AlO-I_af)caS(er Saturday, AU9ust f6/20Q3 ~, . ,
OPINION
See You At
Ag Progress, The Fairs
If it’s fair season time, it must also be Ag Progress.
Penn State’s number one agricultural showcase event Ag Pro
gress Days begins Tuesday and lasts through Thursday at Rock
spring, near State College.
While many of our readers cannot make it to Ag Progress, one of
the services we provide is full coverage of the event. We plan to cover
a great deal but while we can spend hours there as a staff, talking to
farm economy experts and reviewing the latest tools of technology and
ways to manage for profit, we can’t cover everything.
Throughout the year, in our special sections, we also provide ex
tended coverage of events from Ag Progress. You will see Ag Progress
coverage in special sections from our own Grower & Marketer to
Hoarder & Trainer and others.
Also, this year we make every effort to attend the fairs throughout
the region. We provide the most extensive coverage of fairs far more
than our competitive publications. We hope to make Lancaster
Farming your home for fair activities and events.
See you at Ag Progress! And the fairs!
Saturday, August 16
National Agricultural Plastics
Congress, Crowne Plaza
Hotel, thru Aug. 19, Grand
Rapids, Michigan.
Warren County Holstein Sale,
Pittsfield Fairgrounds, 11 a.m.
Central Pa. Holstein Champion
ship Show, Fairgrounds at
Huntingdon, 6 p.m.
Crawford County Fair, thru Aug.
23.
Beef Grazing Workshop and
Field Day, Sunny Hillside
Farms, Stone Church, North
ampton County Extension, 11
a.m.-3 p.m. (610) 746-1970.
Hempt Cup Polo Classic, Hempt
Field, Carlisle Pike, Mechan
icsburg, 3 p.m.
International Association of Milk
Control Agencies Annual
Conference, Harrisburg, thru
Aug. 20.
Cumberland County Trial Gar
den Open House, Claremont
Nursing and Rehabilitation
Center Grounds, Carlisle, 9
a.m.-ll a.m., (717) 240-6500.
4-H District Horse Show, Farm
Show Complex, Harrisburg,
8:30 a.m.
Sunday, August 17
Cameron County Fair, thru Aug.
23.
Franklin County Fair, thru Aug.
23.
Fulton County Fair, thru Aug.
23.
Somerset County Fair, thru Aug.
23.
Williamsburg Community Farm
Show, thru Aug. 23.
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-maif
farming@lancasterfarming.com
Please note Include your full
name, letuin 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
❖ Farm Calendar ♦
Monday, August 18
Elizabethtown Fair, thru-Aug. 23
Harford Fair, thru Aug. 23.
Mountain Air Fair, thru Aug. 23.
Tuesday, August 19
Ag Progress Days, thru Aug. 21,
(814) 865-2081.
Blue Valley Farm Show, North
ampton County, thru Aug. 23,
(610) 588-2818.
Northeast Pa. Holstein Champi
onship Show Fairgrounds,
Whitneyville, 9:30 a.m..
South Mountain Fair, thru Aug.
23.
Hookstown Fair, thru Aug. 23.
Perry County Community Fair,
thru Aug. 23.
Maine Farm Days, Dostie Farm,
Fairfield Center, thru Aug. 20,
(207) 474-8324.
Pasto Ag Museum, Penn State,
Silent Auction, Ag Progress
Days, thru Aug. 20, (814)
863-1383.
Ohio Grape and Wine Day, Ohio
Ag Research and Develop
ment Center’s Grape Research
Branch, Kingsville, 2 p.m.-5
p.m., (440) 224-0273.
Penn Ag Democracts Reception,
Nittany Lion Inn, Penn State
College, 7-9 p.m.
Codorus Creek Watershed Public
Meeting, Nixon Park, 7 p.m.,
(717) 843-2929.
Wednesday, August 20
Southeast Pa. Holstein Champi
onship Show Fairgrounds,
Lebanon, 9:30 a.m.
Woodland Owners of South Alle
ghenies Tour, (814) 623-7399.
Pa. Performance Tested Boar
Sale, 1495 W. Pine Road, Pa.
Furnace, 6 p.m.
Perry County Holstein Show,
Newport Fairgrounds, 10 a.m.
Maryland State Fair, thru Sept.
2.
Pa. Certified Organic Open
House, 406 S. Pennsylvania
Avg., Centre Hall, Pa.,
4:30-6:30 p.m., (814) 364-1344.
Conservation Enhancement Pro
gram, Alumni Pavilion at Ag
Progress Days, (71237-2208.
Pa. Ag Republican Chicken Bar
becue, VFW picnic grounds,
Rte. 45 Pine Mills, 5:30 p.m.,
(717) 274-6906.
(Turn to Page A5l)
To Monitor Corn
Maturity And Adjust
Harvest Plans
After several years of dry weather,
the Pennsylvania corn crop is hin
dered this year by late plantings be
cause of wet conditions and cool tem
peratures.
Dr. Greg Roth, Penn State exten
sion corn specialist, reports that
USDA statistics indicated that only
54 percent of our crop had silked by
Aug. 3, compared to an average of 74
percent for most years. The cool
summer conditions have not helped
the maturity situation and much of
our crop is about a week to 10 days
behind normal.
At The Russe l E. Larson Agricul
tural Research Center at Rockspring,
the 109-day com planted April 28
was 50 percent silked July 27. The
May 15-planted corn silked on Aug.
2. The June 1-planted com started to
silk Aug. 11. Generally com that
silks in August is subject to maturity
related yield and quality reductions
in central Pennsylvania.
Many farms appear to have at
least two corn crops, one planted in
late April/early May and another
planted in late May through July.
Some have mostly one or the other.
HOWTO
ROB GOD
Background Scripture;
Malachi 3 through 4.
Devotional Reading:
Psalms 90:1-7.
I cannot read Malachi 3:1-3 with
out hearing in my mind’s ear the
stirring music with which George
Frideric Handel presents these words
to them in his oratorio, Messiah:
“The Lord whom ye seek shall sud
denly come to his temple, e’vn the
messenger of the covenant, whom ye
delight in. Behold! He shall come,
saith the Lord of hosts.” Two grand
chords follow, emphasizing the dra
matic importance of this announce
ment.
While we like to speculate theolog
ically and practically about just when
and how that might be, the most im
portant message here is that the day
of the Lord will surely come. We can
and will argue over the details,
but God assures us that the day of
God’s judgment will certainly come.
This is one of the firm promises of
our faith.
The “messenger” could be an
angel or a prophet. Malachi, whose
name means “my messenger," indi
cates that we delight in this messen
ger. We look with anticipation for
God’s messenger to come and bring
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
Roth recommends that growers
should take time now to make strate
gic plans for harvest and utilization
of these crops. Generally we estimate
42-47 days from silking to half milk
line (silage harvest) and 55-60 days
from silking to black layer. This year,
these intervals could be extended, es
pecially for the later crops. This will
be another year to monitor silage
moistures carefully prior to harvest.
Corn that has not silked at this
time will likely have trouble matur
ing and making good quality grain.
Some of the latest planted fields will
also not get far into the grain fill
stage and will require one or more
frosts to dry down the crop for silage.
Immature corn generally has some
increased resistance to frost, so it will
likely survive the first light frosts.
The early-planted com also ap
pears to be lagging in development
but we could see some very high
yields as a result of the lengthy grain
fill period and the lack of heat and
moisture stress. This is especially
true in the southeast and south-cen
tral counties, where it has been a bit
warmer.
There will likely be large differ
ences in corn silage quality this year
and dairy producers may want to
consider segregating the two crops if
possible. Early planted corn silage
should have higher grain content and
energy, but more lignified fiber and
lower fiber digestibility because of
the heavy stalks. Late-planted silage
crops will likely have low grain and
energy, but less lignin and higher
fiber digestibility. These later crops
will also be more at risk for a good
fermentation because of variable crop
moisture contents and uncertain mi
crobial populations following a frost.
Producers should consider their
grain needs when chopping the early
planted corn since some of the later
crop may not mature for grain har
vest. Also in mid- and short-season
regions in the state, we should be
prepared for some wetter high mois
ture com and some lower test weight
shelled com this fall. The latter is not
all bad since some dairy nutritionists
have suggested better starch digesti
bility and fermentation from wetter
and lower test weight com.
in the day of God’s judgment be
cause 'we believe that day will be
“bad news” for the unrighteous and
“good news” for us.
When He Appears!
In Handel’s rendition of this pas
sage, however, the two loud chords
are followed first by silence and then
a quiet but sobering question: “But
who may abide the day of his com
ing? And who shall stand when he
appeareth?”
“Sobering” may be a gross under
statement, because if we really think
about it, this question is enough to
cause fear and trembling. People all
around the world pray for God to
bring in this day of judgment, but do
they have any idea what they are
praying for? Not only our despised
neighbor will fall under God’s
judgment, but we ourselves!
When we hold up our lives and
values besides those of Christ, who
among us can afford to be smug? In
the light of what Christ teaches us
and asks of us, who among us can
stand at the seat of judgment and
look our judge in the face? For the
judgment that we think we land so
heavily on others is likely to land just
as heavily upon us.
If you think judgment will be a
breeze, you have not truly under
stood him. Judgment day is not
about how God will judge my neigh
bor, but me. I may think my neigh
bor’s position is a lot less secure than
mine, but God will not be asking me
what I think of my neighbor.
In Handel’s masterpiece, when the
messenger has asked, “... and who
can stand?”, the urgency and power
of his music return when he pro
claims; “ ‘For he is like a refiner’s
fire....” Again and again Handel in
tersperses the question, “who shall
To Monitor Tomatoes
For Late Blight
And Take Protective Measures
Late blight on tomatoes has been
confirmed in Lancaster, Erie, and
Crawford counties and in southwest
ern New Jersey and southeastern
Michigan.
Alan Mac Nab, Penn State exten
sion plant pathologist, urges growers
of tomatoes and potatoes to actively
monitor their fields and modify their
spray programs to protect their
crops.
If you are in an area where late
blight has been identified within ISO
miles or closer, you should apply a
fungicide with some systemic activity
(for example, Acrobat, Aliette-
Maneb, Quadris, Cabrio, Flint) and a
protectant fungicide (Bravo, Echo,
Maneb, Gavel). For the remainder of
the season, apply fungicides on a reg
ular interval or adjust timing based
on a proven forecasting program.
When applying fungicides, it is im
portant to obtain complete coverage
of the plant.
If late blight is found in your field,
you need to decide if you should de
stroy all or part of the planting or
continue an aggressive program for
the rest of the season. Factors to con
sider are the value of the crop, severi
ty of the outbreak, the cost to contin
ue the aggressive control program,
and the increased threat to surround
ing fields.
If a good fungicide program has
been used before the appearance of
the late blight, it should be possible to
save the crop. If the late blight fun
gus has already killed 10 percent of
the foliage and/or 5-10 percent of the
green fruit are infected, it could be
too late to salvage the crop.
More information related to this
disease and control options are post
ed at the Leola and Weaverland pro
duce auctions. You can also get more
information by contacting your local
extension office or by calling the Lan
caster extension office at (717)
394-6851. Your extension office can
also provide you with control inform
ation for potatoes.
Quote Of The Week:
“If you can’t convince them,
confuse them. ”
Harry S. Truman
stand?” and the response, “For he is
like a refiner’s fire ” Musically,
Handel is challenging us to serious
soul-searching. All of us need to be
refined by the judgment of God.
How We Treat Others
For those who cannot understand
why they need to be purified, Mal
achi goes on to catalog what is really
important to the Lord: “I will be a
swift witness against the sorcerers,
against the adulterers, against those
who swear falsely, against those who
oppress the hireling in his wages, the
widow and the orphan, against those
who thrust aside the sojourner, and
do not fear me...” (3:5b). Except for
the “sorcerers,” the list is a contem
porary one, isn’t it? It would not like
ly be the list you and I would come
up with. Essentially, this list is about
how we treat others.
On an overriding positive note,
God says, “Return to me and I will
return to you.” But they still don’t
see how this applies to them, “How
shall we return?” So, God gets more
specific: “Will a man rob God? Yet
you are robbing me.” And they want
to know “How are we robbing you?”
God knows that their reason for
holding back on their tithes and of
ferings is that they think they will
not have enough for themselves. But
the Lord challenges them with a
promise: .. put me to the test... if
I will not open the windows of heav
en for you and pour down for you an
overflowing blessing.” (3:6-10).
Give it some thought. How do you
rob God?
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
— by—
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Sleinman Enterprise
William J. Burgess General Manager
Andy Andrews, Editor
Copyright 2003 by Lancaster Farming