ASS—Lancaster Faming, Saturday, February 27,1982
Berks Co. Crops Day sharpens farmers* management skills
BY LAUREL SCHAEFFER
Staff Correspondent
LEESPOET Berks County
fanners had the opportunity to
update and sharpen their
management skills for alfalfa and
corn production as three Penn
State Extension agronomists
presented discussions during the
annual Crops Days held at the
Berks County Agricultural Center,
here.
Joe McGahen, Extension
STATE COLLEGE - The first
report cards have gone out from
the Pennsylvania Department of
Agriculture’s Meat Animal
Evaluation Center grading the
progress of those sheep entered in
the 1982 Yearling Ram Test.
Two Dorset rams from single
births are tied for first and second
place in their division with indexes
of .33. This index represents the
Pa. delegates attend NFU convention
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Penn
sylvania will be represented at this
weekend’s National Farmers
Union Convention in Washington,
D.C., which continues through
March 2 by Miriam Blankley of
Hancock, Fulton County;, Samuel
Reed of Avis, Clinton County;
William Sturges of Wellsboro,
Tioga County; and James Brown,
PFU president of Jamestown,
Mercer County.
Farmers intend to plant
more small grains
HARRISBURG Pennsylvania
farmers intend to plant more acres
of oats, barley, soybeans and hay
but fewer acres of corn and
tobacco in the upcoming season,
according to the Pennsylvania
Crop Reporting Service.
Farmers plan to sow 1,850,000
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agronomist, emphasized the im
portance of management decisions
in producing higher crop yields
and stressed the need for the
current and timely cultural inputs
to consistently attain higher
yields.
Farmers must do their
homework and have the proper
inputs in order for their crops to
produce higher yields, he related.
The Penn State agronomist also
Report cards go out on tested rams
rams’ starting weights divided by
their day of age. Both rams are
sired by Carolair D-66 and were
lambed in November 1960. They
belong to Carolair Farm and Brian
Zerby.
A ram from a set of twins is
leading the multiple birth entries
in the Dorset breed. Earn No. 53, a
Penn State entry lambed January
1981, began the test at 170 pounds
The National Farmers Union
meets annually to set policy to
guide the grassroots family farm
organization throughout the
coming year. Delegates to the
National Farmers Union con
vention are elected by delegates to
state Farmers Union conventions.
National Farmers Union
President George W. Stone, an
outspoken supporter ot family
farming, will give his annual
acres of corn, down one percent
from last year; 400,000 acres of
oats, down seven percent; 100,000
acres of barley, up It percent;
110,000 acres of soybeans, up five
percent; 2,000,000 acres of hay, up
three percent; and 13,500 acres of
tobacco, down one percent.
reminded the farmers that there
has been an increase of 130 percent
in costs per acre- for corn
production from 1970 to 1981. This
information was taken from the
records of 109 corn club members’
records. The price received for the
corn was up only 84 percent during
the same time period, he stated.
McGahen also estimated the
costs per bushel of harvested corn
for these corn club members
swaged SI.SS - ' * mi*
with an index ot .47. This ram is
sired by Morehead 302, who is the
sire of the third and fourth-place
rams on test in the Dorset breed,
too.
A mixture of singles and twins
make up the Hampshire junior
rams on test at the Evaluation
Center. Leading the pack of 11
rams is a February 1981 ram
owned by David Lytle. This twin
report tomorrow evening. Slone
warned that the tarm bill recently
passed by Congress and signed by
the President is so weak that it has
already begun to put tarmefs out
of business. ■■That’s why we've
chosen the theme •Family Far
mers tor the Future’—we’re
beginning to wonder it there’ll be
any,” Stone said.
After adopting policy today and
tomorrow, the 1,500 delegates and
members expected to attend the
convention will exchange views
with Congressional leaders.
Monday’s speakers will include
U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum
(Kan.;, U.S. Hep. Ed Jonesv
(Term.), U.S. Hep. David Obey
(Wis.), and U.S. Sen. Mark An
drews (N. Dak.),
Tuesday’s speakers include U.S.
Sen. Howard M. Metzenbaum
(Ohioj, U.S. Kep. James M. Jef
fords vVt.j, National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association
Executive Vice President Robert
D. Partridge, AFL-CIO Vice
President Joyce Miller, and
humorist Jerry Clower.
and labor. He warned the area
farmers that fixed costs such as
tractors, equipment and land
averaged between $65-870 per acre,
if the com was planted or not.
The agronomist urged the area
farmers to do a good job of plan
ting, attaining the proper seed
depth and distribution. He em
phasized that the seed should be
planted uniformly in the row, not in
small bunches and spaces.
ram is sired by Mathews Heat
Wave Tr and began the test at 215
pounds for a score of .62.
The top two Shropshire rams on
test belong to Warn Menhennett
and are sired by two homebred
rams. The top indexing ram, a
March 1981 single, is sired by
Menhennett 478. This ram began
the test at 2U4 pounds for an index
of .63. A February 1981 twin /am by
Menhennett 617 started the test at
a lower weight of 183 pounds tor a
.52 index.
Amanda Silverstem is leading
the Southdown ram lest with a
March 1901 ram sired by Tempel
70-42. This twin weighed 107 pounds
at check-m for a .32 index. There is
only one other Southdown ram on
lest this year.
The largest class on the ram test
program is that of the Suffolk
rams, with 20 twins ancj singles
participating. At the head is Kam
No. 23 owned by Elton Acton. This
twin ram, lambed February 1901,
is sired by Breezeview 163. With a
starting weight of 254 pounds, the
ram turned in the top index of .73.
Another Acton entry and
Breezeview 163 son has a second
place ranking of .66. This February
1901 twin is tied with a George Bros
503 son entered.by Mrs. Paul Kelly,
a,March 1901 twin who also in
dexed out at .66.
According to Robert Kimble,
manager of the Evaluation Center,
there will be a wide range of
performance early in in the test
due to a variety of conditions. And
the test’s outcome by the June 5
sale, scheduled for 2 p.m. at the
Allen town Fairgrounds, may be
entirely different than the initial
lineup.
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We want to thank the over 200 peQple who attended our
Dinner Meetings in February. Also, a special thanks to all who
attended our many Open Houses and to our Hosts! Your opin
ions, thoughts, ideas, and comments are always welcome.
Joel A. Meyer, Sales Manager*
NOTE: Open Houses scheduled for March 11
and March 18 are cancelled.
Randy Bowen
Tom Gooch
Larry Morrow
Mike Wasylkewicz .
McGahen also cautioned that uxf
high plant populations can result in
barren plants, noting some
varieties of corn are better suited
fur high poulations than others.
Starter fertilizers, the farmers
were told, also increases per acre
yields-an average of 9-10 bushels
per acre. Yield responses to
starter fertilizers were especially
evident when com was planted
early and temperatures ranged
below 60 degrees Fahrenheit;
when soil was of low fertility,
especially in phosphorus; and
when the soil was below 6.5 pH.
McGahen explained the starter
fertilizer was part of a planting
program and not additional fer
tilizer. He noted that corn grown
with starter fertilizer was 2 Or 3
points dryer at harvest because the
maturity of the com was speeded
up with the application of starter.
The agronomist also noted that
starter, without urea should be
used, especially if applying high
amounts, because “urea can thin
out a crop of corn m a hurry.”
in order of importance apd in
fluence on yields McGahen
plant populations as the moil
important in association with crop
yields, number two in importance
was weed control while third on
McGahen’s list was planting dates.
He also showed that higher
yields were attained with higher
populations and higher amounts of
nitrogen.
Also addressing the audience ot
farmers was Clark Hess, a com
modity account executive with
Merrill Lynch. Hess briefly ex
plained hedging and the futures
market and noted that price trends
have been running fairly even.
He stated that hedging corn is for
producers who are net sellers of
10,000 or more bushels. He also
advised against joining in wit'm
fellow producers to attain thl^
quantity. “You have enough
partners m your lite already,” he
warned.
The commodity executive ex
plained how brokerage- houses
keep an active watch on world
trends and usually have a
meterologist tracking world
weather. He noted that the subsoil
moisture in the Midwest was good
at the time and didn’t expect a
government embargo.
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