DIS-Lancaster Farming Saturday, May 17,1986 Delaware Ag Engineers Study Tillage Systems Since 1972 Delaware Cooperative Extension and the University of Delaware Agricultural Ex periment Station have had a comprehensive program to develop, test and teach no-till crop production techniques. No-till demonstrations in the state began in 1969. With over 41 percent of its acreage in no-till, Delaware has led the nation in percentage of cropland no-tilled for the past four years. Farmers have many tillage alternatives for producing com and soybeans, Delaware’s two major crops. But which systems are most cost-effective? To find out, extension agricultural engineer Tom Williams and research associate Jim Kemble have begun a com parative study of crop response to 13 variations of no-till, in-row strip till, ridge-till and minimum-till production systems for com and soybeans. The four-year project is partially funded by a grant from the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. Delaware farmers favor no-till for a number of reasons, Williams says. It reduces both wind and water erosion, conserves soil moisture and saves time and machine energy. However, this cultural practice does have drawbacks. Growers who use no till are increasingly concerned about delayed plantings in cold wet soils, uneven plant emergence and soil compaction. Heavy harvesting and transporting equipment contributes to soil compaction, as do heavy manure spreaders and fertilizer trucks used when the soil is wet. PERM A I VSSS BUILDINGS A size to suit your needs with or without Self-supporting Lean to. 801 l frame together at eave 8-10-12- 14-16 or 18ft. FARM • COAAMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL For extra floor space at a low cost add Half Truss on one sWe.^-sf 14' to 30' -OPEN CEILING-25% MORE USABLE SPACE. -NO ROT-ONLY STEEL TOUCHING CONCRETE. -EXPANDABLE-ADD ON LATER BY SIMPLY REMOVING ENDWALL SHEETING. Get Your FREE Permabook L to; perma building systems SHma P Box 166. Rp #2 I New Holland, PA X 7557 KgSLZI Name_ a j Address I Town/City County j Telephone No. Postal Code J lam interested in the following type of building; I Width Length Size of Door or Call Now I Implement Shed □ Dairy □ Hog Cl Other rj 1 ■ Workshop □ Loose Housing □ Stable □ ' I I Industrial □ Commercial n Riding Arena! J 354-474 - [ Date of Planning To Build , /Av Williams believes controlling field traffic by keeping all wheels off rows and reducing axle loads may alleviate compaction problems. Another solution is to use some form of limited tillage such as ridge-till or in-row sub soiling-to break up compaction. But does it pay to use these methods on Delaware soils? That’s a question Williams and Kemble hope to answer. Ridge-tillage is becoming more popular in parts of the Midwest on fine-textured, poorly drained soils that are slow to warm up in spring. According to Williams, previous Delaware studies showed no benefit from ridge planting, but planting com over old soybean rows did increase yields by 15.5 bushels per acre, and the ridges helped maintain cow integrity. In-row subsoiling is used in the Southeast where hardpans impede root development, but this is an energy-intensive practice. Delaware soils have a compacted zone just below the plow layer which does not always restrict root growth. In previous Delaware studies, in-row subsoiling has given varied responses, ranging from reduced yields to 19 more bushels of com per acre. Ridge-tillage and in-row sub soiling have been tested on both coarse- and fine-textured North Carolina coastal plain soils. On coarse soils, ridging with in-row subsoiling produced more com than in-row subsoiling alone. Fine textured soils, however, showed no response to either practice. The current University of Delaware project should make it possible to Bolt frame f" >ther at 3"-12" Roof Pitch for more over head space. a Half Truss 20' to 80' / 20' to 140' -EASY TO INSULATE. -40 YEAR WARRANTY ON STEEL COLUMN & TRUSS -20 YEAR WARRANTY ON STEEL CLADDING. -8 MODELS TO CHOOSE FROM CUSTOM DESIGN AVAILABLE. -DO IT YOURSELF OR HAVE US ERECT IT FOR YOU. ■ Overhead door ■ Sliding doors or both Open side 14' to 30' define the soil conditions necessary for crop response to subsoiling in this state. Williams and Kemble are con ducting field studies at the University Agricultural Ex periment Station farm in Newark, which has fine-textured, silt loam soil, and at the Research and Education Center in Georgetown, which has coarse-textured loamy sand soil. The engineers will also look at how 10-ton axle loads affect soil compaction, and check machine energy requirements for the various tillage systems involved in the study. “By examining the benefits of each system in relation to its cost,” Williams says, “we can help Delaware farmers make sounder production decisions. This project is part of an ongoing extension and experiment station effort to show area farmers how to reduce costs and improve production ef ficiency.” ,! . plus 9.9% APR MF financing for up to 48 months! LEUMM VAU.EY VndXdlflffll/i r iiiiu mip > ‘v nn Ph: (215) 683-7252 WPIEMUT CO. 700 E. Linden St. Richland. PA Ph: (717)866-7518 M. WEAVER ft SON N. Groffdale Rd. Leola, PA 17540 Ph: (717) 656-2321 S.G. LEWIS AND SON West Grove, PA Ph; <215)869-9440 869-2214 to Combine Attachments WEST BEND, Wise. - Gehl Company has announced the acquisition of certain assets of Keith Industries of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The products acquired include Straw Storm and Chaff Storm. Both are combine attachments that distribute crop residue as it leaves the combine. “Bigger combines can leave bigger problems with con centrations of straw and chaff or corn cobs,” states Gehl President/CEO Bernard L. Nielsen. “The problem is especially acute where crops are double-windrowed before com bining. A combine without Straw Storm can leave behind heavy strips of residue that will hinder next year’s crop development. Heavy doses of decomposing trash use up too much nitrogen. In fact, heavy concentrations of some chaff, such as flax, can tem porarily poison the soil.” Heavy strips of crop residue can «low or stop field work. Too much Get big factory discounts Beat high prices with High H>ing Deals on Massey-herguson 200 Senes tractors. All nine models from 34- to 78-hp' are built to stand up to your toughest jobs. And the> ’re all available right now with big factors Massey-Ferguson Where farmers’ ideas take root. Gehl Acquires Rights HUP * • f y' discounts and special low-rate MF financing. Come see wh> the MF 200 s arc the best value around and wh> the> ’re an ev en better value right now! Don’t wait. These high flying offers end August 2, 1986. R.W. KELLER SALES Perkasie, PA 18944 Ph: (215) 257-0101 residue in one strip can interfere with fertilizer, chemical and even seed incorporation. According to Nielsen, “Straw Storm helps en sure uniform seed penetration by no-till drills and other planting equipment. And it also protects valuable top soil from wind and water erosion.” Straw Storm models are made to fit large combines including Case- IH, John Deere, Deutz-Alhs, Massey Ferguson and Ford-New Holland models. The unit fits underneath the normal discharge area and is powered by the com bine’s drive pulley. According to Nielsen, both the Straw Storm and Chaff Storm will be manufactured at the Gehl Company plant in Madison, South Dakota. “We plan to take what is basically a very well-designed and well-accepted product, improve upon it, and market it throughout the western United States and Canada,” he said. / • ABRACZINSKA’S FARM EQUIP. INC. RDI, Catawissa, PA Ph: (717)356-2323 (South on Rt. 42) ARNETTS GARAGE Rt. 9 Box 125 Hagerstown, MD Ph: (301) 733 0515 MARLIN W.SCHREFFLER Pitman, PA Ph: (717)648-1120
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