A2S-Uncast*r Farming, Saturday, March 9,1985
Receiving one of 10 Merit Certificates at the AFGC’s
banquet and award ceremony was Richard C. Hann (left) of
Milton Hershey School Farm.
PFGC Conference
(Continued from Page Al)
Also receiving the Merit Cer
tificate was Pennsylvania native, '
Dr. Lester R. Vough, of the
University of Maryland’s
Agronomy Department. After
growing up on a Somerset County
dairy farm, Dr. Vough graduated
from Penn State’s Agronomy
Department in 1966, and went on to
attend the University of Minnesota
and Purdue University to complete
his graduate studies. Following
work at Oregon State University,
he joined the University of
Maryland faculty in 1978 and was
instrumental in the formation of
the Maryland-Delaware Forage
Council in 1983.
The AFGC’s highest honor, the
Medallion Award, went to Dr.
Arland Pauli of Deere & Co.,
Moline, 111. A distinguished con
tributor in the fields of research,
agronomic service and ad
ministration, Dr. Pauli played a
major role in the development of
the Max-Emerge planter, North
America’s leading row crop
planter. Dr. Pauli is recognized
worldwide for his agronomic ex
pertise.
During award ceremonies at
Monday evening’s Pa. Forage and
Grassland Council banquet, seven
past winners of the state alfalfa
growing program received the
Council’s Outstanding Grassland
Award for consistency in top
quality forage production.
“These are farmers who, year-in
and year-out, show us what an
outstanding job can be done with
forage crops,” said PFGC past
president John Rodgers. This
year’s winners were:
•J. Allen Baker, Bedford County,
winner of the alfalfa program for
1982 and ‘B4, posting 10-ton yields
for both years.
•Donald and Harold Bollinger,
Lebanon County, who placed in the
top three for two out of the past
three years.
•Herman Espy, Huntingdon
County, a 1981 winner with an over
-10-ton yield.
•Donald Hoffer, Lebanon
County, the 1983 Lebanon County
alfalfa champion with a yield
exceeding nine tons.
•Howard Mellott, Franklin
County, the alfalfa program’s first
champion, when the program was
established in 1976.
•Milton Hershey School Farms,
Dauphin County, represented by
director Richard C. Hann, who
presented to (left) Larry Hepner, director of Del. Valley
College Farm; Alfred Dugan, director of research, Milton
Hershey School Farm; Neil Carstensen, director of Mer
cersburg Academy Farm; and Lynn Hoffman, superintendent
of Penn State’s Agronomy Research Farm.
AFGC leader foresees greener pastures
BY JACK HUBLEY
Forage crops are coming of
age. That was the message
conveyed by the American
Forage and Grassland Coun
cil’s president-elect, Walter F.
Wedin, during an interview with
“Lancaster Farming” at the
joint PFGC-AFGC Conference
held at the Hershey Convention
Center earlier this week.
»The lowa State University
agronomy professor took the
reins from outgoing president
Robert J. Buker during the
closing AFGC luncheon on
Wednesday.
A 25-year veteran of the
AFGC, Wedin feels that forage
crops have traditionally ranked
among the nation’s most un
derdeveloped agricultural
resources. But a number of
trends in today’s agriculture
economy are bringing forages
to the forefront, says Wedin.
“Agriculture is going through
quite a bit of change in the mid
‘Bo’s, and one of these changes
is a shift in cropping patterns,”
notes Wedin. “For some time
we had an increase in the row
crop acreages that led to a
shunting out of the alfalfas and
perennial sod crops. What I see
now is a shift back to looking at
these crops.”
One factor responsible for an
increase in forage crop
utilization is a change in
ruminant livestock feeding
patterns, says the agronomist.
The PFGC’s Outstanding Grassland Farmers are (left) J. Allen Baker; Donald L.
Bollinger, (representing himself and father Harold Bollinger); Howard J. Mellott; Richard
Hann (representing Milton Hershey School Farm); and Donald Hoffer
placed among the program’s top Installed as utetime Members
three producers for twoyears. were Newton j Lebanon
For outstanding contnbutions in Count Extension a ’ Kenneth
he field of farm management, G B eachley, president of
our Farm Management Cer- B eachley-Hardy; John Z. Shearer,
tificates were awarded The Franklin County agent; and Jota
recipients were Neil Carstensen, Bay j or
director of the Mercersburg Reiving Honorary Member
Academy Farm; Alfred S Dugan, Awards 6 in reC ognition of
u re T T o L re ? a^ h 3t Ut ° n longstanding support of the Pa
Hershey School Farm; Larry 6
Hepner, director of the Delaware
Valley College Farm; and Lynn
Hoffman, superintendent of Penn
State’s Agronomy Research Farm
Wedin
“For example, in my state of
lowa, the fed beef and beef cow
numbers are declining, yet
there is just as much pasture
and forage cropping as there
ever was.”
Wedin feels that farmer’s
recognition of alfalfa as a ready
source of nitrogen will continue
to increase its popularity.
“Following one or two years of
alfalfa, that first year of corn
would need no additional
nitrogen supply,” says Wedin,
“so there would be a savings of
ISO pounds of nitrogen per acre,
which translates to a per-acre
savings of $25 to $30.”
Recognition of alfalfa’s
feeding value and nitrogen
The University of Maryland’s Dr. Lester R. Vough received
an AFGC Merit Certificate from Robert Buker.
contribution has elevated the
legume to cash crop status,
which in turn, has led to an
increased emphasis on market
development for legumes, says
the agronomist.
And with the an increasing
need for soil conservation,
grasses and legumes are being
recognized for their ability to
keep topsoil on the farm.
But the value of legumes
doesn’t stop with their
nutritional, nitrogen-fixing and
soil conservation benefits.
“As you grow a corn crop
continuously, there is a
resistance built up to in
secticides and herbicides,”
Wedin points out, “and you
break that cycle when you put a
legume in your rotation.”
Though the farming com
munity has long been aware of
many of the above virtues,
Wedin feels that recent
research developments have
helped to thrust forage crops
into the limelight.
“I’m pleased to see that
research on conditioning agents
is speeding the drying of hay,”
he points out, “and we now have
grasses with higher palatibility
and digestibility. In the South
they now have some fescue
varieties that are endophyte
free, and freeing the seed from
fungus leads to better gains for
cattle.”
But even though the benefits
of forages will continue to be
forage industry were Dieter Krieg,
editor of “Farmshine”
newspaper; William K. Griffith,
eastern director of the Phosphate
and Potash Institute; Robert H.
Williams, retired editor of
“Pennsylvania Farmer’’
magazine; and Samuel H. Smith,
Dean'of Penn State’s College of
Agriculture.
well documented, AFGC’s new
president emphasizes that the
challenge to communicate this
information to the public has
never been greater. And AFGC
is determined to meet that
challenge head-on.
“During the year ahead we
feel that it is important that we
increase the visibility of
forages and grasslands,’’ says
Wedin. “We will have an ad
ditional publication coming out
during the year which will tell
many people much more about
forages. Also, a great deal of
consideration is being given to
the production of a scientific
publication.
“We are also planning an
educational-type thrust to in
form those who formulate
public policy. And more
specifically, it’s likely that we
will be expressing our concerns
about the proposed demise of
the Soil Conservation Service.
In the absence of the SCS,
where does the small farmer
get the technical assistance for
such things as terracing and
crop rotations?”
Like all of the members of the
AFGC and its 21 state affiliates,
president Walter Wedin is sold
on the benefits of forages, and
he plans to communicate that
message during the upcoming
year.
“If you have to bet on one
crop right now, why not make it
alfalfa?” Wedin concludes.