Berks County farmers tell How they have
changed their tillage and planting methods
By LAUREL SCHAEFFER
Staff Correspondent
READING - Tillage and
corn planting methods are
progressively changing in
Berks County. Many area
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farmers are setting aside
conventional tillage prac
tices for the more time and
labor saving techniques of
minimum tillage and no-till
planting.
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Chisel plowing has become
increasingly popular over
the last several years for
com production, because, as
many farmers explained, it
puts the soil in a better
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condition by leaving the
previous crops’ residue near
the surface to protect the soil
from erosion and drying out
too quickly. As Robert
Kopfer, Fleetwood R 2, ex
plained, “Leaving the crop
residues near the surface
keeps the ground softer on
top. It acts as a sponge,
retaining moisture that
would otherwise be baked
out by the sun.”
“Plowed ground is more
‘Cloddy,’-’ explained Lester
Gelsmger, Wemersville, but
the biggest return in chisel
plowing is erosion control, he
added. Reflecting on the
past, Gelsinger noted the
“old way” was to work the
ground well before planting
so it would need less
cultivation, “but now you
don’t work the ground and
don’t cultivate it either.”
Rae Hix, Mohrsville said
that when his sons first
started chiseling on his farm
in 1973, he thought the fields
looked bad, and wanted to
wait to see what grew before
he would accept the prac
tice. “Now I will never go
back to moldboarding,” he
stated, “it costs too much.”
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 27,1978
Most of these farmers
have not sold their mold
boards however. The Hix’s
use a moldboard to plow
down sod, but have chiseled
hay fields after the first
cutting, and have found it
makes a good seedbed. “If
you are going to chisel sod,”
remarked Hix’s son John, “it
should be done early.”
Harold Lesher, of Way-Har
Farms, Bemville, also told
Lancaster Farming that
they have kept a moldboard
plow, even though they have
been no-tilling for the past
five years.
“We moldboard our fields
after they have been no
tilled for four years,” Lesher
explained, primarily to turn
under small brush that may
be starting to grow. This
year they have turned under
about 35 acres. Kopfer,
however, has sold his
moldboard plow, noting that
he hasn’t moldboarded in
four years and hasn’t had
any problems. In fact he has
been doing better. “Land
sides and shins are too ex
pensive,” he commented.
Lester Gelsing ar also
keeps his moldboard for
turning under sod only,
commenting that he would
not invest any money in a
new one. The Gelsingers
have tried no-tilling com and
have been pleased with their
results. This year they will
also no-till some com during
their later planting, in a field
of rye after it has been taken
off.
Kopfer has planted com
after only discing but
believes he will stay with
chisel plowing unless he
finds he doesn’t have the
time in the future. Kopfer
has no-tilled barley and
soybeans however, and has
been very satisfied with his
results.
Kopfer has been using a
plain chisel plow with curved
teeth but feels he may try
using one that has a row of
disCs in the front. After
chiseling, the ground is gone
over with an off-set disc and
then planted with a no-till air
planter. This is the third
season for his planter which
has been equipped with a
seed monitor to keep a
constant check on which
rows are planting.
Kopfer has changed from
38 inch rows to 36 inch rows
but won’t go to narrow rows,
explaining that he does not
see any advantage to the
narrower rows. Seed
population rates have been
incresed ova- the years
however,” I try to have 23 to
24,000 plants per acre at
harvest,” he remarked.
Kopfer also has started to
plant bis com crop earlier
after he noticed his later
com was not quite as heavy
as the earlier com. “I try to
start planting com by April
18 but this year it wasn’t
until the 22nd,” he
remarked. Having the com
in early helps reduce the hay
and barley rush, he added.
Hii uses a chisel plow
equipped with discs after
first using a plain chisel
plow. It does a nicer job, he
says. After' chiseling the
ground, is disced twice. The
second time herbicides are
incorporated. A spray tank
has been added to the disc.
“Next year we want to use a
field cultivator with the
sprayer to even the field out
better,” said John.
Hix feels that by going
over the fields twice the
herbicides work better, and
by changing to a field
cultivator on the final time
(Turn to Page 134)
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