A34-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 25,1989
Penn Jersey Tillage Conference
(Continued from Page A 1)
In the last three years, Rodale
researchers have focused on no-till
planting, ridge tilling, and relay
cropping. “All three systems rely
on diverse crop rotation, cover
crops for weed control and nitro
gen fertility, and relay cropping,
including interseeding and over
seeding for weed control,” Peters
said.
One type of no-lill planting that
they explored is no-lill-mow-kill.
In this system, a winter annual
crop such as rye, wheat, or hairy
vetch is planted m the fall to con
trol weeds and hold soil. During
the spring, the cover crops were
flail chopped after blooming and
corn or soybeans were no-till
planted into the residue. The mow
ed cover crop provides a thick
mulch that prevents weed growth.
At the same time, planting the cov
er crop provided nitrogen for the
com.
The benefits of this planting sys
tem include no pre-plant tillage, a
residue left on the surface, nitro
gen in the soil, water conservation
once the cover crop is mowed, and
weed control from the mulch.
Some of the disadvantages include
a later planting date if the crop is
mowed after blooming and the nit
rogen in the soil will be tied up if a
non-lcgumous cover crop is used.
Ridge tilling was another plant
ing system Rodalc researchers
explored. Originally developed in
the 19505, ridge tilling involves
using a planter with attachments
that scrape the top four to six
inches off of a ndge that has been
formed during the previous year
during weed cultivating. The disks
also scrape off any weeds on the
sides of the ridges. Weeds, cover
crops, and manure lays between
the row furrows. As the growing
season continues, a rotary hoc or
multi-purpose type cultivator can
be used for early weed control.
Researchers recently experi
mented with applying herbicides
in a ridge-till system. They com
pared broadcast and banded herbi
cide usage on soybeans. “No sig
nificant differences in yield were
found in 1987 or 1988, so money
spent on herbicides could have
been saved if this were a farm,”
Janke commented.
Currently Rodale researchers
are attempting to incorporate
legumes as a winter crop into the
ridge ullage system so that the nit
rogen benefits from legumes will
be available to spring crops.
The advantages of lidge tilling,
according to reascarchcrs, include
leaving residue on or near the sur
face, incorporaung animal man
ures for nutrients, cultivating
weeds without herbicides, and
doing without prc-planl ullage.
However, ridge-Uil systems
require farmers to modify their
existing equipment or purchase
new machinery and take the limp,
to cultivate at least once. In addi
tion, the system isn’t ideally suited'
to terrains with sleep slopes, stony
ground, or terraces.
Relay cropping is a third low
imput system that doesn’t require
herbicides. Relay cropping
involves planting one crop in with
another, such as soybeans into
small grains for instance.
Rodalc researchers have tried a
number of combinations. “We find
that under growing conditions of
southeast Pennsylvania the best
small grains to use arc winter
wheat and spring barley,” said
Janke. “If winter barley is used, it
is already tillering at the time of
soybeans planting, and the drill
causes significant yitfld reductions
in the lf soybeans are
drilled into oats, the soybeans arc
suppressed since the oats are
harvested about two weeks later
than winter wheat or spring
barley.”
Researchers also learned that
top dressing with nitrogen on
wheat increases wheat yields but
lowers soybean yields.
Timing is essential in relay
cropping. The ideal system,
according to Jankc, is a fall or
early-spring sown small gram that
is still in the tillering stage in early
to mid May when soybeans will be
planted.
Tillage methods varied accord
ing to soil type: silt loam soils
required a conventional grain drill
with double disk openers and in
shalcy soils a no-lill drill was used
to get belter seed incorporation.
“A full-season soybean was
used because it is important that it
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isnot flowering at the lime of small
grain harvest,” Jankc emphasized.
“Small grains are harvested in ear
ly July, and we often end up clip
ping the top leaf or two of the soy
beans. This is not a problem if the
beans are not flowering yet, and
may stimulate branching.”
The 1986 relay crop planted at
Rodale Research Center yielded
more soybeans than a conventional
soybean planting that received her
bicides. However, in 1987, the
reverse occurred, but an additional
32 bushels of wheat was harvested.
“Depending on the relative pices
of wheat and soybeans at the time
of sale, the relay crop system com
pares favorably to the monoculture
system in economic terms,” Janke
reported.
The benefits of relay cropping
includes two cash/cover crops
instead of one, weed control with
out herbicides or cultivation, belter
yields than double-cropped soy
beans, and reduced tillage for the
Paclamar-J BENEFIT-ET 1874277 VG-86
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IN PENNSYLVANIA
Akron, PA Keith Campbd 717-733-0094
Cotwm, PA Wendet Muaaer 814-349-5310
Columbia, PA Jaime Chailet 717-396-9672
Eliiottsburg, PA Grant Gardner 717-582-7433
Intercourse, PA Roger Schana 717-768-7788
Lebanon, PA Paul Martin 717-949-2381
Mifflinburg, PA John Beachy 717-966-1344
Mifflintown, PA Mervin Zendt 717-4364386
WARE
Delmarva
Edward Dulin 301-348-5018
second crop. Relay cropping won ’ t
work, however, if there isn’t
enough moisture and it won’t work
on com. Trade-offs for relay crop
ping include not being able to bale
small-grain straw and the inability
to maximize yield of both crops.
CAMP HILL At a hearing
today in Harrisburg, PFA called
on the Milk Marketing Board to
include interest on equity capital
and a charge for management in
calculating dairymen’s costs of
production. Under law, the board
is authorized to set milk prices for
dairymen at a level sufficient to
recover their costs of production
plus earn a reasonable return.
PFA also asked that dairymen’s
costs of production including
management and interest on equi-
IN NEW JERSEY
Lambertville, NJ Robert Fulper 609-397-3479
Port Murray, NJ Robert Kayhart *'
201-689-2605
PFA Asks Milk
Price Increase
Dtr: Ponica Dairy Benefit #77-IHF VG-87
3-07 2x 247 d 17590 M 4.0% 703 F 3.5% 616 P Inc
Stan Poncia, Santa Rosa, CA
Otr: Bianchini Dairy Benefit #599-Qrade
3-07 2x 260 d 18800 M 3.2% 605 F 3.0% 589 P Inc
William Bianchini, Point Reyes Station, CA
MS
Representative:
Qyarryville, PA
Reedsville, PA
717-667-2775
Shippensburg, PA Wayne Piper 717-532-4401
Stewartstown, PA Tom Engio 717-9934836
Thomasville, PA Ira Boyer 717-225-3751
Waynesboro, PA Don Koons 717-7624485
West Grove, PA Sidney Peters 215-869-9187
IN MARYLAND
Mt. Airy, MD Allan Pickett 301-663-4191
Detour, MD Jim Carmack 301-775-7221
Janke and Peters recommended
to farmers wishing to try low-input
farming to start small. “Start with
one section or a few fields,” Janke
said. They advised farmers to see
what works for them before risking
their entire crop.
ty capital be re-evaluated annually
in all six PA Milk Marketing
Board areas. Area 6 includes War
ren, McKean, Forest, Elk, Came
ron, most of Clarion, Jefferson,
Clearfield, Centre, Indiana, Cam
bria, Blair, Huntingdon, Mifflin,
eastern Westmoreland, Somerset,
and Bedford counties.
PFA is a voluntary, general
farm organization representing
over 23,600 families including
approximately 12,000 dairymen.
Paul Herr 717-786-8171
Chester G. Selfridge
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