Jersey Farmer Claims $75 an Acre on Corn
Those who wonder if New Jer
sey will ever become an import
ant notch m the nation’s coin
belt should talk to John R Evei
ett, Somerville
He’s the state corn growing
champion, one of 27 state cham
pions for non-irngaled pi educ
tion announced recently by the
National Corn Gioweis Associa
tion
Everett, who has now won the
state championship two years in
a tow. is doing his pait to make
corn a majoi ciop in New Jersey
H.s championship yield last
year was 142 41 bushels pei acie,
the year befoie it was 123 3 bush
els per acie But the competition
keeps prodding Everett to high
er p. oduction Second place in
New Jeisey went to Donald
Simpkins, Tienton, with 12141
bushels per acie, and third to
Ei nest Kuster, Jr, Ringoes, with
113 61 Eveiett’s championship
yield causes a natmal reaction
among othei gi owei s
“How he’d do it’”
There are no secrets Eveiett
happily passes along production
tips to others who are looking
for higher yields and more pro
fitable corn crops
Everett runs a 160-head dairy
operation, with 96 cows milking,
just outside of Somerville, locat
ed about 30 miles north of Tren
ton
He competed with 545 growers
fi om 36 states in the annual corn
growing contest. Official contest
fields must be at least 25 acres
Everett normally raises about
225 acres of corn in his total op
eration of about 600 acres
_ Eyeietjt keeps 1 working to im
prove his corn production from
year to year. But the basic in
gredients are.always the same
good soil careful man
agement "and" outstanding hybrid
seed.
, “We really like the single-cross
hybrid PX 50. It seemed to be so
vigorous. It was gxeen and grow
ing all the time really healthy
plants We had a tough season
chat was pretty hard on a lot of
the corn around here, but our
Corn tmned out pretty well
There was a peuod of three to
four weeks of daily rain which
seemed to hurt the pollination
And there was also a bad dry
spell right after planting ”
Everett staits his careful man
agement with the preparation of
the fields.
‘‘We try to go over the field as
few times as possible Last year
we plowed, then harrowed once
with a row harrow and once with
a straight-tooth. We used a four
row planter with 38-ineh rows
for the corn crop. We aimed foi
a population of 23,000 to 24,000
plants per acre at planting time
And with the good standability
of PX 50 we had almost that
population at haivest time ”
Eveiett’s corn planting was
completed May 17 He had prev
iously plowed down a substantial
application of feitihzei
Corn is an important ciop in Southeastern Pennsyl
\ ama and is becoming more so
Arnold Lueck, associate county agncultuial agent, told
several faim leaders this week he estimates corn acreage
in Lancaster County is up five to 10 per cent this year
Overall, the indications are growing that there’s a lot
of excitement and interest among local fanners on the
prospects foi corn No-till fanning is coming on the scene,
better hybrid seed and new equipment is being developed,
research is giving new insight into the propel management
of the corn crop, corn fits in well with local daily and live
stock operations
The overall result to the farmer is highei corn vields
Since the cost of production is relatively stable, regardless
of the yield, and price has remained relatively stable, any
increases in yield have' the potential for greatly increasing
the faimer’s piofit on corn
This article from Northrup, King & Co, a seed sup
plier, on a New Jersey corn grower illustrates some of the
enthusiasm and possibilities for corn producers.
“I plowed down about 180
pounds of nitiogen, 90 pounds of
phosphoius and 130 pounds of
nitrogen, 90 pounds of phosphoi
us and 150 pounds of potash pei
acie Then we added an applica
tion of 20-40-20 at planting time "
He used two pounds of atiazmc
pei acie, plus one cultivation,
foi weed conti ol And, since
loot-worm problems began to
show up last yeai, he's considei
mg the use of an insecticide this
yeai
Eveiett combined his coin
ai ound the middle of Octobei
Eveiett tues to keep a check
on the profitability of his com
ci op He estimates his total cost
of pi oduction at about $BO pei
acie
“My total opeialion of 225 aci
es aveiaged just ovei 110 bushels
per acre,” he says “We’ie selling
right now foi about $145 pei
bushel which means we’ie
making about $75 pei acie”
Can others do the same?
Eveiett figuies they can
with a combination of good seed,
high soil feitihty and careful
management. And, with profit
figuies like that, he also predicts
that more and more growers will
add corn to their operations and
put New Jersey on the map as a
“corn belt state.”
Fulton Grange to Celebrate
Dairy Month With Ice Cream
Richard Holloway, Master of
Fulton Grange 66, presided at the
regular meeting May 25 at Oak
ryn when third and fourth de
grees were conferred upon six
candidates
Plans were made to make 92
quarts of ice cream at the next
regular meeting June 8, in ob
servance of June Dairy Month
The committee to make the mix
is Mrs. Chester Todd Jr, Mrs
Gyles Brown and Mrs Haiold
Alexandei The Grange men will
be on hand at 7 p m to turn the
fieezers
At 8 p.m Mrs. Mai tin Stoner
and students who aie members of
the American Junior Citizens
Club of the Quairyville Elemen
tary School will present a half
hour patiiotic program which
will also be attended by the
Fulton Jumoi Grangeis. Ice
cream and sti a wherries will be
served following the progiam
alter which the subordinate and
junior granges will hold then
regular meetings.
About 60 people attended the
Go-to-Church service and cover
ed dish supper at the Grange
Hall May 17 Rev. Howard Hud
dleson was the speaker and the
Pomona choms provided special
music
Lancaster County Pomona
Grange officeis and the fiftieth
William Gretzinger (left), Fall River, 238.42 bushels per acre. John R. Everett
Wis., won first place in the National Corn (right), Somerville, N. J., was first in his
Growers Contest in 1969 with a yield of state with a yield of 142.41 bushels.
anmveisary committee will meet
at 2 p m May 31 at Fulton Gran
ge Hall to complete plans for the
fiftieth anniversary of the Po
mona Grange. Lancaster County
Grangers will participate in the
Pomona District meeting to be
held at Wakefield Community
House, Woodside, Bucks Co., pa
June 27.
The youth committee is seek
ing Grange young people to at
tend the State Giange Youth
Camp at Camp Kanesatake,
Spruce Cieek, Pa July 17-19 and
members under 18 years of age
to enter the National Grange
safety essay contest
Farm Women Set
European Tour
The Society of Farm Women of
Pennsylvania is sponsoring a
European Tour again this sum
mer which will feature the fam
ous Oberammeigau Passion Play
in Germany September 14
The September 11 to October
2 tour of Geimany, Austua, Yu
goslavia, Italy and Switzerland
will cost $825 It is open to
Society members, their husbands
families and otheis intei ested in
the cultural and agncultural ac
tivities and life of the people of
Eui ope
While July 14 is the deadline
foi Passion Play tickets, tom ics
ervations aie available until Aug
1 The Society will answei ques
tions and furnish mfoimation to
intei ested peisons who should
contact Mis W F Dumraer,
Thomasville, Pa 17364 oi phone
717-292-2659 Mis Dummer is
past state piesident of the Socie
ty
Travel airangements aie made
by Menno Tiavel Service of Eph
rata.
to the Farm and Home Centex The Council meets monthly on
that he has tickets foi the Dan> the second Thmsday of each
European cities that will be Pi mcess Pagent month and this week met to
visited include Munich, Salzburg, _ elect new officers of their organ*
Krems, Vienna, Venice, Flor- The pagent is scheduled at the ization for the current year Th»
ence, Rome, Pisa, Torino, Mont- Farm and Home Center at 7p m outgoing Council Members greet
reux The tour will start from Tuesday June 23. ed new members with a pizza
and return to New York by KLM Plastow said some entries hai e party after the business meeting
Royal Dutch Airlines jet. _ been received for the pageant. was held.
Lancaster Farming. Saturday. May 30.1970
SECOND SECTION
Wollaston Elected President
Of Chester County 4-H Council
Nancy Wollaston of the Manor
Calf 4-H Club and London Grove
Clothing Club has been elected
president of the 4-H County
Council, of Chester County
Other new Chester County offi
ce! s are; Melanie McCartney,
Northern Chester County Horse
Club, vice-president. Bob White,
Octorara Dairy Club, secretary,
Anne Minshall, Kaolin Commun
ity Club, treasurer and Tom
Newell of the Southern Chestei
County Community Club, parlia
mentarian
Outgoing officers are- Diane
Lamb, Coatesville HD, president,
Melaine McCartney, Chestei
Lancaster Poultry Firm
Represented on Panel
Hauy Hess of J C Snavely
Inc, Lancaster, is one of the
panel xnembeis of poultiy hous
ing at the annual meeting of the
Pennsylvania Poultiy Fedeia
tion at Hershey June 24
Also on the panel are Glenn
Heir, general manager of Clois
terdale Farms, and Dr Caiey
Quarels, Indian Rivei Poultiy
Faims
4-H signs aie now evident
tluoughout tne county vvelcom-
Dairy Pageant Tickets ing Visitors These Signs have
, been made and erected by mem-
Victor Plastow reminded local bers of the Councll
citizens who might be coming in-
Springs RD2, vice president;
Anne Minshall, Kaolin, secretary;
Nancy Wollaston, Toughkena
mon, treasurer
The 4-H County Council of
Chester County is a repiesenta
tive body ot the 60 4-H Clubs in
the county, comprising over 1200
4-H members.
These repiesentatives aie se
lected by their clubs to plan and
carry out 4-H events and activi
ties that will create a feeling of
unity and cooperation among all
4 H clubs They try to involve as
many representatives as possible
in the program planning, the use
ot good parliamentaiy proced
ures, committee responsibilities
and in the social, educational and
lecreational activities dining the
year
As an example, the Council
planned and executed a 4 H Tour
to New Yoik City m Apnl in
which 200 4-H members and their
families paiticipated It will plan
county-wide events such as pic
nics, 4-H achievement night and
iccieational events, will assist in
vanous educational events such
as Regional Demonstration and
Public Speaking Day. and 4-H
Roundups
17