AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 22, 2003
OPINION
Decision Sets
Dangerous Precedent
The Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Agriculture
Committee recently launched a letter-writing campaign voicing its
grave concern regarding the recent denial decision made by USDA’s
Farm Service Agency with reference to Farm Ownership and Farm
Operating Assistance funding for a Delta-based farm.
The Chamber is concerned the decision sets a dangerous precedent
for farms and agribusinesses that would compromise their ability to
operate in the region.
The farm, owned and operated by Craig Metzler, was denied fund
ing after initial approval for a proposed hog expansion following a
fairly public outcry from residents in an adjacent housing develop
ment that such an operation would create odors and property value
would decline. Located in an area that permits agricultural uses, the
farm met all applicable regulations that are associated with intensive
animal operations.
However, in the rejection letter sent to Metzler on Aug. 25, the
agency appears to base its change of the original decision on the possi
bility of nuisance lawsuits from the neighboring residents and the
agency’s possible liability in such a suit, stating “With the close prox
imity of the proposed action site to neighboring homes, the potential
for complaints and nuisance lawsuits about odor are very likely.”
While the decision was directed at one particular farmer, The
Chamber believes it sets a very bad precedent by the Farm Service
Agency for every farmer and anyone involved in the agriculture in
dustry in the nation. In its template letter, distributed to all agricul
ture-related Chamber members, The Chamber cited the danger of
such a change in decision to the entire industry and the lack of leader
ship demonstrated by the USDA in allowing such a decision to take
place.
The chamber will continue to monitor this situation, and lend its
support where appropriate to ensure farms and agriculture-related
businesses can operate in an environment where they can thrive.
Reprinted from the
Lancaster Chamber News
November 2003
Saturday, November 22
Susquehanna County Farm-City
Feast, Mountain View High
School, 7:30 p.m., (717)
278-1158.
Workshop: Celebrating Holidays
in Fraktur Tradition, Schaef
ferstown Brendle Museum, 10
a.m.-noon, (717) 949-2244.
Mercer County Holstein Annual
Meeting, Hempfield Fire Hall,
Greenville, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 23
Custom Operators Workshop,
Franklin County Extension,
Lighthouse Restaurant,
Chambersburg, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.,
(717) 263-9226.
Introduction to Spreadsheets,
Lebanon County Extension
Center, thru Nov. 25, 9:30
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 £. 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 maif
a.m.-3 p.m., (717) 240-6500.
Monday, November 24
Lancaster Chamber’s Ag Indus
try Banquet, Willow Valley
Resort, 5 p.m., (717) 397-3531.
Custom Operation Workshop,
Lighthouse Restaurant,
Chambersburg, 7 p.m.-9 p.m.,
(717) 263-9226.
Introduction to Spreadsheets,
Lebanon County Extension
Center, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., thru
Nov. 25, (717) 240-6500.
PDMP Producer Discussion
Forum, Lancaster Comfort
Inn, Sherwood Knoll, 11:45
a.m.-2 p.m., 1 (888) 373-7232.
Tuesday, November 25
PDMP Producer Discussion
Forum, Lighthouse Restau
rant Banquet Center, Cham
bersburg, 11:45 a.tn.-2 p.m., 1
(888) 373-1232.
Dairy Cattle Reproductive
Mangement and Workshop,
Lighthouse Restaurant,
Chatnbersburg, 9:15 a.m.-2:45
p.m., (717) 263-9226.
Thursday, November 27
Happy Thanksgiving! Lancaster
Farming office dosed.
Monday, December 1
Horse Pasture Management,
York County 4-H Center, 7
p.m.-9 p.m., (717) 840-7408.
Tilling the Soil of Opportunity,
to Pago
To Give Thanks
Thanksgiving is a very special
time of the year when we gather
with family and friends to give
thanks for the many blessings we
enjoy. While some may have had
more difficulties than others this
past year, we all have things for
which we can be thankful.
When I was a teen-ager, the ad
viser to our church’s youth group
reminded us several times that no
matter how difficult we think our
situation is, we can always find
people who have a more difficult
situation than we do. Since 1 spent
six years working on a mission
project in Africa, it is easy for me
to remember that truth.
The Thanksgiving holiday is a
special opportunity to teach our
children to be grateful for all they
have and to remember those who
are needy. Donating our time and
resources to others by assisting
with the work of an inner-city res
cue mission, for example, is a great
way to show gratitude. We also can
establish other family traditions re-
‘BIG WHEELS’ AND
LITTLE CHURCHES
Background Scripture:
2 and 3 John.
Devotional Reading:
John 15:1-8.
It is understandable that you
might read the three epistles of
John and conclude hat they are
pretty much alike, both in style and
content. But, if you examine all
three, you discover that, despite
some similar concerns, there are
also significant differences.
For example, 1 John is written
probably to a group of churches,
while 2 John is written to one
church which John the Elder ad
dresses as “the elect lady.” On the
other hand, 3 John is written to
one person, Gaius.
The first two epistles are con
cerned with heresy or false teach
ing, whereas the third epistle is
concerned with a local leader, Di
otrephes, who is dominating a par
ticular church and resisting the
Elder’s authority.
In 2 John we are concerned with
itinerating teachers who are at
tempting to sway the local church
to adopt doctrines that would per
vert its Christ-centered basis. The
Elder appeals to the church not to
open the church to their influence.
Lancaster Farming
An Award-Winning Farm Newspaper
• PDA Friend of Agriculture Award, 2003
• Keystone Awards 1993,1995 • PennAg Industries 1992
• PACD Media Awaitl 1996 • Berks Ag-Busmess Council 2000
• Recognized for photo excellence throughout the years by the
Harthaa r t Farm Comwiwicators- —jra
lated to this holiday that will create
warm memories our children will
take with them for the rest of their
lives.
The special holiday to celebrate
Thanksgiving has a long history in
our country. While not well known,
the first Thanksgiving celebrated in
the New World was not at Plym
outh Rock but at the Berkley
Plantation along the James River
in Virginia on Dec. 4, 1619. It
wasn’t until two years later in the
fall of 1621 that the Pilgrims con
ducted their first Thanksgiving at
the colony at Plymouth. The pil
grims arrived in November of 1620
and endured a brutal winter. Only
SO out of 110 survived the first win
ter. After a good harvest in the fall
of 1621 they had a Thanksgiving
feast.
There are only two first-person
accounts of the pilgrim’s first
Thanksgiving. One of them is Ed
ward Winslow’s account, which he
wrote in a letter dated Dec. 12,
1621. The complete letter can be
found in “Mourt’s Relation: A
Journal of the Pilgrims at Plym
outh.”
As President, George Washing
ton issued a proclamation in 1789
naming Nov. 26 as a national day
of thanks. In 1863 President Lin
coln proclaimed that the last
Thursday of November be set aside
as a day “of Thanksgiving and
praise to our beneficial Father.’’
During the next 75 years, each
president followed Lincoln by pro
claiming a day each year for this
purpose. In 1939 President Roose
velt set the date as the fourth
Thursday of November, and this
continued until 1941 when the U.S.
Congress made the fourth Thurs
day of November the national holi
day known as Thanksgiving.
To Attend Cattlemen’s College
Beef producers have an opportu
nity to learn about improving cattle
reproduction at Cattlemen’s Col
lege Dec. 13 at Toftrees Resort and
Conference Center in State Col
lege.
In 3 John, however, we have a
situation, which is quite the ob
verse; Diotrephes is refusing hospi
tality to itinerant teachers and die
Elder is urging Gaius to provide
these teachers with the hospitality
that Diotrephes is withholding.
No Longer Christianity
One might conclude that 2 and 3
John have little or nothing to do
with current Christian experience.
When these letters were written,
preachers and teachers itinerating
among the various churches was a
normal experience of the church.
The church profited spiritually
from many of these itinerants.
There were some of these men,
however, whose teaching was so
contrary to Christian teaching so
that it was no longer Christian.
The latter, who promoted them
selves as “advanced Christians,”
were Gnostics who taught that the
created physical world, including
the human body, is evil. Therefore
Gnostics denied the incarnation
and some Docetist Gnostics
claimed that Jesus had no physical
body, but only appeared to do so.
What do these two epistles have
to say to us today? First, even
though the Elder regarded these
people as dangerously teachers, he
did not counsel the church to per
secute or attack them. He simply
didn’t want them permitted to use
their facilities. He opposed their
teaching and closed the church to
them, but he did not respond with
violent words or actions.
Since then, however, churches
have often risen violently against
those with whom they disagreed.
Today, many of the conflicts with
in and between denominations are
carried on in a rancorous spirit. Vi
olence does not protect the faith; it
only harms it.
Topics for the morning session
include “Understanding Basic Cow
Reproduction,” “Impacts of Nutri
tion On Cow Reproduction,” “Se
lecting the Calving Season,” and a
“Review of Estrus Synchronization
Methods.”
Topics for the afternoon session
include “A Review of Semen Han
dling,” “Results of Using CIDRs,”
“Evaluating Reproductive Fitness
In Bulls The BSE,” “Bull-To-
Cow Ratios,” and “Herd Biosecuri
ty and Bull Leases.”
For more information, call John
Comerford at (814) 863-3661 (e
-mail jxcl6@psu.edu) or call Dr.
Dan Kniffen at (814) 865-7809 (e
-mail dkniffen@psu.edu).
Quote Of The Week:
“Our com (that is, wheat) did
prove well, and God be praised,
we had a good increase of Indian
com, and our barley indifferent
good, but our peas not worth the
gathering, for we feared they
were too late sown. They came
up very well, and blossomed, but
the sun parched them in the blos
som. Our harvest being gotten in,
our governor sent four men on
fowling, that so we might after a
special manner rejoice together
after we had gathered the fruit of
our labors. They four in one day
killed as much fowl as, with a
little help beside, served the com
pany almost a week. At which
time, amongst other recreations,
we exercised our arms, many of
the Indians coming amongst us,
and among the rest their greatest
king Massasoit, with some ninety
men, whom for three days we en
tertained and feasted, and they
went out and killed five deer,
which they brought to the plant
ation and bestowed on our gov
ernor, and upon the captain and
others. And although it be not
always so plentiful as it was at
this time with us, yet by the
goodness of God, we are so far
from want that we often wish you
partakers of our plenty. ”
Edward Winslow
December 12,1621
‘Big Wheels’
Secondly, we find even morerel
evance in the background to 3
John. Diotrephes is not unlike the
“big wheels” many of us have ex
perienced in various congregations.
These self-important people can
keep a congregation “small” if not
in numbers, at least in stature. All
churches need leadership and in
numerically small churches, leader
ship may be in short supply, but no
church ever flourishes under the
willful hand of an officious man or
woman who glories in the power
that he or she can accumulate.
Worst of all, these people gener
ally do not see themselves the way
others do. They see themselves as
exemplary Christians, little realiz
ing how harmful their example can
be.
Often this happens in a church
where the rest of the membership is
unwilling to prevent such a person
for taking and maintaining harm
ful control. These power-driven
people gravitate to leadership vac
uums which are created by a “Let-
George-Do-It” attitude on the part
of others. These Diotrephes rise to
virtually absolute power only when
and where they are permitted to do
so.
Reigning in a Diotrephes is not
contrary to the Elder’s admonition;
“that we love one another..(2
John 5,6). Permitting a Diotrephes
to dominate a congregation is not
love, but indifference to the mission
and purpose of the church. “Be
loved, do not imitate evil but imi
tate good. He who does good is of
God” (3 John 11).
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St.
Ephrata, PA 17522
-by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stemman Enterprise
William J. Burgess General Manager
Andy Andrews, Editor
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