1111 ’SrHte'mrtrim „t M S VOL 34 No. 35 Tha Barryfamily andco-woritara gatbar mid-moming in tha alfalfa bald anxious to gal tha balar and hay wagona on tha mova wbila tha hot sun shinaa on thair 100-acra farm biaovdiani LajMmon County. Pielursd ara Rain Favors Outbreaks Of Slugs BY J.F. STIMMEL AND A.G. WHEELER, JR. Pennsylvania Department Of Agriculture HARRISBURG. (Dauphin Co.) Fanners are facing difficulties brought about by above-average rainfall. In addition to not being able tp plant com and problems in haying due to wet conditions, they are plagued by an unexpected pest - slugs. Conditions this year are ideaTfor slugs, the relatively mild winter caused low mortality in overwintering eggs. An early, dry spring retarded hatching; then the wet conditions needed for egg hatch set in. The resulting “slug” of slugs, along with the extended wet weather, produced localized high populations that can be destructive. Fields most susceptible are those with accumulations of duff, such as no-till systems. This debris provides ideal overwintering sites for slugs. Fields with much lodged grain are favorable for these pests, because moisture levels are high beneath the mats of plants. Effective June 23, the Pennsylvania Department of Agricul ture has declared that a crisis situation exists with slugs in field com. Under the provisions of Section 18 FIFRA, the pesticide LARVIN 3.2 Thiodicarb will be used as the control agent , LARVIN is formulated as a bait for use in field situations. For specific information on the use of this pesticide, contact your county extension office. Home gardeners are familiar with slugs and their damage, but farmers are seldom bothered. The most common field.-infesting slug appears to be the gray garden slug, Derocerus reticulata, according to Dr. Robert Byers, an entomologist with the USDA Regional Pasture Lab at State College. This pest feeds by stripping a layer of tissue from host leaves, (turn to Pago A 23) Four Sections Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 8,1988 Newspaper Bedding Makes Dollars For Farmers; Sense For Environment BY PAT PURCELL LEBANON (Lebanon Co.) Straw prices hit $lOO per ton near ly a year ago, and instead of peal ing off doHar bills, Jim Berry began thumbing through his news papers. He wasn’t looking for cheaper bedding prices. He was looking at cheaper bedding. This dairy farmer from the southern Lebanon area has turned to shredded newspaper as alterna tive bedding material. And like many other dairyman who use newspaper, Berry finds that besides being cheaper than straw the newsprint absorbs moisture and odor better than straw. At this same tim£ Berry installed a 12’ by 46’ manure stor age system. He wondered how well the liquid manure system and spreader would handle the news paper scraps. “I was afraid there would be newspaper scraps blowing around the fields, but an hour after the newspaper is put into the system the paper turns to mush. It’s great,” said Berry. Berry finds the newspaper dis solves rapidly in the manure stor age and spreads well on the fieldT w “’"" Using newspaper for bedding is not a 1980’s idea. In the 1960 s Penn State University researchers ran trials on recycling newspaper for bedding. Their findings showed that as long as newspapers were properly prepared they served as a good biding material for dairy cattle in both stall bams and on bedded packs in loose housing. Recent research has confirmed those findings. According to Low- Beef And Veal Ambassadors On Road BY EVERETT NEWSWANGER Managing Editor WILLOW STREET (Lancaster Co.) —Beef is back and veal is here. That’s the message the State Beef Industry Representative Program (BIR) tells consumers acres; Pennsylvania. Last week, Thursday through •Saturday, representatives from the Pennsylvania Beef Council, using check-off dollars, were cooking up delicious samples in Willow Val ley Square. Ahd patrons stopped 50* Per Copy ell Ayres, recycling coordinator for Potter County, shredded news paper is better than straw for bed ding dairy cattle. Ayres headed a pilot project in Potter County involving several dairy farmers who used the newsprint bedding. Hfe newsprint was dropped into bedding shredders and blown directly into the stalls. The used bedding then went into manure holding pits where it dissolved and (Turn to Pago A2O) by the attractive display to get pointers on how to prepare beef and veal and ask questions about the industry. “People aren’t aware of the changes the industry has made in the last five or 10 years,” said Bar ry Sands, BIR spokesman. “We need to educate the public about the lower fat and cholesterol con tent of beef and veal.” - Kelly Lynn Mankamyei\ Pen nsylvania Cattlemen’s Associa- $12.50 Per Year (Turn to Page A 26)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers