—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 15,1977 92 Water and nitrogen needed for com DOVER, Del - Water and nitrogen are the most critical factors in successful com production on sandy Delaware soils. This is an old, familiar story, but one never told more clearly than during the present crop season, says Dr. William Mitchell Extension LeHi chairman warns of excess milk production ALLENTOWN - The chairman of Lehigh Valley Cooperative Farmers on Tuesday expressed concern regarding the stability of milk markets for many Pennsylvania dairymen in light of current and future milk marketing conditions Alpheus L. Ruth, m a statement issued here, said Current farm milk production is exceeding 1976 monthly levels and is ex pected to surpass 1977 levels by 4 6 per cent next year. In the meantime, fluid whole milk demand is running below a year ago, adding to excess market supplies.” The Cooperative executive said that maintaining a stable milk market in the future is a single most im portant problem facing dairy farmers today. Those milk farmers who are not associated with an efficient plant operation whicn has the capacity to manufacture large quan tities of reserve supphes of V V mm m_m v m n m mm ■ ■ ■ A ■ ■ ■ a a ■■■ a H a m m m a a a a a LEADING PURINA COMPETITIVE RAT CONTROL RAT BAIT PELLETS PHONE 717 354-0301 GORDONVILLE PA 17529 v PHONE 717 665 2186 2 NEW CHARLOTTE ST MANHEIM PA 17545 s FRANKLIN FEED AND SUPPLY CO. PHONE 717 264-6148 agronomist at the University of Delaware. Mitchell, who has been surveying corn fields in lower Delaware as part of a University of Delaware irrigation study, returned from his tour convinced of this fact. milk could find themselves without a market for their milk, Ruth warned. Manufacturing milk plant facilities are essential to a stable and assured market, he said. Lehigh Valley Cooperative Farmers operates three milk plant facilities. Two of the plants are engaged in packagmg fluid whole milk The third processes milk into a variety of manufactured dairy products including cottage cheese, ice cream, yogart and chedder cheese The plants are located at Landsdale, Schuylkill Haven and Allentown. Ruth pointed out that the Allentown operation is the only reserve processing plant m eastern Penn sylvania and provides a balancing facility for han dling milk produced in ex cess of fresh whole milk sales. As such, it provides an essential service to the dairy industry of the entire state, he said. Purina® RAT CONTROL PELLETS The rats prefer it, Purina guarantees it! HISH BROS. MCCRACKEN’S FEED MILL, INC Without irrigation, yields of 25 bushels per acre are showing up throughout the lower half of the state. On heavier soils, even in the drought area, he sometimes came across yields up around 75 bushels and oc casionally they hit 100. But these were exceptions. In the same area, irrigated corn fields are producing between 150 and 190 bushels an acre. There are about 20,000 acres of irrigated corn in lower Kent and Sussex counties now, and the number is increasing rapidly, says the agronomist. The reason is obvious. At current corn prices, theie’s little or no profit, even at these yield levels. But at least some farmers have managed to avoid the losses of $lOO or more per acre associated with dry land production this year. Daniel Vanderwende, a dairy farmer located west of Greenwood, was one of the people Mitchell visited during his recent survey. This was the farmer’s first experience with corn irrigation and he’s had his share of difficulties. But he told the agronomist he’s generally well satisfied with his decision to irrigate. Based on previous ex perience, Vanderwende had hoped to produce about 100 bushels an acre without water and had set a goal of 160 bushels on the irrigated land. Like so many of his neighbors, however, he ended up with an estimated JOHN B. KURTZ PHONE 717 354-4616 717 665 6023 RD3 EPHRATA PA 17522 IRA B. LANDIS PHONE 717 665 3248 BOX 276 RD3 MANHEIM PA 17545 WENGER’S FEED MILL INC. PHONE 717 367 1195 t*- FRESH CORN 28 bushels from the dry land corn By way of contrast, where his traveling sprinkler system was in operation, he got about 173 bushels of dry-shelled corn. He was able to irrigate about 100 acres from his two milhon-gallon storage pond. Once harvest has been completed, the dairyman will be able to review the whole project to see where he goes from there. As he traveled around lower Delaware, noting the differences between drought-ravaged crops and those in adjacent, irrigated fields, Mitchell had a chance to talk with lots of growers about their cropping practices. There’s one thing irrigated com growers agree on, he notes-one can’t be stingy with nitrogen if he wants those top yields. It takes about one pound of nitrogen to grow a bushel of corn. This means that if the yield aim is 200 bushels, the nitrogen requirement is going to be about double what most farmers have been accustomed to using. At current prices, this means the nitrogen cost will come to between $3O and $4O an acre. That price is ex pected to go up as the cost of natural gas goes up, smce natural gas is an essential mgredient in the production of nitrogen fertilizer. In the light of this situation, the agronomist reminds growers that they have an excellent, natural source of nitrogen m certain legume cover crops. Clovers or vetch seeded now will s > .• ys .v a s s provide a large percentage of next year’s nitrogen needs for corn-at a fraction of the cost. Many acres of corn land have already been harvested because of drought-hastened maturity. If asked once and seeded to 20 pounds of hairy vetch or 10-12 pounds of crimson clover, the result can be the same as using 100 If you aren’t completely satisfied that loose bait Purina Rat Control Pellets are more palatable than any other rat bait you’ve used ‘-eturn the unused product along with a cooy of the sales receipt to Purina and we'i! send you a complete cash refund. Requests for refunds should be sent to Rat Control Pellets Guarantee, Ralston Purina Company, 13001 St Charles Rock Road, Br.dgeton, Missouri 63044 (Guarantee offer expires May 1,1978) And now PURINA RAT CONTROL PELLETS are available in a con venient place pack. Compare our New PLACE PACK RAT CONTROL with other “pitch packs” and you’ll be pleased with the results. Your Purina dealer has Rat Control Pellets and other fine Purina Health Products. See your dealer for more information. I2Q Purina... planning tomorrow with research today w * , % ' , s'C^<W ,, W ,, A> v AV. SS f JOHN J. HESS, 11, INC. PHONE 717*442-4183 PARADISE PA 17562 UMBERGER’S, INC. PHONE 717 866 2324 RICHLAND PA 17087 UMBERGER’S MILL PHONE 717 867 5161 FONTANA PA 17042 W. E. MANIFOLD & SONS PHONE 717382-4805 pounds of fertilizer nitrogen next spring. Mitchell’s conclusions, based on his survey: “Combining legume and fertilizer nitrogen with irrigation water is the best way I know to beat the weather and be assured of corn yields capable of doubling the state average in 1978 ” WEST WILLOW FARMERS ASSN., INC. PHONE 717 464 3386 WEST WILLOW PA 17583 LEHMAN FEED STORE PHONE 717 528-4151 YORK SPRINGS PA PICKERING VALLEY FEED AND FARM STORE PHONE 215 363-8810 RT 113 8 GORDON ORP'-E ■ - I
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers