—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 22,1979
128
GEORGETOWN, Del. -
There are a number of
reasons for the problem of
down corn many farmers
faced as we approached
harvest season, according to
Delaware extension crops
specialist Frank Webb. By
looking into the causes of the
past season’s problem now,
farmers can plan changes in
production practices and
varieties to reduce the
problem in 1980.
A major contributing
factor was the large amount
of rainfall we experienced
throughout the season. This
resulted in some of the most
severe nitrogen deficiency
symptoms Webb has ever
seen on corn.
Tissue formation was
affected and plants were less
sturdy than usual. Though
this problem occurred on
various farms all over the
state, the lighter soils of
lower Kent and Sussex
counties were particularly
hard-hit.
Some farmers caught the
problem earlier in the
Farm
(Continued from Page 127)
thriving enterprise
throughout the peninsula.
There are a few beef cattle,
virtually no sheep, and a few
poultrymen produce eggs.
But looking at the area’s
farm income figures, it
becomes quite apparent that
broilers, com and soybeans
are our agricultural base.
All the rest, including
vegetables crops, specialty
crops, a variety of livestock
enterprises, just add to an
already impressive
agricultural success story.
But picture the Delmarva
peninsula without its broiler
industry and you get a
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717-656-6898
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Sat. 10 to 4
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Rainfall, leaf diseases blamed for down corn
season and applied sup
plemental nitrogen. In some
cases this special attention
was enough to prevent
lodging. For next year,
therefore, Webb suggests
that an automatic late
season sidedress application
of nitrogen could prove
beneficial for those who are
growing com on light, sandy
soils.
Another major factor was
the incidence of leaf
diseases, which devastated
much of the green foliage on
many varieties of corn in
late August and September.
The three diseases that
caused the most problems in
1979 were northern com leaf
blight: southern com leaf
blight; race 0; and an
thracnose.
AH are familiar diseases,
each causing a greater or
lesser amount of damage
every year depending on
such factors as the weather,
the lushness of the corn, and
the number of disease spores
present. Unfortunately,
Talk
feeling of what economist
Dovnng is talking about
when he says that if the
proportions of crop farming
and animal husbandry had
remained as they were in the
early 1950’5, Illinois’s share
of the annual national
product would be about 300
million dollars greater than
it is today.
He’s not blaming in
dividual farmers, for he
feels they must do what’s
best for them, but he says
public officials must take a
long look at the situation and
formulate policies that favor
a more diversified economy.
conditions were such that
1979 was a peak year for
destruction by all three
diseases.
These diseases cause the
premature death of the com
foliage. Affected corn cannot
mature properly. The ear
moisture is still much
greater than normal at the
time the plant is desiccated
or appears to reach
maturity.
Such com may look like
it’s drying down in readiness
for harvest; however, what
we’re seeing is not natural
maturation. It’s the disease
that’s killing the leaf tissue
and drying the plant down,
Webb said.
t |r
Come visit our Show Cattle at the 1980 Farm Show. Herdsman,
Randy Becker and our crew will be pleased to visit with you. We
have had a very successful year at the Shows and with Sales, and
wish to thank all of you for making this possible.
Polled Hereford and Shropshire Sheep Buyers
Russell Bryant Pa Paul Heffner Pa
Scott Mickey W Va George Romano Pa
N Carlyle Stull Md William Acker Pa
Craig Peterson Pa John Paxson Pa
Harry Hartman Pa Gary Flickrnger Pa
Walter Biddle Saul High School Pa Becky LeFeaver Pa
David Hamilton Pa Matt Young Pa
Wind t Widows Farm NY LeoMcDermitt Pa
Tirawa Farms Pa * Philßauh Md
JeanAlaimo NY Glen Cary Farm Md
Peters Mountain Farm Pa RamtreeFarm Pa
McGmley Mountain Farm Pa Si Jo Farm NY
David Shultz Pa Bastten Family Pa
1979 Polled Hereford Show Winnings
Junior Champion Bull Virginia State Fair
Reserve Grand Champion Delaware Stale Fair
Reserve Grand Champion Heifer Pennsylvania Farm Show
Reserve Junior Champion Maryland State Fair
Grand Champion Heifer
Grand Champion Bull
Reserve Grand Champion Heifer
Reserve Junior Champion Heifer
Reserve Bull Calf Champion
Grand Champion Heifer
Reserve Grand Champion Heifer
Grand Champion Heifer
Heifer Calf Champion
Heifer Calf Champion
Best Six Head
Reserve Grand Champion Heifer
2nd Best Steer
2nd Best Six Head
Reserve Junior Champion Bull
Grand Champion Heifer -
Grand Champion Bull
Come by the farm and visit - Visitors always welcome
(717)334-1903
Route 2 Box 39, Fairfield, Pennsylvania 17320
Follow Signs from Business Route 15 South
When this happens, the
stalk must stand for a longer
time to allow the ear to dry
down, providing the op
portunity for many other
diseases to enter the plant.
Various types of stalk rot
weaken the plant so much
that the least amount of wind
or adverse weather could
cause lodging.
Several other factors
contribute to the problem of
down com. Continuous com
in a field can result in root
problems or increased in
cidence of disease, either of
which could contribute to the
lodging problem, he said.
A fertility imbalance in the
soil could also be the culprit.
Bottom
Wish All of You
A Very Merry Christmas And A
Happy New Year
Shippensburg Fair
Cumberland Fair
Maryland State Fair
Pennsylvania Farm Show
Maryland Polled Hereford Assoc
Summer Show
Cumberland Fair
Eastern National Livestock Exhibition
Keystone International livestock
Exhibition
York Fair
Pennsylvania Polled Hereford Assoc
Summer Show
York Fair
Cumberland Fair
Maryland Polled Hereford Assoc Fall
Sale
Kevstone International Livestock
Exhibition
Maryland State Fair
Delaware State Fair
York Fair
'r .I'tj'ia ’ amount of
potash in relation to nitrogen
can cause serious lodging, so
it’s important to have the
soil tested and pay attention
to the fertility balance.
Plant population can also
be a factor. Generally
speaking, the denser the
plant population, the smaller
the stalks, creating thinner
rinds and less sturdy plants.
Therefore, plants ordinarily
won’t stand quite as well at
higher populations.
Insects, too, can weaken
plant stalks in many in
stances. Insect damage
probably contributed to the
lodging problem in some
parts of the stats.
1979 Polled Hereford Show Winnings (Cont)
Reserve Grand Champion Heifer South Mountain Fair
Reserve Junior Champion Heifer Virginia State Fair
Reserve Grand Champion Heifer Delaware State Fair
Reserve Heifer Cal' Champion Pennsylvania Farm Show
Grand Champion Heifer York Fair
Reserve Grand Champion Bull Cumberland Fair
Reserve Grand Champion Heifer Pennsylvania Polled Hereford Assoc
Summer Show
Shippensburg Fair
Eastern National Lives f ock Exhibition
York Fair
Keystone International Livestock
Exhibition
New York Hereford Assoc Fall Sale
4th Annual Freedom of Choice Calf
Sale
New York Hereford Assoc Fall Sale
Cumberland Fair
Premier Breeder
Junior Champion Heifer
Junior Champion Heifer
Junior Champion Heifer
Champion Steer
Champion Steer
Champion Heifer
Best Six Head
1979 Shropshire Sheep Winnings
Grand Champion Ewe
Grand Champion Ram
Champion Get of Sire
Grand Champion Ram
Grand Champion Ram
Champion Get of Sire
Grand Champion Ewe
Reserve Grand Champion Ewe
Best Pair of Ewe Lambs
Reserve Grand Champion Ewe
Reserve Grand Champion Fwr
Grand Champion Ewe
Reserve Grand Champion Fwp
Champion Get of Sire
Champion Get of Sire
Reserve Grand Champion Ew«
Reserve Grand Champion F we
Best Pair of Ewe Lambs
Hurricane David caused a
great deal of lodging
damage. However, some of
the damage attributed to the
hurricane was not really due
to the storm itself, but to
other factors that caused
premature plant death or
weakened stalks so that the
plants were unable to
withstand adverse weather.
Certain hybrids show
more resistance to lodging
than others. Therefore,
farmers should look into
University field trial results
before selecting varieties for
next year, the specialist
recommends. Such efforts
should help prevent lodging
problems in 1980.
South Mountain Fair
Bedford Fair
Montgomery County (Gaithersburg)
Fair
Carlisle Fair
Shippensburg Fair
Shippensburg Fair
Shippensburg Fair
Bedford Fair
Eastern National Livestock Exhibition
Montgomery County (Gaithersburg)
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