Think in terms of overall crop management ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Will reduced soybean stand quality next spring? resounding “No! ” tillage -or even none at all -on Experienced growers and But before you jump on - your com ground this fall limit researchers answer with a your tractor to change commitment HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania farmers are increasing their commitment to soil conservation in spite of a tight agricultural economy, reports James Olson, State Conservationist for the USDA, Soil Con servation Service (SCS). Olson added that new ways of reducing soil erosion have been developed in this decade and are proving popular with farmers. He predicted an increase in land protected against erosion in the present decade. SCS reports show that adoption of con servation tillage by farmers has more than tripled in the past three years from 18,000 new acres in 1981 to 57,000 new acres this year. Annually, over one-half million acres of Penn sylvania cropland are planted by no-till or other conservation tillage methods. Con servation tillage is the planting of a crop in the surface residue of the preceding crop and includes no-till farming and chisel plowing. It can decrease soil erosion by up to 80 percent with proper soil surface residue. “The effectiveness, time saving, and low cost of this practice are responsible for its popularity with far mers,” said Olson. Animal waste management systems are another new con servation effort. In 1978, SCS assisted 58 farmers in implementing waste management systems; m 1983, they assisted 318. Farmers, mainly in southeastern Penn sylvania, are accepting tile outlet storage terraces in increasing numbers. Over 164,000 feet were built in 1981. This year the footage increased to 350,000 feet. This practice permits fanning of all the land. The older system of waterways and diversions requires these practices to be kept in a grass cover. However, diversions remain a key structure in controlling hillside erosion in much of the State as documented by the 667,000 feet con structed last year. Structures for water control such as drop inlets increased from 177 in 1979 to 531 in 1983. This is a further in dicator of increasing farmer interests in soil and water conservation. Olson indicated that the “old reliable” soil conservation practices such as conservation cropping systems, contour stripcropping, Pa. conservation and diversions have remained constant in amounts established over the past decade. “This record is significant,” said Olson. “Farmers are in rough economic conditions but their investment in soil conservation is in creasing. This means a good future for Penn sylvania agriculture and better water quality in our streams and We Don't Claim To Be Anything But SPRAYER SPECIALISTS J* las #—^^llll. I SPRAYING DEVICES INC. 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PA 16412 814-734-3614 or off - tillage practices, be aware you’ll likely have to change other areas in your crop production program too, notes Tom Colvin, agricultural engineer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture at lowa State University (ISU). In an article in the November issue of Soybean Digest, a publication of the American Soybean Association, Colvin ad vises farmers to think in terms of overall crop management program, not just specific tillage practices. Key areas: planting, stand, weed control, fertilizer, cultivation, variety selection and pest control. To help soybean farmers sort through their options, several Midwest crop production specialists offer their comments. “I have yet to see that tillage clearly does something that is really all that necessary,” Amßro Featuring: Counter Rotation or Regular Rotation all by just a flip of the lever ■ 4 Rear Tine Models From 5 H.P. 18" to 8 H.P. 22" at up to $3OO less than the competition ■ Front tine models w/twice till tines up to $lOO less than the competition DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED A Few Prime Dealer Areas Available. Call Lawn Care Distributors 1 Mile North of Martindale On Grist Mill Rfd Mon , Thurs .Fn 8-8 lues Wed 8-5 30 Sat 8-2 "A little out of the Way But a lot less to Pay" 215-445-4542 declares Don Erbach, another USDA ag engineer at ISU, “except under certain conditions, such as poorly drained or highly com pacted soils. “Most of the time it seems tillage actually ends up being done to control weeds and to make the planter work better. And I’m not so sure the plant responds that much to tillage,” he adds. “Test after test shows that when weeds are controlled, soybeans respond excellently to no tillage at all.” Other specialists agree. “We can plant soybeans directly in 180- bushel com stubble and get a stand comparable to that in a moldboard plowed seedbed,” says Marvin Swearingin, Purdue University agronomist, “without any chop ping or tillage - so why do it?” Gyles Randall, University of Minnesota soil scientist, reports (Turn to Page F 5)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers