> Blackbirds (Continued from Page C3O) population passes through Delaware then. Two years ago the count set a record for the lower Delaware Valley 300 million birds on a single day during the spring migration, Last year the peak oc curred around the first of December. The summertime population of blackbirds is hard to estimate because they’re so dispersed. But compared to the winter, the number is quite low somewhere around five million. As a scientist who’s devoted a lifetime to trying to bridge the gap between agriculture and biology the needs of the farmer and the realities of nature Linehan looks at the blackbird in two ways. First, there’s the damage done to crops and the economic loss this brings. “I feel the problem is very ★ MINIMIZES FEED WASTE Not only the physical shape of the feed trough, but the operation of the feeder has been engineered to reduce feed waste. The trough shape cuts down on feed loss from “raking" and "billing," while the feeder has been specifically designed for Chore-Time’s programmed and performance feeding concept ★ LET US SHOW YOU A REVERSE CAGE SYSTEM IN OPERATION AGRi" CATTLE HOG - POULTRY EQUIPMENT R.D. 4, EPHRATA, PA. 17522 PH; 717-354-4271 STORE HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 7:30 to 5:30; Sat.7:3o to 12:00 SERVING PA, N.J. AND N.Y. real. Some growers have been terribly hurt,” he says At the same time, he’s aware of another dimension to the problem the impact on all of us of the presence of such a highly mobile ver tebrate population. “We’ve already lost this in the buffalo, the passenger pigeon, and many of the species m Africa,” he says. “And I’m convinced that those of us now living will be the last to witness this phenomenon whether or not we do anything deliberately to destroy or control it. What we’re doing now by way of control of the blackbird is only speeding up an inevitable process. ” Twenty-five years ago fanners on both sides of the Delaware River were all m favor of an all-out war against the blackbird as a crop pest. Some still see extermination as the only solution. But aside from the ethics involved m deliberately wiping out an entire vertebrate population, there’s the question of the feasibility of doing so. & ★ LESS BIRD STRESS EQUIPMENT,me. When he first came to Delaware in the mid 1950’5, Linehan’s efforts were aimed primarily at control of the com-feeding redwing blackbirds, grackles and cowbirds causing farmers so much grief. His observations since then have led him to consider massive control both a costly and futile ef fort. Instead, he has come to believe that damage avoidance methods such as those described earlier are much more likely to be successful in producing a harvestable com crop where bird predation is a problem He feels research into bird behavior, as well as research on the crop grown especially plant breeding for resistance will allow us to produce com in spite of the blackbird. To him, the ideal solution is to use modified cultural practices and plant breeding, together with selective controls, in order to produce a crop without having to resort to massive control efforts against this crop pest. ijirvi WASHINGTON, D.C. - A US. Department of Agriculture official said today that USDA will adopt a rule May 1 which will extend permissive official testing for protein to all classes of wheat except for mixed and imdassed Leland R Bartelt, ad ministrator of USDA’s Federal Gram Inspection Service, said all official agencies, unless exempted, vll be required to provide official testing for protein upon request Only official agencies designated to provide ser vices at interior locations are eligible to apply for an exemption. To a large degree, such exemptions will be based on the volume of wheat inspected by an agency The system has been design ed for bird comfort! Each bird has her place at the feed trough Each has easy access to water Obstruction to light and the flow of air have been greatly reduced, providing more uniform ventilation and lighting for every bird Com bined with Chore-Time’s auto matically controlled air mlettmg system, you get a layer house environment designed for bird comfort and the resulting better production AGRI-EQUIPMENT INC., OFFERS COMPLETE • SALES • INSTALLATION • SERVICE Expanded protein testing approved for wheat Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 12,1980—C31 Requests for exemptions must be submitted to FGIS in writing by April 10 “Official protein testing will be provided strictly on a request basis under the U.S. Grain Standards Act,” Bartelt said. “Wheat buyers and sellers, both in in terstate and foreign com merce, are entirely free to choose whether or not to use official protein testing services.” FGIS has been providing official protein testing services upon request for hard red winter and hard red spring wheats at export elevators since May 1978. “We expect requests for the service to increase when testing is available at all specified service points, and is extended to soft red winter, durum and white wheats,” Bartelt said For domestic lots of wheat, including inbound lots at export port locations, official agencies will be authorized to use any FGIS approved protein testing method. For export lots of wheat shipped from export port locations, only an FGlS approved near-infrared reflectance machine may be used. Bartelt said the near infrared reflectance machine is the only method currently available that is capable of providing the rapid and accurate results needed. “Since loading at export port locations is conducted on a sublot basis, prompt testing results are extremely critical,” Bartelt said. Marketing wheat on the basis of protein content has become increasingly im portant since protein content has been proven to be a reliable indicator of wheat quality for milling purposes, Bartletsaid. Notice of the expansion of the protein testing service was published in the April 1 Federal Register.
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