A2B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 22, 1987
Ecologically Safe Farming Methods
A former Pennsylvania Secret
ary of Agriculture told a hearing of
the PA Governor’s Energy Office
this week that in less than 50 years,
the world could find itself faced
with “depleted soils, depleted
energy sources, and impoverished
farmers (who are) unable to cope
with a world out-populating its
ability to feed its people.”
James McHale, pointed out that
agriculture is one of the largest
users of non-renewable energy,
one of which is nitrogen fertilizer
1987 Pennsylvania
Holstein Show
The Pennsylvania Hdlstein
Association’s Fall Championship
Show is set for Friday, September
11,1987 beginning at 9:00 a.m. at
the Agricultural Arena on the Penn
Sate University Campus. The
judge for the top Holstein Show in
the state will be BJ. Powell, Hols
tein breeder from Pennville,
Indiana.
This year the Fall Champion
ship Show takes on added meaning.
as points accumulated at the State
Spring Show, Regional Champ
ionship shows and the Fall Show
will be tallied to select All-
Pennsylvania winners for 1987.
The All-Pennsylvania Reserve and
Honorable Mention animals will
be paraded immediately after the
Fall Show is completed.
Also during the show, the Key
stone Three-Year-Old Futurity
banner will be awarded to the top
animal entered in the Futurity
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requires 40,000 cubic feet of natur
al gas to produce one ton of ammo
nium based nitrogen fertilizer. “In
addition, pesticies are petroleum
based,” McHale said “the United
States, with only 5% of the world’s
oil reserves, cannot indefinitely
supply energy inputs to an “ener
gy greedy” type of agriculture.”
He urged the Governor to form an
inner departmental council made
up of the Department of Agricul
ture, Department of Environmen
tal resources, and others to be
Class in 1984. The winner of this
class will also receive a cash award
totaling one half of the entry fees
paid into the Futurity.
Holstein exhibitors are
reminded that show entries are due
by August 24, 1987.
Make plans now to be in State
College on September 11 to
observe some of Pennsylvania’s
finest cattle. More information on
the show can be obtained by con
tacting the Pennsylvania Holstein
Association, 839 Benner Pike,
State College, PA 16801.
P 0 BoxJl
Lake Mills Wl 53551
(414) 648-8376
chaired by the Pennsylvania Ener
gy Office to start gathering data to
formulate a low energy, low cost,
ecologically safe, substainable
agricultural policy and program
for future generations of Pennsyl
vanians. Legislation has passed or
is pending in approximately 20
states to ban certain chemicals that
are getting into the water and food
supply and to develop a low
energy sustainable agricultural
program. It’s time that Pennsylva
nia at least play “catch up” and
become aware of the wasted ener
gy going into agriculute that is
causing the environmental prob
lems in our area, particularly the
nitrate and phosphorus problems
of the Chesapeake Bay.
‘ ‘To date, 5227 million has been
spent by five governments to clean
up the Bay, and the millions spent
on the nitrate and phosphorus
problems associated with agricul
ture has been wasted by coming up
with the wrong conculsions,”
McHale said.
“They have successfully con
vinced themselves, the fanners,
and the public that the problem is
the excessive amounts of manure
produced in Lancaster and sur
rounding counties that is being
spread on the farmland, and in turn
reaches the Bay. In fact however,
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Mf
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For more
Needed, McHale Says
the nitrate and phosphorus prob
lems in the Bay are the result of
excessive use of chemical fertiliz
ers leaching from the farmlands.
Manure is biodegradable and
decomposes readily into a living
soil, and supplies nutrients for
most crop needs when the soil is
healthy and alive with biological
life that attacks the manure compo
nents and integrates them into the
soil structure.
“Manure, when properly man
aged, is organic fertilizer which is
best for soil regeneration. Manure
is not the problem. It is the exces
sive use of additional chemical fer
tilizer used in addition to or in lieu
of manure that is applied to central
Pennsylvania soils. The souce of
the problem is officially docu
mented in the last annual report
available from the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture (Fertil
izer Usage in Pennsylvania July 1,
1984 to June 30. 1985.) 31.3% of
the total fertilizer and 34.5% of the
total nitrogen applied in the entire
state of Pennsylvania was applied
to the farmalnd in the four county
area of Lancaster, York, Berks,
and Chester counties and therein
lies the problem of cleaning up the
nitrates and phosphorus in the Bay.
Going one step further, 13.2% of
the total fertilizer and 15.1 %of the
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total chemical nitrogen fertilizer
applied in the entire state was
applied to Lancaster county soils
which highlights the real source of
the problem.
“In addition to the millions of
tons of unneeded fertilizer that are
being poured on America’s farm
lands, 1.7 billion pounds of pesti
cides are being poured into our
environment each year in the form
of 600 generic chemicals that are
used in the formulation fo 38,000
brand name pesticides.
“In 1977, American agriculture
poured herbicides, fungicides, and
insecticides on the land at the rate
of five pounds for every fJ.S. resi
dent. By 1981, wc were pouring
those killers on at the rate of seven
pounds for every man, woman and
child. Since 1981 the rate of appli
cation has approximately
doubled.”
“The American people are say
ing; We have been poisoned
enough from chemicals and nitro
gen fertilizer that is ending up in
our water supply. I would urge the
Governor and the legislature of
Pennsylvania to develop a low
cost, low energy, ecologically safe
sustainable program for Pennsyl
vania Agriculture similar to those
programs that are already in place
in a number of states.”
1 » / ,
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HM3RADINC OF FEED:
Our auger traveb at M FPM t
•obkde are Hmilad hoar rating -
.
lead from chain hcdcra,
earning uneven nutrition.
REMIXING FEED; Our auger
slowly revolver, remixing old and J
new feed; thelre leaves most old
feed to get stale.
♦ . /