I
Pork Producer seminar
LANCASTER - The
"Progressive Pork Producers
Seminar, sponsored by the Penn
sylvania Pork Producers Council
In cooperation with Penn State
Extension Service, will be held
Thursday at the Lancaster Farm
and Home Center.
Developing an Economical Herd
Health Program will be the theme
of this year’s seminar. The session
will include Tom Stein, O.V.M. of
the University of Minnesota,
discussing “Strategies for
Developing Herd Health
Programs” and “Evaluating Herd
Health Programs.” John P.
Hurtgen, D.V.M., PhD., of New
Freedom, will present information
about “Reproductive Problems -
Approach to Swine Herd
Problems” to participants. Robert
Graybill, 0.V.M., Lancaster, will
By JERRY PERKINS
Register Agribusiness Writer
Corn, which is being stored on lowa farms in record quantities, is
sprouting and molding in bins across the state, lowa State Ex
tension officials say.
In his 25 years with the extension service, Larry Van Fossen says
he has never had as many calls in January about grain going bad as
he has had thismonth.
“The contacts I’m getting this January (about bad grain) I
usually don’t have until April,” Van Fossen said. “In 25 years I’ve
never had the complaints from the field or reports from county
extension offices that I’ve had this year. ”
Sorrel Brown, crop production specialist for the Des Moines area
extension office, said she’s had reports that com has sprouted in
some centra] lowa bins. Grain at that stage is lost, she said.
Three-quarters of the 1.9 billion bushels of com (Hi hand in lowa is
stored on farms, according to the latest figures from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. Cora stored under the government’s
reserve and loan programs account for 556 million bushels of that.
Since the government plans to give most of that com to farmers
who idle corn ground next year under the payment-in-kind
program, the condition of com in the bin is more crucial than ever.
To be acceptable to the government for crop swap, com must be in
good condition.
Van Fossen and Brown said this year’s problems with stored
grain are occurring because wet weather in the spring delayed
planting and many farmers were forced to harvest corn with a
higher moisture content than usual.
In western lowa, some farmers reported harvesting corn with
moisture contents of 32 to 36 percent, compared with the usual 22 to
24 percent. Adding to the problem were record propane prices last
fall, which might have influenced some farmers to skimp on drying
their com or to use low-temperature, natural-air drying.
Brown and Van Fossen say low-temperature drying works, but
only if the com is drier than 22 percent. “Low-temperature drying
share his observations on
“Common Problems on Penn
sylvania Hog Farms” with those
attending. The subject of
“Diarrheal Diseases in Hogs” will
be covered by Bruce Beachnau,
D. V.M. from the Upjohn Company,
Kalamazoo, Michigan.
This program is designed for
swine producers and allied in
dustry personnel Pre-registration
is requested. The cost of this
program will be $2O per farm and
$3O per allied industry. This price
includes one lunch, but additional
lunches are available for $5 each if
more than one person per firm is
attending. Anyone who desires
more information on this program
or pre-registration forms should
contact their local County Agent or
Matt Parson, Penn State Ex
tension Swine Specialist at 814-863-
3671.
Stored corn goes bad in bins all across lowa
NEWARK, Del. - University of
Delaware students of soil
chemistry and fertility have an
unusual opportunity to work with
leading experts in the field this
semester. College of agricultural
Sciences faculty members Donald
Sparks and J. Thomas Sims have
invited six internationally
prominent soils experts to lecture
to their classes, discuss research
problems, and present formal
seminars to the university com
munity and public at large. The
visits are scheduled throughout the
spring semester.
Malcolm Sumner, professor of
soil fertility at the University of
Georgia, and Pa Ho Hsu, professor
of soil chemistry at Rutgers
University, will each spend a day
at Delaware under a grant from
is an excellent system if it’s managed properly,” Van Fossen
said. “But it’s a lousy system if the com is wetter than about 22
percent.”
Added Brown: “There’s no way low-temperature drying can
bring com down to (the 15 or 13 percent needed for one- and three
year storage, respectively) when it’s harvested at 32 to 36 percent.
We’re talking about leaving the fan on for six to eight weeks. Most
farmers think three to four weeks sounds like a long time.”
The only way to know if grain is keeping well is to climb into the
bin and check it, Brown and Van Fossen say. They recommend
checking grain every two weeks in the winter and weekly in warm
weather.
By feeling the surface of the grain, Brown says, farmers can
check for warmth or crusting conditions which indicate “hot
spots” are developing.
The temperature of the grain should be taken and recorded.
Every time there is a four- or five-degree temperature rise, the
grain should be checked again in three or four days. If the tem
perature has climbed that much again, the fan should be run,
Brown said.
Whenever the fan is turned on, the air coming out of the bin should
be checked for musty or moldy odors. Brown and Van Fossen say.
If the air smells moldy or musty, the grain should be aerated more.
If the grain smells sour, it is too late. The grain is spoiled, and
should be moved out, according to Brown.
Moving the grain might be a big job, Van Fossen said, “But
farmers have to realize it’s better to move the com, or even sell it
at this lousy price, than to let it spoil and lose more.”
Said Brown: “If they have a 3,000-bushel bin full of com, that
adds up to over $6,000 worth of com. I tell them to imagine that
they’ve got that bin full of 10- and 20-dollar bills totaling $6,000.
Then I ask them how often they would check the bin if they had that
money in there. Everybody says they’d be out there every day.”
Spoiled Grain
is Not Necessary
Many farmers are using a Shivvers Dryer
ahead of a natural air or low temperature
dryer. This reduces the drying time to days
instead of weeks. It dries the grain to a safe
level before it goes out of condition. Reports
published by Michigan State University show
that a Shivvers in-bin counter-flow system
provides a lower cost per bushel to dry than
either the natural air or the low temperature
system used alone. The dryings equipment
built by Shivvers fits in your existing bin and
maximizes the use of the equipment you now
own.
For a reprint of the Michigan report or for
more information on the Shiwers System,
come see for /ourself or,
AGRI'
COMPLETE SYSTEMS. EQUIPMENT. SALES,
INSTALLATION, SERVICE FOR CATTLE.
HOG. POULTRY AND GRAIN.
2754 Creek Hill Rd„ Leola, PA 17540
PHONE: 717-656-4151
SERVING PA, N.J. AND N.Y.
experts to visit U. of Del.
Soils
the university’s .Center for
Teaching Effectiveness. Sumner, a
native of south Africa, has
researched the problems of acid
soil infertility and has been an
agricultural consultant to Israel,
New Zealand, and Tunisia. Hsu, a
native of Taiwan, has worked to.
Improve crop production in
tropical areas where soil content is
high in aluminum and iron.
The other four guest lecturers,
whose visits are sponsored by the
university’s Title XII office, are
A.W. Taylor, chief of Soil
Nitrogen and Environmental
Chemistry Laboratory at the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s
Beltsville Agricultural Research
Center; E.J. Kamprath,
distinguished professor of soil
fertility and chemistry at North
EQUIPMENT,me.
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 19,1983—A39
Pd. Adv.
STORE HOURS:
Mon.-Fri.
7:30 to 4:30
Sat 7:30 to 11:30
Carolina State University; R.E.
Simonson, of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s soil survey staff;
and P.M. Huang, professor of soil
chemistry at the University of
Saskatchewan.
All of the visiting experts will
discuss the nature and extent of
agricultural problems worldwide,
and will direct students toward
areas of research that will
facilitate solutions.
for further information on the
colloquim contact Sims or Sparks
at 738-2531.
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(717)398-1391
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