C6-Uncaster Farming, Saturday, November 29,1986
Agway Vegetable Day Highlights Plastic Culture
BY JACK HUBLEY
MANHEIM - For years
vegetable growers have been
getting the jump on the seasons
and controlling weeds with plastic
mulch and row covers. And for
years researchers have been
trying to minimize the fuss in
volved in disposing of the stuff
after it outlives its usefulness.
One of the most attractive
concepts to come out of all this
brainstorming has been the idea of
a degradable plastic; use it once
and it simply disappears.
Agway’s research specialist,
Janet Fallon, was on hand to
report the latest developments in
degradable plastics at the com
pany’s annual vegetable day held
at Kreider Dairy Farms
Restaurant in Manheim on Nov. 19.
Sponsored by Salunga Agway
and G&G Feeds of Manheim, the
event also featured presentations
by representatives of Stauffer
Chemical, DuPont and CIBA
GEIGY.
Since Agway began testing
degradable plastics in 1983, the
company has come up with little of
practical value to farmers, Fallon
reported. One product that failed
to live up to the manufacturer’s
claims when tested was a
biodegradable latex spray-on
mulch that resembles blue-black
paint, said the researcher. While
the product has potential, said
Fallon, it proved to be miserable to
work with, drying prematurely
and clogging the spray nozzles.
Recently, though, a new
generation of photodegradable
plastics has arrived on the scene
from Israel, Fallon said. When the
necessary threshhold of sunlight is
reached, the material begins to
break down into small pieces that
crumble and do not blow away
before they disintegrate. “We’re
really excited about this one,” said
Fallon, adding that the material
reportedly breaks down in soil, as
well.
Racal Offers Air Filter
FREDERICK, Md. - Racal
Airstream, Inc., manufacturer of
innovative personal protection
systems for the agricultural
market, announces the in
troduction of AGFLOW. This
unique new respiratory protection
system has been designed
specifically for the agricultural
worker, offering economical
protection against dusts, spores
and molds while delivering a
continuous stream of cool, clean
air.
AGFLOW is powered by a
While the use nt plastic low
covers and mulch is comparatively
labor intensive, Fallon emphasized
that some systems are indeed cost
effective. To support her
statement, the researcher
reviewed some of Agway’s
sweetcom research conducted at
the company’s farm research
center in Tully, N.Y.
In the Agway project, corn was
planted in furrows that allowed the
plants to grow six to eight inches
before coming in contact with the
plastic covers. “So basically, the
plastic forms a miniature
greenhouse,” she said.
The data showed that com
planted two to four weeks earlier
than normal under plastic was
harvested two weeks earlier than
com planted at the same time on
bare soil and 28 days earlier than
com planted at normal planting
time on bare soil.
Using this latter group as a
control, Agway found that yields
were 36 percent higher in plots
planted early under mulch. Those
planted early on bare soil yielded
only 4 percent more crop than the
conventionally planted corn in the
control group.
Although the differences in
earhness and crop yields are less
dramatic in years when spring is
warm and wet, “the net return is
favorable to (plastic) mulch in
most years,” Fallon said.
Temperatures beneath the
plastic mulch should not exceed
120°, said Fallon. While the use of
slit plastic will eliminate the
possibility of overheating, “you
lose about one-half of the heat
advantage,” said the researcher.
“I’d opt to go with the solid
plastic.”
Fallon also pointed out that
herbicides are an important tool in
plastic culture, since the plastic
spurs weed as well as crop growth.
Lasso and atrazine are both
labeled for use under plastic she
said.
rechargeable battery pack which
draws contaminated air through
the Air Filter Unit and then
delivers cool clean air to the
breathing zone. The lightweight,
disposable Tyvek headcover can
be worn for long periods of time
without fatigue and provides eye
and face protection.
For additional information
contact; Greg Stalnaker, Racal
Airstream, Inc., 7309 A Grove
Road, Frederick, Maryland 21701,
1-800-682-9500
Ridomil for vegetables
Ridomil is a household word
among tobacco fanners who look
to the fungicide for blue mold
control. According to CIBA
GEIGY sales representative Ruth
Ann Hickman, Ridomil has
recently been labeled for use on
many vegetables, as well.
At Agway’s meeting, Hickman
told growers that the fungicide is
particularly effective in con
trolling pythium (seed rot) and
phytophthera (root rot) in
tomatoes.
In tests conducted at Hess
Farms in Marietta last summer,
tomato plants transplanted into
Ridomil-treated areas looked
noticeably healthier with two days,
Hickman reported.
She noted that Ridomil proved to
be surprisingly effective in con
trolling the buckeye rot that
became prevalent during rainy
periods this summer. While
buckeye rot reduced tomato yields
to five tons per acre in untreated
fields, areas treated with Ridomil
were able to produce 30 tons per
acre. “We didn’t expect to see that
big a difference,” she said.
Also featured during the meeting
was Agway’s vegetable seed
specialist, Jeff Johnson, who in
troduced growers to some new
vegetable varieties.
Farm Credit Offers Financial
Management Services
HUNT VALLEY, Md. - Many
Pennsylvania farmers think of
their local Farm Credit Service
offices as a reliable source of
credit geared to the unique needs
of agricultural producers. But
now, more farm families are going
to Farm Credit to take advantage
of the array of closely related
financial services they also have to
offer.
The newest entry among this
variety of financial programs
comes under the umbrella term of
“financial management services.”
Combining their inherent
knowledge of financial matters
and farming know how, Farm
Credit has developed a package of
comprehensive farm record
keeping options and fast and ac
curate tax preparation services.
These particular services are
available to non-borrowers as well.
“Nearly 600 Pennsylvania farm
families are already employing
one of our record keeping plans,”
said Bobby Jones of the Farm
Credit Service of Pennsylvania,
and over 1,000 have taken ad
vantage of our tax preparation
service.”
Keeping Better Records
Three flexible record keeping
options are available from Farm
Credit in the financial
management services program.
For farm families who currently
use or plan to use a computer, they
offer their “AGRIFAX-ON
FARM” software package. This
program provides farmers with a
record keeping and management
information system customized to
their individual operations. It
provides management and
financial reports, cash flow
planning, check printing, en
terprise analysis, and comparative
business analysis reports to help
make those important
management decisions to increase
efficiency and profit.
For farm families who are in
terested in the advantages of
computerized records but don’t
own a computer, AGRIFAX-Mail
in-Service is available. This
program offers the same report
and analysis services as the ON
FARM program, except that the
farmer keeps records manually
with his check book and mails in
the information at the end of each
month. Farm Credit then
Principle speakers at Agway’s Vegetable Day included
regional seed specialist Jeff Johnson and Agway research
specialist Janet Fallon.
BUSINESS NE
processes it on their computers
and returns the reports.
The last and most basic option is
MANUAL ACCOUNTING SER
VICE. This includes a specially
designed record book that farmers
use to keep records for themselves.
Like the others, this option can
provide much of the vital in
formation necessary to make
informed management decisions.
Although different, all of these
record keeping options may in
clude on-farm visits by a Farm
Credit specialist to assist farm
families in getting the most out of
each service.
Tax Service
A tax planning and preparation
option is the other major part of
the farm management services
package. Using the comprehensive
records produced by the
AGRIFAX systems or using the
farmer’s own record keeping
system, an experienced Farm
Credit tax specialist can help
assure farm families that they will
have an accurate tax liability
while meeting all reporting
requirements. In addition, plan
ning for future tax-related ac
tivities is also available. All ser
vices are available in a timely,
accurate, and above all, con
fidential manner
"Good record keeping is a basic
need of successful, profit-oriented
agriculture,” said Bobby Jones,
"and tax preparation is a natural
A
1
The Farm Credit System
Yetter Offers Planter Brochure
PEORIA, 111. - Yetter Mfg. Co.,
Colchester, 111. has recently
published an updated version of its
6000 Series Row Crop Planter Units
designed to offer new life for IH 400
and 500 series planters.
The units are easily mounted and
consist of adapter brackets,
planting units, double disc
openers, seed drop tubes and
extension ot those records. So
providing farmers with service
packages addressing these two
areas is something we feel very
comfortable and confident in of
fering. And the combination of the
two may spell higher profits at
year end.” In addition to these
farm management services, Farm
Credit still offers its financially
related program of Credit Life
Insurance.
Life Insurance
With Credit Life Insurance a
family is guaranteed that the
outstanding balance of loans will
be paid in full and that any excess
coverage will go to the survivor in
the event of the death of the
borrower. This can be very im
portant. The personal loss itself is
enough without the potential
financial stress imposed on a
family by estate taxes and other
expenses.
With all these financial
management services, the Farm
Credit Service of Pennsylvania has
a lot more to offer than just
agricultural loans And today,
profitable farming depends just as
much on how farmers manage
their finances as how they manage
their crops and livestock So it
makes sense for Pennsylvania
farm families to check out the
financial management services
and the insurance program
available through their local Farm
Credit Service offices.
Farm
Credit
News
closing wheels. Depth is adjusted
by a single lever.
equipment includes Tras
Masters, heavy duty conservation
coulters and insecticide drives.
Copies of the new literature are
available at Yetter dealers or dj
writing Yetter Mfg.
Colchester, IL 62326-0358.