< - AK) t tarx«sterF’amiTiig: Satordayr October 4fgoo&* r«>. OPINION Af Long Last, A History Of A Great Department We learned late last week that Penn State has recently completed a history of the Dairy and Animal Science Department and is making the story available online at www.das.psu.edu/history. The product of a committee of seven emeritus faculty, the history describes the origins of animal research and extension activities at Penn State, when Dr. Henry Armsby became director of the Agricul tural Experiment Station in 1887. The story continues to the present day, highlighting the many achievements in research, extension, and education; the evolution of the department; and the many people that made it all happen. In the introduction to the history, Department Head Terry D. Etherton writes, “I invite you to read about the long and storied histo ry of the Department of Dairy and Animal Science. The origins of the present-day department date back to 1887! As you can imagine, since the first days of the university and department, much has happened, and thousands of individuals have passed through the gates of “Dear Old State.” We in the department think it is important to share this wonderful legacy with you! I think you will be amazed at the impact our people and programs have had. “The impetus for this project was the recognition that we did not have a written history of the department. As is always the case, as events and time move ahead, what has happened in the past can fade away. I think it is invaluable to have a written history of the depart ment to provide a foundation for our successors to appreciate the “lives and times” of so many who have been “touched” by the depart ment.” Etherton noted the idea to develop a history of the department was shared with some former faculty who launched the effort. This group (Don Ace, chair; Lester Burdette, Bob Cowan, Tom Merritt, Grant Sherritt, Larry Specht, and John Zeigler) “did a marvelous job of ex ploring the many, many documents and photos dispersed around campus. They worked hard to capture the history of the department. There are many entertaining stories they can share about “digging” out historical information that resides in the university archives. My observation is that they had much fun, and I am very, very apprecia tive of their dedication and hard work.” Let us (and Penn State) know what you think. We can be reached via e-mail at farming@lancasterfarming.com. Etherton can be reached at tetherton@psu.edu. Saturday, October 4 Pa. Make It Yourself With Wool Contest, (814)443-3189. Central Pa. Woodland Manag ment Workshop, Cambria County Extension, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., (814) 472-7986. Pa. Graded Cattle Sale, Indian Farmers’ Livestock Market, Homer City, 7 p.m., (724) 397-4087. 3rd Annual Alpaca Heritage Side, Brumm’s Lullaby Farm, Fountainville, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., (215) 345-4804. Pa. Angus on Parade, Farm Show Complex, 2 p.m., (540) 337-3001. National Apple Harvest Festival, Arendtsville, Adams County, thru Oct. 5, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., (717) 677-9413. 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@lancasterfarming.com 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. jr-y / *r ❖ Farm Calendar ❖ J Jr W I,'/- - s*W*h33i.>a x. v v # C. * i Sunday, October 5 Fall Fest and Harvest Day, Lings Gap Environmental Educa tion Center, Huntsdale, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Fall Horse Show for Riders with Disabilities, Thomcroft Thera peutic Riding, Malvern, (610) 644-1963. Central Susquehanna Land Own ers’ Chain Saw Safety and Technique, Martynowych Property, near Danville, (570) 784-8490. Open Gate Farm Tour, North ampton County, noon-5 p.m., (610) 746-1970. Coast Day at University of Dela ware, Hugh R. Shays Campus, Lewes, Delaware, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. National 4-H Week thru Oct. 11. Monday, October 6 Hollidaysburg Community Fair, thru Oct. 9. Manheim Community Farm Show, thru Oct. 10. Western Pa. Turfgrass Golf Tournament, Pittsburgh Field Club, Pittsburgh, (412) 855-6702. Dairy Hedging Workshop, Acorn Farms, Rt. 283 and 772, 7 p.m.-lO p.m. also Oct. 7, Holi day Inn, Grantville, 9 a.m.- 3:30 p.m., (814) 865-0469. USDA Conference on Survival Strategies for Small Farmers, (Turn to Page A 25) To Manage Harvest Of Wind-Damaged Com The wind damage caused by Trop ical Storm Isabel has significantly disrupted com silage harvest in the areas that were impacted by the storm. This has especially impacted farms who normally harvest with horses and binders who now need to wait on a custom chopper since their normal equipment cannot handle the badly damaged crop. This means that there are many more farmers this year waiting for custom harvest services than in past years. The net result is many farmers are not all going to be able to harvest their crop at desirable moisture lev els. This is combined with the chal lenges of extra mold inoculum in the fields because of the wet growing sea son and unusually high amounts of soil contamination in the harvested silage. In order to minimize quality prob lems, there are a number of things farmers should keep in mind. Efr. Limin Rung Jr., professor of rumi nant nutrition and microbiology at the University of Delaware, is an ex pert in the fermentation process and shares the following insights on deal ing with this storm-damaged crop. If you are forced to harvest the crop too wet because of the availabili ty of harvesting equipment, no inocu- Background Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1 through 2:10. Devotional Reading: Leviticus 19:1-10. On Sunday mornings, churches in Britain and Europe are inhabited by congregations continually diminish ing in size. In the U.S., while there are some “megachurches” to the con trary, generally church membership and attendance are declining. For many people this has pro duced, if not a loss of faith, at least a greatly diminished hope this in a world where war, poverty, economic recession, and ecological disasters have been joined by stifling material ism and appalling selfishness. In “The Family Reunion,” T.S. Eliot writes; You do not know what hope is, until you have lost it. You only know what it is not to hope; You do not know what it is to have hope taken from you, Or to fling it away, to join the legion of the hopeless. 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 AIM AT HEAVEN i - *"^3iV-r SC*. -Vu --"•-* J S. lants are recommended. You will have problems with seepage, but you are still likely to have reasonably good fermentation without the use of inocuiants. If it is possible, it would be better to allow the custom harvest er to move on to other farms and re turn later when your crop has dried to better moisture levels. Harvesting the silage after it is too dry (less than 60 percent moisture) is a bigger problem. The number one problem under this scenario is to get the silage to pack well enough to allow for fermentation. In order to do this, one needs to chop the com to a finer particle size. Under good condi tions a particle size of Vi inch is nor mally recommended. However, if the silage is too dry, Rung recommends a particle length of Vi inch. While this will lead to other challenges with rumen function, he believes the most important problem to solve is getting fermentation. Under these conditions, farmers should apply an inoculant of Lacto bacillus buchneri bacteria which will help control mold growth. This is fairly new inoculant and is available from Pioneer and Renaissance Nutri tion. This inoculant promotes the rapid development of lactic acid in the fermentation process. The other alternative is to use buffered propi onic acid. Propionic acid is less avail able, harder to apply, and is likely to be more costly than using the Lacto bacillus buchneri inoculant. To Be Safe Around Silo Gas Each year at silo filling time comes the danger of silo gas. This threat has been around since the first use of silos and it is easy to take shortcuts or become complacent about the dan gers associated with silo filling. The fact that many have worked around this for years without a problem con tributes to not taking this seriously. However, a simple mistake could cost you your life, so take the time to use adequate precautions. Those who normally fill their silos with a binder over a longer period of time will learn that silos filled quick ly with a chopper produce gas rapid ly after the silo is full. Under these circumstances, you may have much more gas to deal with than what you are used to seeing. Silo gas is formed by the natural fermentation of chopped forages in the silo. Several gases are formal and the type of silo the forage is stored in Legion Of The Hopeless Overwhelmed by a world that, for all of our technological wizardry, be comes more and more unmanage able, many people are silently joining “the legion of the hopeless.” Nothing seems to work to achieve what it promises, and every new solution is eclipsed by a new and more ominous crisis. Many Christians are alarmed at the growth of Islam, but to me, the most alarming portent is not the growth of other religions but the loss of Christian vitality. People are not rushing to join churches where there seems to be no more genuine hope than elsewhere. If we were offering and living the Christian hope, our church rolls would not be diminish ing. “They” are not the problem; “we” are. One of the great appeals of primi tive Christianity was the “living hope” to which 1 Peter 1:3 tells us all Christians are “bom anew.” What is “a living hope”? Just as “living wa ters” are those that flow from a per ennial spring, so a living hope is one that neither trials, tribulations, nor crises can destroy or take from us, because our hope is based upon the resurrection which was not just about how Jesus conquered death on a cross, but how Christians are resur rected from defeat to victory in that very same power. A Living Hope Sooner or later everything in this world upon which we bank our hope determines the amount of different gases. In a conventional or open-top silo, nitrogen dioxide is the major gas formed. This gas is characterized by a strong bleach-like odor and low lying yellow, red, or dark-brown fumes. It reaches a peak about three days after filling and quickly begins to decrease shortly thereafter, espe cially if the silo is ventilated. After two weeks it is unlikely that any more gas will be formed, but some could still be present if it was trapped and unable to escape the silo. Nitrogen dioxide is dangerous be cause it causes severe irritation to the nose and throat and could cause in flammation of the lungs. It is espe cially dangerous because low-level exposure is often accompanied by only slight irritation or pain. Al though death can occur immediately, a farmer could breathe the gas with out any immediate serious symptoms and then die in his sleep hours later from fluid collecting in his lungs. Many victims have relapses one to two weeks after the initial exposure with symptoms similar to pneumo nia. If you are exposed to the gas, it is critical that you seek medical at tention! ideally, everyone should avoid the silo during the critical period when gases are forming. Since this is not always possible, it is best to use a self-contained breathing apparatus when entering during the danger pe riod. This is the only breathing de vice that is certain to protect you from all silo gases. Dust masks or even chemical cartridge respirators do not provide sufficient protection and are not intended to be used where gases are extremely toxic or where the air has been replaced by gases such as carbon dioxide. If you do not have access to a self contained breathing device, it is pos sible to enter the silo safely if the fol lowing precautions are followed. First ventilate the silo and adjacent areas by running the blower 15-20 minutes before entering. All doors should be opened down to the level of the settled silage and the windows in the feed room should be opened. Leave the blower running the entire time you are inside. Never enter the silo unless another adult is present who can go for help if needed. This person should maintain visual con tact with you. Although it will not protect you from silo gases, wear a (Turn to Page A 25) will perish. You can’t even “go home again,” because “home” is always caught up in change, too. If, how ever, we put our trust in the “living hope” of Christ’s gospel, we have, as 1 Peter puts it, “an inheritance which is imperishable, undeliled, and un fading” (1:3,4). Our life in Jesus Christ is forward looking in that the greater part is yet to come. As Prof. Elmer G. Homrig hausen put it, “Early Christians were characterized by the spirit of tri umph. Their worship and work were done in the spirit of joy and anticipa tion. They were already ‘raised with Christ.’” So are we! Our faith, although it is in what is yet to come, also has ramifications for where we are right now. So, “set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:13). But we do not wait for that day idly, for “As obedi ent children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former igno rance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct ” (1:14,15). <( C.S. Lewis reminds us that “... Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in”; aim at earth and you will get neither.” Lancaster Panning Established 1955 Published Every Saturday Gphrata Review Building 1 E. Main St. Gphrata, PA 17522 —by— Lancaster Farming, Inc A Steinman Enterprise William J Burgess General Manager Andy Andrews, Editor Copyright 2003 by Lancaster Farming