C4o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 7,1981
Delaware veg growers discuss production ideas
DOVER,, Del Delaware
vegetable growers took a look at
several potential crops and a
revolutionary new planting
technique during their recent
annual meeting in Dover
One highlight of the two-day
event was a talk on fluid drilling of
pre-germinated seeds by
University of Florida’s Herb
Bryan, a nationally known
authority on the subject
The technique actually
originated in England about 20
years ago but is just catching on in
the US It calls for sprouting
seeds, mixing them with a special
gel preparation, and then planting
them in the ground The system
results in early emergence, better
stands, and early and uniform
maturity
Farmers in several states in
cluding Florida, Texas, Ohio and
Michigan already are growing
tomatoes and chile peppers this
way on limited acreage
Bryan also reports excellent
results in test plantings of
radishes, okra, cucumbers,
watermelons, tomtoes, celery,
lettuce, potatoes, peppers, onions,
sweet corn and cabbage
As the technique is perfected and
field equipment is unproved,
observers expect to see wide
adoption of this revolutionary
cultural practice
Besides its other advantages, it
offers low energy costs, reduced
temperature-related problems
witn developing seedlings, and
i eauced soil ci usting (especially if
a bit of peatlite is dropped on top of
the gelencased seed at planting)
It is possible to add fungicides,
growth stimulants or nutrients to
the gel to further encourage
uniform stands, sturdier plants,
and higher yields of top-quality
produce The pregerminated seed
can be planted either in bare
ground or through plastic mulch
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814-395-5030
Delaware extension vegetable
specialist Mike Orzolek told far
mers present at the meeting that
he has built a 4-row, J-point hitch,
fluid drill and will be using this
next summer to plant some small
plots of pre-germinated pepper
seed in an effort to help area
pepper growers avoid some of the
disease problems associated with
the use of transplants
He also hopes to plant small plots
of cabbage and other vegetables
this way on cooperating farms
Most farmers who are good
managers are always on the
lookout for alternate crops to grow
Several presentations during the
meeting concerned new crop
possibilities for Delaware
vegetable growers
Bernie Pollock of Rutgers
University discussed the prospects
for local dry bean production
Noting that increased soybean
production in Argentina and Brazil
could well result in lower prices for
this crop in the future, he
suggested that dry beans might be
one good alternative crop to
consider These provide high levels
of usable protein and offer
potential returns five times
greater than soybeans on a per
acre basis
With the Port of Wilmington,
Delaware growers have the op
portunity to export dry beans to
many parts of the world where this
vegetable is the major protein
source Pollock said there are
several bean varieties suitable for
Delmarva growing conditions
Another speaker, Ray Webb,
described work he is doing with
russet potatoes at the U S
Department of Agriculture’s
Agricultural Research Center in
Beltsville, Md Purpose of this
work is to develop a quality russet
suitable tor Eastern growing
conditions and competive with
those now grown in Idaho, Oregon
and Washington.
Two varieties are now available -
- Bel Rus (which was developed in
Maine), and Beltsvilles Russette
Because each potato variety has
special needs, he advised farmers
to try these on a small scale first
while they learn how to get yields
and specific gravity up Within the
next five years Webb expects
Eastern growers to have several
other russet varieties capable of
yielding good table stock on a level
competitive with western-grown
russets
Within 10 years, Delmarva could
-II ,tq T, f r y plant
Self-feeding boosts feed intake
LITITZ Putting early
lactating cows on a self feeding
program is one way of boosting
feed intake for top milk produc
tion
George M Ward, professor of
dairy science of Kansas State, says
the free choice method of feeding is
both feasible and practical in herds
large enough to have cows grouped
by production. Cows allowed to eat
all the grain concentrate and
quality roughage they want in a
balanced ration will maximize
milk production, he says
Ward offers some precautions,
however, when implementing such
a feeding progiam Cows should
be preconditioned to concentrate
feeding two weeks before being
self fed. and should be full of feed
when introduced to a self-feeing
program Enough quality
roughage should be provided at all
times ”
as well, he said
A third cropping alternative
herbs and spices-was discussed by
Elmo Davis, director of research
for the McCormick Company
Davis said it doesn’t take much
land to grow the amounts of herbs
needed, but it can be a profitable
enterprise with good management
Because growing herbs requires
a lot of labor, he sees this en
terprise working best as a family
operation. Quality control must be
excellent for your crop to be worth
anything, he stressed And he
cautioned farmers not to jump into
production until they’ve explored
all aspects of the crop - especially
marketing
According to Davis, successful
He says the concentrate mixture
should contain about two percent
more protein than rations for the
rest of the herd, as well as 1 5
percent sodium bicarbonate to
prevent acid-base imbalance in the
rumen
Sodium bicarbonate is an ef
fective rumen buffer,” he says
Cows produce sodium bicar
bonate naturally in their saliva
However, high energy rations,
necessary for top milk production,
can cause natural bicarb
production to decrease At the
same time, the more easily
digested grain diets produce larger
amounts of acid in the rumen
Without adequate buffering,
excess rumen acidity interferes
with normal appetite, feed ef
ficiency, and milk and fat
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• 'i
herb production depends on a
number of factors, a dry season,
limited acreage, suitable plant
cultivar, and cultural practices.
U S herb crops include onions,
garlic, chile peppers, parsley,
basil, dill weed and dill seed, sage,
oregano, savory and thyme Most
of these are currently grown in the
Southwest.
Frequent, irregular rainfall in
the East is a problem in growing
these crops because it can delay
harvest. Timing is critical because
plants need to be harvested when
essential oils are at their peak
Davis also warned that it’s hard
for a new supplier to enter the herb
and spice market
production Sodium bicarbonate
mixed with the concentrate at a
rate of 1 5 percent on an as fed
basis will prevent these problems
associated with excess acid
When adequate precautions are
taken, cows may be left in the self
feeding program 45 to 50 days, says
Ward, oi until their milk
production goes down below a
predetermined level where it’s not
worth giving them the high energy
ration "
Ward demonstrated the
feasibility of a self-feeding
program in the KSU herd, with
Holstein cows that ate an average
of 30 to 35 pounds of a grain
sorghum-soybean meal con
centrate along with alfalfa hay
Milk fat tests averaged from 3 3 to
3 8 percent on the monthly DHIA
tests
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