Erosion hurts How much is soil erosion hurting America’s farm productivity? The signs are everywhere that soil erosion is taking a heavy toll and predictions abound that someday we will reach a time when our weakened acres will no longer feed our people. So far a lot of-ihe about soil losses are w strictly guesses. At best they’re estimates. But now the Depart ment of Agriculture is putting the computer to work, hoping to find some answers about soil erosion. The Agriculture Department experts figure well over five million tons of topsoil are eroded each year. And much of that comes from farms. Enough soil washes down the Mississippi River each year, they say, to build an island a mile long, a quarter mile wide and 200 feet high. These are astonishing figures, but what do they really mean in terms of our total food production .system? That’s where the computer gets involved. A new computerized analysis created by a team 'of Department Brand New a 1400 cpnipc 440 - Air-Cooled, Gasoline 443 - Liquid-Cooled, Diesel Compact & Powerful, 600 lb. Operating Capacity Featuring Fine-Tuned Engineering Better Serviceability: Tip-up operator cab for easier accessibility to hydrostatic compon ents. Improved hose routing for quicker service and longer life. Greater Safety: Seat bar for operator safety, convenience and comfort. Rugged operator cab. Increased Durability; Tail gate with 10-gauge steel door. Heavier, smoother Bob-Tach system. Improved Performance: 6.5 gallon fuel tank with gauge for full day operation. 0 PRICE — CIRRK ‘’bobcat’ DEALERS: Farm Talk Jerry Webb Delaware Extension of Agriculture scientists is working to put fragmented pieces of a puzzle' together so they can forecast how soil erosion may affect the land’s ability to grow food and fiber in the years ahead — maybe even centuries in the future. The project is called “EPIC.” That stands for Erosion- Productivity Impact Calculator. When it’s all done, EPIC will bring together that researchers know about hydrology, erosion and sedimentation, livestock grazing, nutrient cycling, crop growth, tillage, soil properties, climate, pesticides, ' insects, diseases, economics, and any other in formation. Once all that is fed into a computer it may be a lot easier to make meaningful guesses. Nearing pay off After years of painstaking data gathering, the EPIC team thinks the work may be about ready to pay off. “Once EPIC establishes the relationship between erosion and productivity, we will be better able to put a dollar value on the loss of U.S. soil,” according to terry B. Kenny, Jr., administrator 10.9% Annual Percentage Rate to*. Instrument Panel Voltmeter, Hourmeter. ? Engine Temperature Gauge, (? 829 ,Dr Getting r- Throat nw Doorways Smooth H and Hydrauli Grab) for Easy Operati for Operator Safety and for Operator Lift Arm Stops Availal Auxihai Bob-Tach Attachment Cl Various Attachments Available GOO Lb Rated Cal 1.5 Inch Dj (or Pushing ai Carlisle, PA PETERMAN FARM EQUIPMENT 717-249-5338 Chambersburg, PA CLU6STON IMPLEMENTING. 717-263-4103 Tunkhannock. PA BARTRON FARM SUPPLY r .. ... p . Martinsburg, PA Myerstown, PA 717-836-3740 -■gsr ■ssgg? “T, 1 ,"”* 1 2A&-4W-14W 717-564-3031 of USDA’s Agricultural Research ■ Service. He-says, “We also will be ; able to select management strategies to maximize long-term crop production.” EPIC will provide information on the current status of soil and water resources in this country. That’s part of the requirement by the Soil and Water Conservation 1 Act of 1977. Beyond that, the effort should help in the department’s effort to determine why soil productivity'has leveled off in recent years. Alarming data Data generated by the EPIC project could be quite alarming, because no doubt the amount of soil erosion in this country is staggering. It’s gone on for cen turies and it’s generally felt in agricultural circles that not nearly enough is being done to stop it. And that’s frightening when you really think about it. After all, only a few inches of topsoil separate all of us from our bountiful food supply and total starvation. And already the EPIC researchers are saying that in some areas where erosion rates are high and subsoils poor, crop yields have been reduced by as much as 40 percent in only 50 years. Combine that with the projection of a U.S. population well tampa ctp» t over 300 million in another 50 help farmers years, and you start to realize the fatteiung magnitude of the soilless problem. SfJESi Sj It’s not just dirty streams and leaflet entitled pesticide runoff. It’s a lot more than environmental issue made t 8 ? 0 ' popular Ky the current nature c®ssful Fanning. The leaflet also movement. There is no question ft that without good soil, crop~£S“JS e ““** to production suffers. Granted fertilizers have eased the’ the £' giste , re44" Machine Width HIGHWAY EQUIPMENT & SUPPLY CO. 717-788-1127 Honey Grove, PA NORMAN D. CLARK , & SON INC. 1 717-734-3682 tinue? Technology has not really reached the point where our food supply can be grown in test tubes. Productive soil is still the basis for productive agriculture. Affects yield Looking closer at the problem, there is usually a relationship between erosion control, soil building efforts, and improved crop yields. Those farmers who are on top of erosion problems in general seem to be the ones who grow soil-enriching cover crops, and add humus-building manure. They worry about the soil’s feel, its ability to hold water, and its natural crop-producing charac teristics. On the other hand, those farmers with little concern about erosion and soil building techniques are often plaqued with seemingly unavoidable problems that result in low yields and un profitable fanning. Historically, fanners in some parts of the country wore out farms through bad cultural practices and simply abandoned Bobcat... Ahead of its time... Gra^b^sh 00 " 1 to keep you ahead of yoru work! Operating Lights Available Pins for Long Life and Durability Drums, PA Mill Hall, PA DUNKLE & 6RIEB 717-726-3115 Palm, PA WENTZ FARM SUPPLIES INC. 215-679-7164 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 23,1983-09 Hog hedging leaflet offered Isolated Hydraulic Reservoir Keeps Oil Clean Somerset, Pa. BENDER IMPL. INC. 814-443-4611 Slatington, PA SCAT ENTERPRISES INC. 215-767-1711 them to move on to virgin ground. During a time when land was cheap and plentiful, an uncaring and uninformed farmer could wear out several farms in a lifetime. Of course, that changed with the end of homesteading and other cheap land policies. Farmers went back and reclaimed those worn out places. Many were improved and built up to become productive units once again. But now,there’s an increasing national concern that modem farming techniques and an economic squeeze that is ranging farmers to take all they can and put back as little as possible is getting them into trouble again. Maybe the EPIC project will show graphically and unquestionably that we are losing our topsoil- at an unacceptable rate. And just maybe that will be the beginning of a national effort, with a high level of public concern and government funding to help financially strapped farmers save and rebuild the land before it’s too late. In addition, a graph shows when they placed their commodities hedge and the profit margin locked in. Trade Tech’s president, David K. Sander, believes farmers need to use the commodities hedge as a necessary tool in these times of excessive price fluctuations. To obtain this free leaflet, far mers may call (717) 898-0139. Or they may write to Trade Tech Management, Inc., 1020 Stony Battery Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. Durable Pin-Type Hinges for Longer Life idiator Protection .. Arrestor Muffler (or Preventing Fires Gauge wlDoor Good Engine Protection Quanyville, PA GRUMELLi’S FARMSERV. 717-786-7318 Rising Sun. Md. AG-INDUSTRIAL 301-658-5568