Turf
IContbHNd Itmi P«ti l|
The two brothers are able to
■hare some Ullage equip
ment, and quite often are
able to rotate potatoes and
turf.
If it's grown right, there’s
not much that can hurt a
good field of sod. "Hail won’t
hurt it," Hummer said. "It
can be flooded for 27 days
and still survive. The only
thing that can really cause
any damage is heavy rain
right after seeding. I’ve been
growing sod here for six
years, and I’ve never had to
reseed. But I did lose one
field to Agnes."
A turf farmer is very busy
for about five months out of
the year. April, May and
June are the biggest selling
months. There’s another
' yom Matvei to a, aton,"
1
ml smo/ 1
H sJ
“&a*eyPa£” "Stun&Pttf'
R.D. 4 MYERSTOWN, PA. 17067
CALL COLLECT 717-866-5708
IT PROFITABLE
IS
It costs 75 cents to treat a ton of haytage or silage and $2.00 2. A little extra effort is required to meter it on correctly,
to treat a ton of hay.
Less time is needed in harvesting the crop
Haylage has a sweet smell.
Haylage does not burn in the silo, but stays a greener color.
Corn silage put up at 70 percent moisture does not get a sour,
stinky smell.
Cows really like the treated roughage,
George F. DeLong Ben Greenawalt
Regional Manager RD2 Conestoga, PA 17516
P 0 Box 683 Lititz PA 17543 Phone 717 872-5686
Call Collect 717 626 0261
Eastern Lancaster Co,
Lebanon Co.
Melvin Herr Marvin Meyer
-RR2. New Holland. PA 17557 RO2 Box 157
Phone 717-354-5977 Annville PA 17003
Phone 717-867 1445
North Western Lancaster Co.
Earl B Cinder
RD2 Manheim, PA 17545
Phone 717-665-3126
Southern Lancaster Co.
Henry Delong, ir.
RD2, Quarryville PA 17566
Phone 717-284-2683
spurt in October and
November, after it gets too
late in the year for builders
to plant grass seed. In a good
growing year, some of the
sod that's planted in the
spring can be harvested in
the fall of the same year.
The machine that cuts the
sod cuts the roots off about a
quarter inch below the soil
surface, leaving a thick,
carpet-like mat. While some
topsoil is removed with each
crop, Hummer feels that the
soil is being built up at least
as fast as the topsoil is
removed. “We only take the
top part of the plant," he
expalined. “The roots go
down a foot or more, though,
and they stay in. I think the
soil tilth is actually im
proved because we’re adding
a lot of organic matter to the
soil,”
Sod can only be harvested
when it’s cool, which means
istern Penn;
early morning and late af
ternoon during the warmest
part of the year. In the busy
season, Hummer finds
himself on the go from 6:30
In the morning until 6:30 or
later in the evening.
Turf's biggest competitor,
at least locally, is the
seeding market. That,
Hummer said, is mostly
because people don't un
derstand sod. "They think
it's expensive. But if you
consider it over the long run,
it's really no more expensive
than seeding. With sod. you
get a good grass cover right
away, and it’s 100-percent
Kentucky bluegrass. You
don’t have any weeds, so
there’s no spraying cost. The
land isn’t subject to erosion
when it's covered with sod,
and the customer gets the
instant beauty and coolness
of grass. If you compare the
costs of sod and sekUng in
the first two years, sod really
isn’t any more expensive."
Locally, most of the sod
that is planted is used for
erosion control. Hummer
feels the state’s tightened
stream probably
open up new markets for turf
growers.
Hummer’s market area
extends in roughly a 100-mile
radius from his farm, but
goes mostly north and west.
Competition is very rough in
the Philadelphia area
because of the many large
turf growers in that area and
(Continued on Page 20|
TO USE SILO-KING ON HAY, HAYLAGE AND CORN SILAGE?
THROUGH THE EYES OF
DAVID WINDLE
DISADVANTAGES OF USING SILO-KING
ADVANTAGES OF USING SIIMUR
9. Silo-King is not a corrosive material!
Southwestern Lancaster Co
Lehigh Co. Area
J. H. Moore -
1213 Zorba Drive
Whitehall PA 18052
Phone 215 432-5987
The biggest cost factor in turf
farming is the labor involved in
harvesting. Although there is a
special machine to cut the crop away
KEY TO PROFIT
AGRI KING,
PERSONALIZED FEEDING PROGRAMS
ATGLEN, PA
6. Hay does not get dusty.
7. I hardly ever find a moldy bale - even in hay baled at 25-30
percent moisture.
8. I can start baling an hour or two sooner. Sometimes this can
save me a whole day in the field; and if it rams, this can save a
whole week. In turn, I can save this cutting of hay and keep
from stunting the next growth.
& SE Berks Co
Monl
;omei
Cy Arnold
739 Rosewood Drive
Douglasville PA 19518
Phone 215 385 6249
Chester Co.
William Windle
ROl. Atglen. PA 19310
Phone 215 593 6143
Northeast Berks Co,
Roger Heller
RDI, Robesoma, PA
Phone 215 693 6160
Belleville Area
Louis S. Peachy, Sr
RDI #5B-C
Reedsville PA 17084
Phone 717 667 3291
- >
V
r ~
FULTON, 111.
South Central Penna
James L Yoder
Regional Manager
RRI Box 81
Chambersburg PA 17201
Call Collect 717-264 9321
Adams Co Area
Menno N. Rissler n n J H R
RR4 Gettysburg PA 17325 ' „.,, n
Phone 717 528 4849 Hagerstown. MD 21740
rnone Phone 301-739.5199
Franklin Co. Penna. Area
Eldon Marlin
RDS Waynesboro PA 17268
Phone 717 762 3576
Uruatter Farming. Saturday. Jun« 14.197 S
from the soil, it must still be picked up
and loaded onto wooden pallets by
hand.
Washii
Western Washii
Charlie Campbell
Newville PA
Phone 717-776-7573
Mark H. Yoder
2004 Philadelphia Avenue
Chambersburg, PA 17201
Phone 717-263 1808
in Co.. MD Area
lon Co. 'Area
17
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