Provides Cash, High Return Per Acre, But Takes Big Labor Input Mid-Season Cucumber Crop Report The Lancaster County cucum ber cop harvest reached its peak this week with some 33 to 35 tons of cucumbers moving each day to the Harvey Good store in Intercourse. Some 70 glowers are producing about 83 acres of cucumbers this year, the second yeai foi the cash crop m Lancastei County. The size of the individual farmer's cucumbei ciop varies fiom about one-qu<utei acie to five vices Domer Fishei of Ronks RDI, who Lies about a mile fiom the Good stoie on Route 340, has one-quartet acie, he said Ivar Obeiholtzei, Leola RDI, has at»out one-half acic, reported Ivan Wenger, Leola RDI, who hauls for Obeiholtzei Glenn Snyder of Mount Joy RD2, has one acie “I couldn’t handle more than an acre with out hiring help and I don’t want to do-that,” Snyder said Snyder also noted the cucum bei- crop fits in well with his corn, beef, bailey, tobacco and hog operation The Oxford Attitude The type of attitude towaid cucumbers indicated by Snyder is encouraged by David Orloff, plant managci of the Oxfoid Pickle Co., South Deerfield, Mass Orloff was in Lancaster County Monday to review the cucumber crop situation with Good and to visit some of the growers, particularly some just starting cucumbers this year. Rev jewing his records, Oiloff said. “We have two five acre growers It goes on .down to about one-quarter acre “The key is not how many total acres, but what is the yield pei acre “A man with one acie can do better with a yield of 700 to 900 bushels than on 10 to 15 acres with 300 bushels per acie Low yields cause loss of interest ” And because Oiloff doesn’t want growers to get poor results and lose intei est, he urges them to plant only as big a eiop as can be easily fit into the existing faim opeiation and be readily hai vested Photograph illustrates the best pickle production size The top two pickles, the one to one and cne-half inch dia meter size, are about the conect range for picking; the bot tom one is about two and one-half inches in diameter. While the larger cuke is acceptable if it retains its coloring, this particular one had turned partially yellow and was a reject. The smaller cukes will result in larger production per acre because they exert less strain on the vine according to David Orloff of Oxford Pickle. Raymond Good is seen unloading a cucumber crop It takes more than 50 of tractor-trailer load of 1,200 pound size these large crates each day to handle the shipping crates and storing them outside Lancaster County cuke crop, which is in the store for use in handling the next day's the peak of production this week. The cucumbei crop, Orloff said, “fits in well with the faim ei’s whole ciop progiam We have never pushed the faimei to chuck other farm crops Cukes cqme in after the early crops and before the late crops ” i Chew the Bite He repeatedly said that farm ers shouldn’t bite oft more than they can chew As a guide, he said, it takes 15 to 20 manhours to pick one acre completely once Since' the ciop should generally be picked every othei day, every thud day at the most, this means it takes one man oi the equivalent full time to pick one acie By the time he finishes at one end of the field, it’s time to start again at the othei end The picking stailed this yeai around July 8 and will continue “well into the fiist fiost,” Laboi Day and beyond How to Pick This xegulai picking veiy impoitant, Oilolf emphasized, because the giowei shouldn’t let the cucumbeis get too big If they get too big, the productive eneigy of the plant goes into A Glenn Snyder Unloading Cukes Guernsey Field Day Thursday Will Feature Calf Drawing The annual Lancaster County Guernsey Field Day will fea ture a di awing foi a six month old Guernsey calf next week Lancaster County 4rH and FFA members fiom the ages of 9 to 18 will be eligible to get the calf, which is reported to be a very good quality animal Other attractions include a music program provided by the Guernsey 4-H Club, the Lancas ter County Dauy Princess, Marilyn Kiantz, will be present, a judging contest will be held, a speakei will be present, and mdging puzes will be given, re poits Kenneth Gaibei, Willow Stieet RD2, Field Day chair man The Field Day will be' held from 10 a m till about 3pm Thuisday, August 6. at the Elam Mull faim near Mechanic Grove which is south of Quany ville on Route 222 For those go ing south on 222, turn right at Mechanics Grove and the farm Lancaster Farming. Saturday. August 1,1970 making seed in the big cucum beis rather than m making new cukes Tests have actually shown that during the couise of a growing season, the farmer will get more production per acre by picking the crop under the two-inch di ametei size than by allowing the crop to get larger, he said Oxford Pickle doesn’t have any size requirements, so long as the vegetable remains green But yellow cukes are rejected as-they are unloaded at the Good store The cuke begins to turn yellow when it reaches maximum giowth, it’s at this point that the plant energy goes into seed pro duction and the over-npe cuke is not satisfactoiy foi use bj Ox foid Pickle Only a veiy small pei cent of the ei op is i ejected foi being ovei-ripe, howevei Following his tour of some of the local fields, Oiloff said, “Fiom what we’ve seen, these boys aie doing a veiy excellent job—most of them Production Goals “Some aie going to get a veiy exceptional year Yield pei acie will be veiy good ” will be designated on this road about a mile and a half from Mechanics Giove Oscar Weaver of Goshen, Ind , will be the speaker during the afternoon program He will also be official judge for the judging contest which begins at 10 a m Weaver is a nationally known Guernsey breedei who has sold more proven sires to A I firms I an caster SECOND SECTION Last year, 39 growers produced more than 30,000 bushels of cucumbers on 48 acres, an aver age of 622 bushels per acre. A bushel is 50 pounds Grovers this year aie getting paid $1.26 « bushel The top growei last year, ac coidmg to OrlofT’s records had 1,224 bushels pci acre and the top 10 glowers had 1,020 bushels per acie But OrloflT noted these figures are estimates, rather than actual measured acres. He fig ures, however, that while some may be ovei staled, others are understated Several gioweis, according to these figuies, grossed well over $l,OOO per acre on the cukes one leported $1,700 per acre Oiloff thinks $lOOO pei a«e gioss is a good figure foi the grower to shoot for If the aver age pioducei can grow (522 bushels pei acre in the first year, Orloff said, a reasonable goal would be 800 bushels or about $l,OOO at the present rate Tobacco Comparison He estimates an average pre harvest cost of around $ll3 to $ll5 per acie, including fertili zer, lime, seed, weed control, in secticide and cultivation Although he had no figures oc tobacco readily available, he said the pre-harvest cost of tobacco and cucumbers should be com parable He made several comparisons ot cukes with tobacco They re quire about “the same inputs," they require hand picking or “stoop labor,” both are cash, crops He thinks cucumbeis compare favorably with tobacco as a cash crop “Our iccords show that in net profit pei acre cucumbers are fai and away the best net return ” The farmer gets his money everj week out of the cukes, while he has to wait till the end of the season for his tobacco money “Growers get paid every week, which they love,” Orioff said He thinks this gives cucum beis an advantage for fanners who need the operating capital. Except foi the yellow cukes, Oxford buys “on a field run basis ” This means basically they take everything that’s on the (Continued on Page 23) than any othei bleeder, Garber said Lunch will be provided for $1 50 per person There will be three judging classes one for men, one for women and a thn d for children 16 and under Besides Garber, the program committee membeis are Fred Cuder, Quanyville, and Larry Bieneman, Hessdale. 17
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