EPHRATA No-till offers
many benefits but it can’t cover
mistakes, a lesson some farmers
learned last year. Those who
fanned by the book saw a payoff
at harvest, says Dave Schertz,
national agronomist for the Soil
Conservation Service (SCS).
SCS officials are encouraged by
1988 no-till results that have been
analyzed around the county.
When some rain finally came last
summer, no-till crops did the best
job of conserving and utilizing
moisture. No-till com and soy
bean yields were often 30 percent
higher than conventional till,
Schertz reports.
Schertz says that under extreme
conditions there are problems for
any system and mistakes magnify
these problems when it’s dry. If
you haven’t yet done so, now’s a
good time to review last year’s
results and recheck management
practices that ensure no-till suc
cess, especially weed control.
Don’t make decisions based
solely on 1988 experience, he
advises. Some experts called it the
w ,
1 The grower can more easily follow prescribed
feeding practices and programs He has control of
the system
2 Every feeder line accepts interchangeable pan
sizes, medium depth and deep pans, Plus Big
Dutchman offers "The Orange One," a smaller feeder
with a more shallow 13-mch diameter pan for starting
poults
3 Feed depth and flow are controlled by a single
winch at the hopper end of the line Accurate settings
are. easy to make without time-consuming, one-by
one adjustments Only Big Dutchman offers this
depth control feature
4 The Big Dutchman turkey feeding system has an
outstanding capability for programmed feeding The
cable adjustment mechanism allows the operator to
fill all the pans in the line to maximum capacity when
birds are first brought into the house As feed is eaten
out of the pans, the adjustable skirt wi II move down
to the pre-selected position
Bit f Dutchman.
v;J
HER
No-Till Works Well In Drought Stress Situations
worst drought in SO years, while
others said it was the worst ever
recorded. Schertz says, reports
from the field indicate farmers
who no-tilled for the first time last
season are talking about planting
deeper, he suggests watching
weather forecasts and making,
decisions accordingly.
If in doubt, seek advice from
local, university extension spe
cialists or other no-till experts. Or.
talk to farmers with several years
of no-till experience. Last year,
says Schertz, “experienced no
tillers generally fared better than
first-timers.”
Eliminate competition
Extreme heat in 1988 caused
some problems that couldn’t be
corrected, such as “baking of the
soil surface,” says the SCS agro
nomist. This could have been
avoided by completely controlling
vegetation that kept crops from
fully using hat little moisture was
available.
Schertz says some farmers
waited too long before applying
herbicides. They sprayed just
f s s' V*^V
±5 ,/i
before planting or prior to crop
emergence. In a drought, seeding
into cover crops or sod that’s not
completely burned down can be
especially deadly.
On soils with poor water hold
ing capacity, moisture conserva
tion is aided by using a bumdown
herbicide like Gramoxone Super,
about two to three weeks before
planting. Another weed control
key is to spray when weeds are
young and growing actively -
generally no more than six inches
tall.
No-till experts constantly stress
the importance of using a bum
down herbicide in addition to resi
dual herbicides. Failue to follow
that advice is a mistake that’s
magnified by dry weather. A lack
of rainfall to properly activate
residual compounds lead to weed
problems and increased crop com
petition for limited moisture.
Prior to harvest there were
reports the drought had hit no-till
the hardest, an observation that
changed dramatically. At season’s
end, there were many reports of
The
Turkey
Feeder
that
Solves Four
Problems of
Continuous
Grow-Out
• Strong central core keeps the skirt alined and holds pan and shield
in position
• Large pan is extra deep, with feed-saving lip The large pan is 5 inches
deep, medium pan is 3 inches deep
• Draw cable raises or lowers all pan skirts in the line Maximumfeed
flow opening is 4 5 inches
• Ample open space between the pan and the upper shield allows
adult turkeys to eat comfortably
• Suspension of the plastic core is strengthened by steel hangers that
engase the plastic core above the auger tube
• There are no small parts Assembly and maintenance are simple and
easy
• Interchangeable pan sizes provide versatility, matching the feeding
equipment to the needs and growth stages of the flock, from poults
to heavy toms
» 'S'*
success. For instance, a Purdue - controlled and crops were well
University project tabulated net managed, Scheitz says late-season
returns for 41 Indiana com and rains sparked a strong surge for
soybean fields under various til- no-till. “The majority of our
lage systems. The most profitable reports were favorable. In a nut
field was no-till soybeans, which shell, no-till fared especially well
averaged nearly 53 bushels and and did much better at the end of
netted $259 an acre. the season that previously
When weeds were properly thought,” he concludes.
White Oak Mills Names
Purchasing Director
ELIZABETHTOWN (Lancas- farm near Ephrata. He and his
ter Co.) Ivan Wenger has been wife, Nancy, live in Brickerville
named director of purchasing for with their three children, Randy,
White Oak Mills. White Oak is a 16, Brian, 14, and Brenda, 11
supplier of total feeds, feed ingre
dients, animal health and pet
needs, with cutomers throughout
southcentral Pennsylvania.
Wenger, a 14-year veteran of
the feed industry, will be responsi
ble for purchasing feed ingre
dients and animal health products.
He also will develop a stronger
merchandising program for White
Oak’s bulk feed ingredients,
which are sold to farmers who mix
their own feeds.
Wenger was raised on a dairy
f s *, h-<
i
Lancaster Faming Saturday, May 27, 1988-D7
$“ Belarus
w Service y
PWQ MODEL HP CASH £
* Equipment .250 31 $4,595 a
R GoUmuter 31 $5,995 n
A J-STAR T 25 Bickhoe LaMer....Jl... p. $14,995 K
C STARLINE 400 57.... F ht $8,595
T RIITIFR 4WD Biclthoe Loeder .57 ... , * $19,995 W
,A SSSLay 420 AN4WD • 57 • *10*3950 * 395 A
W JAMESWAY 50S 70 .. T ™ d ‘“...510,995 R
K BERG 525A4WD ... 70 w~', ...$11,995 R
FIBERDOME 562 4WD w/c.b 70.. $13,679 A
V FARMWAY ■■■ "■' « Av-bbto N
1 822 4WD w/ctb 85 $14,795 np
,J 922 4WD w/c«b.. 100 $20,395 *
|j| AAA\ Power Unit 31/ Air I X
. AUIQWHW 571 Cooled/
* r RO VEND ALE SUPPLY
latSknif Exit 31. Rt I-N to 110 (Old Rl UT)
I I to Wxtxamowo Exit (You An There!) ■
I / Ph. 717-534-5521 or 742-7521 8,1 ,-5
Toll Fr« PA 1-100-232-DALE
Let Us Help You
Maintain The Beauty
TREE SPRAYING
Complete Prevention of All
Insect Damage
Pesty Flying Insects Can Ruin
Outside Groups Such As
Church Gatherings, family
Picnics and Reunions.
TMIRMAL FOGGING
IS TNI ANSWER
Kills Gnats, Mosquitoes, Bees and
All Flying Insects
/* V s 0
.$2,395
And Health of
Your Trees
1278 Loop Rd.
Lancaster, Pa.
17604
717-397-3721
Since 1928
Peit control Is too
important to trust
to anyone else