m not certain we’d like to see Jesus enter our churches on this or any other Sunday. One would have to be wondering: what is there here that Jesus would upset? So the next time that you explicitly or implicitly invite Jesus to come into your life, maybe you ought to first ask yourself what would happen if you let the Grand Upsetter into your house of cards. 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. Burgesa General Manager Andy Andrews, Editor Copyright 2003 by Lancaster Farming
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