A2o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 29,1982
Growers probe economics
BY GINGER SECEIST MYERS
Staff Correspondent
BIGLERVILLE - No fruit crop
requires more intensive labor per
acre than strawberries, reported
Marshall Ritter, Penn State
pomologist and research
specialist.
“Research calculates the costs
(of strawberry production) to be
from 51,200 to $2,000 per acre,” he
noted. “But, with runner
placement, clipping the blossoms
on young plants, water, and
enough sunny days, you can expect
to get 12,000 to 18,000 quarts per
acre.”
The yield and the price per quart
are the ends that justify the means
of producing the scrumptious
shortcake-toppers. With prices
ranging from 60 cents to 70 cents a
quart for the pick-your-own
berries, to $1.25 to $1.50 a quart for
retail sales, producers reap the
fruits of their labor in a rewarding
way.
Analyzing the cold, cash facts on
strawberry production, Ritter
shared his views with growers
from Franklin, York and Adams
counties during the recent
Jttc jpt
Fruit Farm, examined a two-year-old patch. Soil acidity, cold
and herbicide damage were suggested as possible causes of
plant loss in this patch.
Marshall Ritter, Penn State pomologist, recommended planting the variety. Red Chief,
center, explained the planting and care of new s ' nce it produces fewer white and more
strawberry patches to growers. Ritter ..secondary berries.
grower’s meeting held here at
Sandhoe’s Fruit Farm.
While touring the Sandhoe
strawberry patches, Ritter made
several observations on planting
and production of the berry crop.
While growers questioned the
economics of paid labor for runner
placement and nipping the
blossoms of young plants, Ritter
stated, “The labor spent with
young berries, pulling blossoms
and setting runners, pays for itself
in increased production. ’ ’
Ritter pointed out that the first
plant runner has 60% the
production of the mother plant and
the second runner has only 15% the
production potential He recom
mended placing the runners six to
eight inches from the mother plant
in such a fashion as to form the
spokes of a wheel. He also
suggested fertilizing new patches
10-14 days aftt' planting with 20
pounds of actual nitrogen per acre.
Ritter strongly stressed the need
for growers to spend more time
determining the types of grasses
and weeds emerging in their
patches and their soil pH before
applying herbicides since proper
of strawberry production
Acres of blossoming strawberries await. Biglerville, Adams County. Some of the rows
inspection by growers from York, Franklin, and were damaged by what was determined to be a
Adams counties at a recent growers meeting combination of herbicides and cold weather,
held at the Ralph Sandhoe Fruit Farm,
identification and analysis are
crucial to proper herbicide
selection. He stated that the
herbicide should be incorporated
into the soil about one-half inch
deep by either irrigation or
mechanical means.
When questioned on variety
perference, Ritter stated, "At the
present time, I would recommend
the Red Chief. It has fewer white
heads and larger secondary
berries.” Stressing that a good
flowering stock will have 15 to 20
berry buds, he pointed out that Red
Chief produces 14 to 16 flowering
buds per flower stock.
Several growers questioned
possible burn damage to their
younger plants due to the ap
plication of the herbicide Smbar.
Ritter cautioned the growers to
sample their soils for acidity,
levels before selecting their her
bicide to avoid possible burning.
When applymg Smbar, Ritter
stressed application of the single
herbicide and not to mix it with
Devrmol.
Ritter, in response to questions
on patch renovations, likened the
process to “ending up by starting
all over again.” When renovating
the patch, he outlined first
checking for weeds and then
spraying the rows with 2, 4-D,
Formula 40. Ten to fourteen days
later the patch should be moved to
a height of two inches above the
tops of the crowns with a rotary or
clipper mower.
Then, according to Ritter, follow
with a soil test, apply nitrogen, and
cultivate between the rows Then
take a spring-tooth harrow right
over the tops of the rows, taking
out 85-90 percent of the plants.
Then use Devrmol or Smbar
Finally, Ritter recommended
applymg mulch one half in the
NAILE announces
Q.H. stakes deadlines
LOUISVILLE, Ky Deadlines
tor major competition brackets at
North American international
Livestock Exposition Quarter
Horse Stakes were announced by
Harold Workman, NAILE General
Manager. When making the an
nouncement, Workman noted that
Quarter Horse owners can save
money by planning early, since the
nomination fee for the classes is
arranged on an escalating basis
according to date
The Stakes Events are as
follows Barrel Race Maturity
(foals of 1979) - $5OO added; Barrel
Race Sweepstakes (any age) -
$l,OOO added; Reining Horse
Futurity (foals of 1979) - $l,OOO
added; Amateur Reining Horse
Futurity (foals of 1979) - $5OO ad
ded; Amateur Western Pleasure
Classic (any age) - $5OO added;
Western Pleasure Futurity (foals
of 1980) - $lOOO added. Western
Pleasure Maturity (foals of 1979) -
$5OO added; Bridle Path Hack
(Hunt Seat) Classic (foals of 1979&
1980) - $5OO added; Dally Team
Roping Classic (any age) - $5OO
added; and Calf Roping Classic
(any age) -$lOO added.
Nominating fees and deadlines
tor all categories are as follows:
$lOO - if nominated before’ August
1; $l5O - it nominated after August
last week in July and the other half
after the first good frost.
To obtain maximum berry
production, Ritter concluded, “In
strawberry production some of the
best things you can do are done two
years ahead of your crop.
•‘Start with getting some good
organic matter worked into your
fields... Thee is an increased labor
cost in setting the runners, nipping
the blossoms from new plants, and
the proper use of herbicides, but
consider the return on a couple of
thousand extra quarts per acre.
What you put into your berries is
what you’ll get out of them.”
1, until September 1; $2OO - if
nominated after September I, until
October 31, and $4OO -it nominated
after October 31, until November
12.
Officials of the NAILE Quarter
Horse Show expect entries to be up
in 1982. The show ranks 16th
nationally and is rated as a
National Class A event All
Quarter Horse events will again be
held at the Kentucky Fair and
Exposition Center.
Nominating fees tor the Stakes
Events should be mailed to the
North American International
Livestock Exposition, P.O. Box
36367, Louisville, KY 4U233.
Workman said that detailed
conditions pertaining to Stakes
participants will be mailed when
nominating fees are received.
Special requests for information
will also be honored.
The North American In
ternational Livestock Exposition,
the world’s largest all-breed
livestock show, will be November
6-19 in Louisville, at the Kentucky
Fair and Exposition Center. The
NAILE is sponsored by the Ken
tucky Department of Agriculture,
Commonwealth of Kentucky, and
total NAILE premiums will exceed
$300,000.