A3£-Lancastar Farming, Saturday, Fabruary 23,1985 ITHACA, NY - Naming new crop varieties created through years of research and testing poses a challenge to scientists. Coining up with names that farmers can easily remember isn’t always a cinch. Cornell University plant breeder Mark E. Sorrells found himself in a similar predicament last year when he announced a winter barley, a product of 18 years of work by Sorrells and Neal F. Jensen, who initiated the project in 1986. When Jensen, the creator of many small grain varieties for the farmers in the Northeast, retired from Cornell seven years ago, Sorrells took over the work and put the finishing touches to it. Sorrells is an associate professor of plant breeding in the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell. As a result, Sorrells had the honor of naming the new barley, a highly productive variety with strong resistance to destructive powdery mildew disease. The barley was known to the Cornell scientists only by its code: MS22FiS6I. Hard put to come up with a catchy, yet dignified name for the barley, Sorrells decided to ask for help from farmers. The occasion was a field day staged at Cornell last summer for members of the seed industry in the Northeast. He handed out cards to the par ticipants to suggest a name. Meanwhile, he made a similar appeal through the news media. Response was almost in stantaneous. All told, more than 70 suggestions came in from farmers throughout the Northeast. Some even came from Canada. The suggested names ranged from those honoring the two Cornell scientists involved in the work to poetic descriptions to exotic gods and goddesses. Some of the names proposed in tribute to the scientists and Cornell were JS (after Jensen and Sorrells), Nealjen, Neal, Jensen, Jensor, Jensorl, Cornell One, Bamell (a contraction of Cornell and barley), and Corbamel. Some farmers wanted to name the barley after other people such as Sherman, Morgan, Xavier, Fred, Maccabee, Spry, Judy, Caldwell, and Everiy. Since this new barley is planted in the fall, it is winter hardy. Hence, names like Blizzard, Burley, Hardibar, Frosty, Brutus, Winbar (a contraction of winter and barley) were suggested. Geographic locations were cited as possibilities, too; Monroe, Tully, Caledonia, Cambria, Seneca, Ovid, Frontenac, Oneida, Lockport, Cayuga, Romulus, and Keuka. One person came up with Novia, a shortening of Cazenovia. Another person proposed Sherpa, a hamlet previously inhabited by a small tribe in the soaring Himalaya mountains in South Asia. Other proposals included Daga (a Babylonian god symbolizing earth), Vishnu (a Hindu god representing supreme), Ceres (the goddess of grain), and Hercules (a mythical Greek hero fabled for his great strength). Because the United States hosted the 1984 Olympics, names such as Olym pus, Olympiad, and Olympian were proposed. Still other suggestions were romantic, poetic, descriptive, or catchy: Dawn, Splendor, Success, Advance, Bumper, Tempo, Bountiful, Encore, Topper, and Limitup. Some others were imaginative as well as hilarious: Buster (bin buster), Bottomsup, Bgood, and Beerbelly. One farmer came up with “Murder” because he saw the barley growing in a muddy field during the Cornell field day. Another fanner offered New crop varieties: What’s in a name? German word “Wunderbar” meaning wonderful. The list included some puzzlers, too, such as Bi, Modular, Locust, and Lotto. One of the suggested names that caught Sorrells’ attention was Willis. After months of deliberation and consultation with the members of the College’s seed committee, Sorrells decided to christen his barley in honor of the late George Willis, who was a technician for small grain projects USDA Plans Back-to-Basics Approach to Management WASHINGTON - A back-to basics management plan to deliver U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and services more ef ficiently was announced by Secretary John R. Block. “Just as we need to reshape the programs and services USDA delivers, we must also reevaluate the support system that delivers those programs, some of which are 30 years old or more. We do not intend to reduce services, only to set standards for delivering them in the most efficient and business like manner possible,” Block said. The plan addresses five prin cipal management areas for the 109,000-person department. It includes innovations in: -Dollar Management; managing cash, debt, travel and cross-servicing with other agen cies: -Information Management: enhancing computer com patibility, oversight, com munications ar)d acquisition; -Structure Management: streamlining management structure and systems, and at Cornell from 1943 to 1971. Willis died several years ago. Scientists usually follow certain guidelines in naming new varieties, according to Sorrells. For one thing, living persons are honored only under rare cir cumstances; those deceased are considered first. “Willis is an appropriate name, because it honors a Cornell technician who had dedicated his life to our breeding programs,” S«rrA|l« rAmorlro cooperative processing; -People Management; im proving work environment, position management, employee participation and training; and -Managing Management: encouraging shifts to the private sector, innovation and management practices and Results of 1984 Delaware corn hybrid and soybean variety field trials are now available. According to University of Delaware extension agricultural agent Derby Walker, the com hybrid results are contained in a 17-page report which should be of value to dealers and fanners “who are interested in more details than just yields.” This report contains information on diseases, early stand vigor, stalk lodging, stay green, ear height, percent ear drop and percent bearing stalks. Sovbean variety trial results are Here's What You Get For Less Than 15* A Week! -JeSgggjjS' i HUH ', \\^SiSw^ ARTICLES OF INTEREST on the latest trends in farming and feature stories about your farming friends and neighbors! A WHOLE SECTION OF HOME NEWS and features, recipes and columns written just for our readers! REPORTS ON OUR YOUTH...photos and articles about the next generation of farmers...our farming youth! Our total farm coverage also gives you NEWS (including Dairy & DHIA Reports)... FEATURES.. BEST BUYS ON PRODUCTS & EQUIPMENT..FREE MAILBOX MARKET...and much, much more! Ijmeaster Delaware corn, soybean results in farming In Sorrells’ view, names of crop varieties should project the image of quality research work involved in plant breeding, should not in fringe upon existing trade marks, should be one word, must not contain numbers, and, above all, should not be profane or discriminatory. “In addition, names must be easily recognized by farmers,” Sorrells notes. “They also should carry significance to New York State or Cornell.” reviews. Block said workplans for each principal area are in the final stages of development. “We are meeting with our agency managers to gain their com mitment and resources to follow through,” he said. “We have asked agencies to contained in a separate 17-page report which shows, says Walker, that last year was very difficult for Group Five varieties. Earlier varieties received enough rainfall to produce a respectable crop, whereas drought adversely af fected late maturing beans. This is the reverse of 1963, when late soybean plantings outyielded early beans because of the long fall. “When you’re selecting bean varieties,” advises Walker, “look at the history of that particular bean over time and compare its performance during years of drought if you plant only At LANCASTER FARMING, we think we do a good job of keeping you in formed... and we have over 40,000 paid subscribers who think so too! After weighing these and othei factors, Cornell’s Sorrells recent); named his winter barley “Willis’’, He says this projects a good image of Cornell. Willis the barley is ready for commercial use starting this fall. Meanwhile, Sorrells send] thanks to all the farmers who used their creativity and imagination in coming up with all the names. “I had a lot of fun going over the suggested names,” Sorrells notes. develop initial strategies by May to implement the plan,” said Block. “Certain management areas will be targeted, as will certain agencies. We want to work with our agencies in areas where there is the greatest playoff in efficiency and in return on taxpayer dollars." soybeans, be sure to select varieties that mature at different times, or plant them at different times to avoid feast or famine conditions. If all your beans are flowering or maturing at the same time and you don’t get rain, then it’ll be famine. To spread out your risk, plant several different maturing beans.” Copies of both the 1984 Delaware com hybrid and soybean variety test reports are available from county extension offices in Newark (451-2506), Dover (736-1448) and Georgetown (856-5250). feature 8 ' P.O. Box 366, Lititz, PA 17543 Phone 717-626-1164 or 394-3047
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