B2—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, June 27,1981 Farm Business News To cultivate or not; that is the question LANCASTER The value or necessity of cultivation when row crop plants are well established and growing depends on soil characteristics and whether weeds are present. Each year un necessary cultivation takes place - perhaps more out of habit than anything. Year-to-year conditions vary and a yield advantage due to cultivation one year does not mean cultivation will pay the next. Early cultivation may be necessary to incorporate a pesticide into the soil or to loosen a soil crust to encourage seedling emergence. Failure of herbicides to control weeds is sometimes best corrected by mechanical cultivation. Growers who band apply a herbicide over the row must cultivate to get weeds bet ween the treated rows. All of these are timed early - before the crop emerges or while it is still small. Later cultivation is definitely required if weeds come on and a postemerge herbicide will not be used. “Lay-by” applications of an insecticide to control rootworm larvae in corn requires cultivation for incorporation. Side-dress fer tilizers are often more effective if covered by soil. Side-dressing with anhydrous ammonia is a cultivation of sorts. Furrowing for irrigation is an essential cultivation practice for that type of water application. But what about the situation where the crop is several inches tall, there is no chemical to be incorporated and no weed problem exists? This is when charac teristics of the soil must be con sidered. Cultivation will probably pay on those soils that tend to compact or develop a thick, hard crust. The primary benefit appears to be Myerstown company is first Fristamat direct importer MYERSTOWN Confinement Ventilation, Inc., a subsidiary of Farmer Boy Ag, has become the first company in the U.S. to directly import the Fristamat fully automatic ventilation system from the system’s home company m Denmark, reports Larry Horst, sales representative and part owner of Confinement Ventilation. According to Horst, during the past two years the units were previously imported from Canada. Now, the Myerstown operation imports them directly from the overseas plant and assembles the ventilation systems here. “It turned out we were selling more systems here in the U.S. than they were selling in Canada,” Horst remarks. “So, we negotiatiated with the home plant and were set up as a distributor last December.” Confinement Ventilation has been installing the Fristamat systems for about a year now, Horst recalls. He notes there have been approximately 150 units in stalled to date and expects about 200 more to be out this year. The Lebanon County based company has distributors in lowa, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, and Michigan. Managing the operation is John Bosshardt, a native of Scotland and part-owner of the company. The third owner is Leon Hoover, Myerstown. According to Horst, the increased water infiltration. Ideally, one cultivation will be sufficient, but if hard rain or water application causes another crusting situation before the crop plant canopy is well-developed, additional passes may be . necessary. Cultivation to “aerate” the roots probably is not valid. A three-year Ohio Stata study indicates that soil crusts do not hinder air movement to and around the roots. The study ' did indicate as much as 25 per cent corn yield improvement resulting from cultivation of weed free “crusting type” soil. Roots were better distributed between cultivated rows. University of Illinois scientists evaluated cultivation vs. her bicides for weed control and found little advantage for cultivation if weeds were otherwise kept in check. They reported no difference in lodging of corn, indicating that uncultivated plants stood just as well as those where soil had been thrown around the bases by cultivation. They concluded that there is an occasional advantage for cultivation of soils that tend to crust, especially in the case of excessive preplant tillage. If there is no weed problem and if the soil is in satisfactory con dition for water intake, leave the cultivator in the shed. Under those conditions, cultivation will be a waste of time, fuel and soil moisture. And, evaporation from a tilled soil surface may be greater. If cultivation is necessary, operate shallow and avoid root damage. Plants with excessive root damage can’t take up adequate water and nutrients m case of stress con ditions and they are more prone to develop root rot and other yield depressing disorders. Fristamat system is easy to in stall, electrically efficient and saves heat by recirculating 90 percent of the air iaside the building in a “balanced air pat tern.” A heat sensitive glycerin tube controls the opening and closing of a damper, adjusting to plus or minus one degree m temperature. The only moving electrical part is a one circuit motor, explains Horst the size, ranging from Vz HP to 1 HP, depending on the size of the building and the number of animal units. The three-speed motors are run 0ff220 voltage. Most of the ventilation systems, which range in price from $1,500 to $4,000, have been installed in confinement hog buildings, Horst notes. However, the company has recently installed one m a veal barn and is getting mto poultry housing. Horst says he’s optimistic about the Fristamat system and com ments, “There’ll always be the Fords and Chevies of the ven tilation systems around we feel we’re offering the Cadiliai /' TPS MAGIC 717 P !w*3047 . FromOw ) ]i "17 V dullLa M ' | The Hardwood Lumber Manufacturers New Providence; Kenneth R. Taylor, Mt. Valley Association of Pennsylvania, Inc., held election- Farms & Lumber Products, Inc, Biglerville; of officers at its recent initial annual meeting in Wayde Cisney, Wayde Cisney Lumber Co., Williamsport. Shade Gap; Galen G. Weaber, Walter H. Seated, from the left, are Association Weaber Sons, Inc., Lebanon; and Winfield Chairman, - Leonard D. Kuhns, of Kuhns Hunsberger.Heacock Lumber, Plumsteadville. Brothers Lumber Co., Inc., Lewisburg; Vice The Association represents the lumber Chairman, Joe D. Heeter, Heeter Lumber Co., manufacturing industry of Pennsylvania, which Beavertown; Secretary Treasurer, Charles B. has an average annual production ~of 510 Zeager, Zeager Brothers, Inc., Middletown; million board feet of hardwood, second only to and Directory, Roy W. Cummings Jr., Cum- Tennessee. The industry includes 550 mings Lumber Co., Inc., Troy. " sawmills, a payroll exceeding $3l million and a Directors, standing from the left, include value of lumber and wood products topping Clair J. Charles, C.J. Charles Lumber, Inc., $164 million. HARRISBURG - International by increasing .the number of Harvester’s Agricultural personnel in4B districts throughout Equipment Group is completing a North America, Bower said. The restructuring of its North o£fices a™ staffed with some American marketing organization people already in district that includes the opening of a assignments, plus others formerly district office in Harrisburg. ' assigned to seven larger regional H.E. Bower, Maifager-District operations. The new district teams Operations, will be in charge of the assist dealers in business local office covering Central and management,"marketing, training, Eastern Pennsylvania and New and parts and service support. Jersey. Bower said the district offices The restructuring involves three ‘ ‘provide decision making primary changes to provide im- responsibilities at the local level, proved support to more than 2,000 which, in turn, strengthens our U.S. and Canadian dealers and ’: -4‘ rect support to our dealers and their customers while 'their easterners, sales management and.planning He said the company is con and distribution operations. ducting extensive training m strengthened its field support programs for all district personnel also is capable of advising ;rs of the status of all orders le with the company.” 'wer said the_ CDO thus speeds iments of EH farm equipment to irs and thier customers. He the new facility has helped irs locate more than $l3O ion of equipment to fill retail irs since it became fully ‘ational in November through | /May. •Our entire reorganization is Ray Hoover, warehouse manager at Confinement Ven- part of a continuing effort to be the tilation, Inc., assembles a Fristamat damper section at the most customer responsive corn company’s Myerstown headquarters. ‘ pany in the agricultural equipment industry”, he said. Hardwood lumber elections IH opening district office in Harrisburg so that they can further assist dealers in every area of their business. As part of the restructuring, the Group is centralizing _ its sales management and ' planning organization. Approximately 150 employees will staff a new General Sales Office, using leased space near O’Hare Airport, Chicago. Some employees to be located there come from similar positions in the seven regional offices, which are being consolidated into a single location. The third element of the reorganization involved the opening of a Central Distribution < Office (CDO) in Kansas City, Kansas, last September. By consolidating regional distribution functions in one facility, the CDO ' efficiently processes dealers' •meht orders and shipments, ./ding to Bower. The CDO is equipped with an ne - computer system and meed communications iment that locate machines implements from dealer and ipany inventories throughout v ,h America to Jill a retail order a machine a dealer doesn't in his'own inventory,” Bower
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