NEWARK, Del. - It’s time for growers who use manure in their fertilizer programs to consider getting it analyzed. Using manure as fertilizer can substantially reduce overall fertilizer costs. But the plant nutrient content of manures varies greatly with animal species and diet, the type and amount of bedding or litter used, and the storage and handling practices used. Thus knowing the nutrient value of the manure being used is extremely important in determining how much, if any, commercial fertilizer is needed for the desired cropping program. “A manure analysis is just one of the components of a successful nutrient management program,” says Mark Isaacs, University of Delaware extension assistant for environmental quality. He says it’s important to take a representative sample to ensure a more valid analysis. The best time to take this sample is ap proximately two weeks prior to application. Since it takes about 10 days for the analysis to be com Info On Greenhouse Pests Offered HARRISBURG A 36-page booklet on a common variety of insects that prey on plants may help make Pennsylvania’s greenhouses look greener and fuller in the future. Published by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the booklet focuses on scale insects. It was prepared by James F. Stimmel, a member of the en tomology staff in the Department’s Bureau of Plant Industry for distribution to greenhouse CALF KENNELS Same Advantages As Hutches. w/Inslde F< Compare the Stohsffvs Woodwork Calf Hutch UfttogHook Simple, eHiclent „ „ . for eaty handling One Sheet •" ’ K“ rVe “‘ (Option) , Galvanized eyebolt.nd pin (Option) "P \ Metal Roof 1 S - —V-- _ Sturdy Zx« ceaetroetloa TOt Oat Feeder for/ Treated eUdi euyaeceei. exterior plywood AVAILABLE: TRACK FOR FASTENING CALVES' CHAIN TO CEILING OF HUTCH STOLTZFUS WOODWORK MFD. BY: Fine-Tune Fertilizer Needs By Manure Analysis pleted, a sample taken then will allow the grower to adjust his fertility program to account for the nutrients available in the manure. Samples taken much sooner than that may not be valid for calibration purposes, as the nutrient content changes as manure weathers. Isaacs recommends taking a large composite sample, thoroughly mixing this, and then drawing from it a small sub sample. Place the subsample in an appropriate container then send it to an area lab for analysis. A 10-by -12-inch - 4 mil “Ziplock” plastic bag works well for the dry forms of manure such as broiler, while a wide mouth 1 quart plastic bottle (not glass) is suitable for the more liquid forms of hog or cattle manure. To determine plant available nutrient levels in the manure, the analysis should include nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and ammonium (NH4). “Such an analysis generally costs about operators, agriculture extension personnel and people who ad minister government regulations concerning greenhouse plants. Scale insects, Stimmel explains, are “among the most common and least understood” of the many pests that infest house plants. “That’s partly because they’re so difficult to identify.” Help in identifying and eradicating scale insects is available by calling the Bureau of Plant Industry at (717) 787-4843. READ LANCASTER FARMING FOR COMPLETE AND UP-TO-DATE MARKET REPORTS Rt. 897 North - Gap. PA 17527 Zfß'J „ w HhM W 1 hi *tl > * $32 and is well worth it,” Isaacs says, “when one considers the potential savings associated with proper nutrient management.” The Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service offers a 75 percent cost-share program for poultry manure storage and analysis to area farmers in terested in participating in this program. To qualify for ASCS cost sharing, participants must have their soil and poultry manure analyzed for nutrient content. They must also develop a manure management plan for their farms and calibrate spreaders prior to applying manure to cropland. Fact sheets on calibrating manure spreaders are available at county extension offices in Newark (451-2506), Dover (697-4000) and Georgetown (856-7303). 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