A3o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 7,1981
This year’s soil tests to call for more lime
BY JOYCE BUPP
Staff Correspondent
YORK Ever heard of SMP ?
That’s a brand new, and more
accurate, hme test that Penn State
has begun using to sample acidity
levels in the state’s agriculture
soils
SMP is named for Shoemaker,
McClean and Platts, three Ohio
researchers who developed the
improved soil acidity testing
method. Penn State soil fertility
specialist, Doug Beegle, briefed
growers attending the York County
corn clinic on the improved ac
curacy of the new testing
procedure
Calling lime testing the "most
important test of all,” Beegle
emphasized to the gram producers
that, unless soil acidity levels are
at correct levels, crop aids, such as
pesticides, herbicides and fer
tilizers, might be a waste of the
farmer’s dollars
Former tests, while popular and
helpful in determining acidity, still
had their problems, because
researchers now know that the
tests were frequently too low in
their liming requirements
Spring fertilizer outlook appears rather rosey
CHICAGO, 111 - The 1981
outlook for U S agriculture and its
supplier, the fertilizer industry, is
optimistic, an industry observer
pointed out here Tuesday at the
annual meeting of The Fertilizer
Institute
L L Jaquier, group executive
for the agricultural chemicals
group of W R Grace & Co , noted a
number of favorable economic
signs for U S farms and fertilizer
businesses
The principal factor in the fate of
agriculture in any year is crop
prices, and this factor is forecast to
be exceedingly good, he said.
“Projections continue to point to
NEW
SIMPLEX
WATER
BOWL
j
\ <*l*
BUILDS EVERVTHINC
BETTER FOP BARNS
DONALD UPPEHMAN
1126 N Franklin St
Chambcrsburg, Pa
717-264 6007
ROVENDALE SUPPLY
RD2
Watsontown, PA 17777
717 538 5521
CLAIR C BEATTY
RD4 Box 188 A
Indiana. Pa 15701
412 465 7368
AARON ZIMMERMAN
RDI
East Earl Pa 17519
215 5309
DOMBACH
EQUIPIHf 7 INC
MtAII s rv.l'e
Ph 49
’9l
' / <•
Beegle allowed that the new
SMP test may still be slightly
deficient in lime estimates, but
says that it’s much more efficient
and accurate than former
methods.
He warned farmers to expect
this year’s tests to call for greater
tonnages of hme, up to as much as
39 percent more than previously
called for, especially on soils with
a pH level of 7 0 or less
Soils that have been limed on a
regular basis, however, should not
show such a dramatic need
That was just one of the cropping
recommendations based on recent
research projects at the Univer
sity
Soil fertility specialists are also
suggesting that corn growers begin
applying higher amounts of
phosphorus in starter fertilizer, to
get seedlings off to a rapid-growth
start
Beegle recommends a 10-30-10
starter product, applied in a band
Up to 90 pounds of plow-down
phosphorus could also be in
corporated m a band-type ap
plication With liberal quantities of
highly favorable prices for far
mer’s crops in the current corp
year,” he added.
Corn prices are projected at
$3 43 per bushel - 37 percent higher
than a year ago
Soybeans are forecast at prices
26 percent higher; cotton 25 per
cent higher - and U S wheat,
currently in ample supply, has
been forecast as high as $4.05 per
bushel average, a six-percent
boost over 1979-80 farm averages,
Jaquier indicated
All this leads to a projected net
farm income increase of 14 percent
by the end of the current harvest
year - or a real dollar increase of
Simplex Water Bowls are
famous for their simplicity
and the new Simplex 400 is
still more simple both in con
struction and in operation This
new non siphoning water bowl
has a minimum of working
parts making it easy to install
and easy to service It provides
the ultimate in cleanliness
eliminating messy paddles and
allows absolute water control
Phone or write for details
SPECIAL PRICE
*27.50
SEE YOUR BERG DEALER
FOR VOLUME DISCOUNT:
ERWIN W. ZIMMERMAN
RDI Martmsburg Pa
16662
814 793 3954
R. LAMAR HACKMAN
RD2,
Mifllinburg Pa 17844
717 524 4901
ROBERT GUTSHALE
RDI
Womeisdorf Pa 19567
717 933 4d16
AREA
REPRESENTATIVE
CHESTER INGPAM
RD2
Pi 16823
Hubier^burg)
~14 383 2798
phosphorus within easy reach of
seeding roots, very rapid growth
is promoted and less fixation of the
nutrient occurs
While croppers and researchers
alike have been calling for some
type of dependable test for
nitrogen levels, Beegle admits that
accurate test for nitrogen is “not
too close ’’
Recent studies, however, show
growers may be able to cut back
slightly on expensive nitrogen
additives, while still maintaining
high-yield stands.
Corn-following-legumes is an
especially wise rotating program,
since sods and soybeans may leave
enough residual nitrogen so that
little more than a starter band of
fiop-up fertilizer is needed. Wise
use of livestock manures, in
corporated at the proper time to
minimize nutrient losses, is
another fairly inexpensive
nitrogen source
Urging that farmers continue,
and even intensify, their use in soil
testing, Beegle warned that soil
nutrient carryover is especially
uncertain m dry years, such as the
conditions that settled over much
of the state last year.
four percent for American far
mers, based on 1972 dollars, he
observed
For the fertilizer industry, this
points to a strong season, because,
he noted, if projects hold, farmers
will be planting up to nine million
acres more of major cash crops
than they did one year ago. Those
same crops account for at least 82
percent of total U S fertilizer use.
Based on this scenario, Jaquier
indicated he expects U.S. nitrogen
fertilizer consumption to increase
POURED CONCRETE WALLS
MANURE STORAGE Kr ,dor
BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
OF ANY KIND
W v ;
Aluminum Forming System Using
Redi-Mix and Reinforcing Steel
This gives us flexibility to form a
manure storage system to fit your
layout
PRICES QUOTED ON SLOTTED FLOOR
MANURE STORAGE SYSTEMS
i Call Ken Groff ★
STRASBURG POURED WALLS
RD 2 Box 8
Strasburg, PA 17579
Phone (717) 687-6668
First year after good alfalfa sod
(greater than 50% alfalfa)
Second year after good alfalfa sod
(greater than 50% alfalfa)
First year after medium alfalfa sod
(25-50% alfalfa)
First year after poor alfalfa sod
(less than 25% alfalfa)
First year after clover or trefoil sod
First year after soybeans
Continuous corn grain
Continuous corn silage
First year after good alfalfa sod
(more than 50% alfalfa)
Second year after good alfalfa sod
(less than 50% alfalfa )
First year after medium alfalfa sod
(25-50% alfalfa)
First year after poor alfalfa sod
(less than 25% alfalfa) 60 120 90 160 120 200
First year after clover or trefoil sod 60 80 90 120 120 160
First year after soybeans 80 120 110 160 130 200
t Yield goals for silage are 17,21, and 25 tons per acre respectively
by at least three percent and
phosphate fertilizer use by about
six percent by June 30,1981.
‘ The outlook isn’t all roses,” he
was quick to point out
Factors which could depress or
counteract favorable signs include
high interest rate pressure for
idtiu loans, a potentially “com
pressed” season for purchase and
use of farm production items (such
as fertilizers), international un
certainties for U.S agricultural
export sales; and U S. economic
iquare
or
,’ound
Walls
Built
telow
or
.bove
round -
Nitrogen from Legumes
New Nitrogen Recommendations for Corn
Yield Goal (Bu./A)t
100 125 150
-Nitrogen (Ibs./acre)—
100 130 140
60 60 60
80 100 100
60 60 60
60 60 60
40 40 40
Yield Goal (Bu./A )t
100 125 150
100 120 130 160 160 200
120 120 150 160 180 200
20 60 20 100 40 140
60 120 90 160 120 200
40 120 50 160 80 200
instability, including the con
tinuing pressure of costs in farm
and fertilizer production alike
TTi
vn
11
n!
11 v r H '
AIK AHEAD...
lurw Markets on Page 3.
THII
R*cml Futi