—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 22,1979
14
Energy conservation theme of Berks Co. tour
BY LAUREL
Staff CerreapMdeat
HAMBURG—Energy co
nservation was the theme of
this years’ conservation tour
sponsored by the Berks
County Soil Conservation
Service, Agricultural
Stabilization Conservation
Service, Conservation
District, Cooperative Ex
tension Service, and Far
mers Heme Administration,
on September 14.
Featured in the day long
tour were visits to several
Berks County farms, which
were experimenting or
successfully using alternate
sources of energy. These
practices included a solar
grain dryer, an evaporation
cooling system, methane gas
production from manure,
drainage ditches with un
derground pipes used to trap
excess soil water which is
released in dryer soil con
Solanco Fair
(Continued from Page 13)
the Ayrshire show, with Ken
Findley showing the senior
and grand champion and the
senior reserve champion.
Twelve-year-old Anita
Brommer had the junior
champion and reserve junior
champion and reserve grand
champion.
Other results include:
Junior Calf
1. Anita Brommer,
Conestoga; 2. Joanne Fin
dley, Willow Street.
Senior Calf
1. Karen Long, Willow
Street.
Junior Yearling
1. Anita Brommer,
Conestoga; 2. Christina
Esbenshade, Quanyville.
WH ARE NOW CONTRACTING AND BUYING
GET YOUR ALFALFA SEED! 'W,
SUPPLY IS LIMITED. ■
* SARANAC AR-WL 311.312 and 318
Be Sure To buy Certified Wheat and Barley Seeds
For Your Fall Sowing.
Barley
Pennrad
Bar-Soy
Maury
Check our complete Fertilizer Program
• Bulk Dry Fertilizer • Lime Spreading
• Spreading of Liquid & Dry • Complete Soil Testing
Fertilizer Program
Mix Princep* with your Fall Fertilizer Program for
controlling Fail Grasses in your Alfalfa.
★ We Still have BALER TWINE in stock
RD 2, Cochranville, Penna. 19330
PHONE; Bob 215-869-8201 Dick 215-932-3307
Located on Rt. 41 Between Avondale and Cochranville
Warehouse at Russellville.
ditions and a wind turbine,
used to generate electricity.
The Mehrkam Wind
Turbine, designed and
manufactured by Terrence
and Douglas Mehrkam,
Hamburg, R 2, is used to
supply a very substantial
amount of the electricity
used by their various ■
enterprises. This includes
Energy Development
Company, Windsor Nursery,
and their farm enterprise
where they operate a 12,000
hen layer operation.
Being completely
automatic, the wind turbines
are built in four sizes
ranging from 40 to 225
Kilowatts maximum output.
They are set up and tied into
power lines alter an elec
trical meter used to measure
the amount of electricity
bought from power com
panies so as not to be
charged to the owner. Ex-
Senior Yearling
1. Kenneth Findley, Willow
Street.
Two-Year-Old
1. Joanne Findley, Willow
Street.
Three and Four-Year-Old
1. Joanne Findley, Willow
Street; 2. Ken Findley,
Willow Street.
Aged Cow
1. Ken Findley, Willow
Street.
Ken Findley showed the
best dairy herd, with Joanne
Findley and Karen Long
showing the best product of
dam Ken Findley took first
place in dam-daughter and
Joanne Findley took second.
Joanne Findley and Karen
Long also showed the best
open get.
NEW CROP CORN AND SOYBEANS
Call for day to day prices.
Plus COVER CROP RYE
cess electricity not being
consumed fay the turbine
owner is automatically sold
back to the utility company.
Mehrkam stressed
however that the turbines
are not a system for total
independance. “The wind
doesn’t blow all the time,”
he explained. But it was also
noted that there is more
available wind in winter
when a larger amount of
electricity would be con
sumed, especially if electric
heat were used.
The turbines need a
minimum of nine mile per
hour winds to generate
electricity. Mehrkam also
commented that they are
practical for farm
operations and are very
reliable. Their yearly
maintenance consists of
approximately five dollars
worth of grease a year.
“Utilities companies have
been very cooperative with
our Turbines, ’ ’ he added.
The rather high intital
costs can be offset by the
many tax advantages
available and the great
decrease in commercial
electrical usage.
Mehrkam estimated the
average payback, period
would probably be seven
years and the life of the
turbines should be a very
minimum of ten.
The Mehrkam wind tur
bine can be built for under
700 dollars per kilowatt,
which is much lower than
other turbines on the
market, Mehrkam also
mentioned. He noted that the
larger turbine will have a
lower cost per kilowatt.
Other hosts included,
Mountain View Farms,
Donald Landis, Fred Bohn
and Sons, and Winfield J.
Finkbmer.
Wheat
Hart
Redcoat
Abe
Arthur 71
Logan
•IK«
X*
mgh
Participants in the Berks County Conservation Tour included Clyde Bauer and
Duane Bysher of the Soil Conservation Service. Douglas Mehrkam is part-owner
of the Mehrkam wind turbine, which was a feature of the tour, as it uses a
minimum of nine mile per hour winds to generate electricity. Also pictured is
Henry Bohn of the Agricultural Stabilization Service.
SMUCKER'S SALES & SERVICE
• Good used diesel
engines
Install a blower fan
for better diesel &
refrigeration cooling.
Longer life on diesel.
LET ME BREATHE!
FOR PROMPT SERVICE CALL
717-354-4158 OR IF NO ANSWER
CALL 717-354-4374.
RO #2, BOX 21
NEW HOLLAND, PA 17557
DISTRIBUTOR FOR:
LISTER, PERKINS &
SLANZI DIESELS
&
• New Sputnik wheels
and parts
We mount diesels
on balers, crimpers,
cornpickers, etc.
For lower cost per
hour power, rely on
Tster)
DIESEL POWER
m