Pennsylvania Junior Holstein Association Awards Banquet Held
The Junior Progressive
Breeder Award goes to Irene
Benner, Millerstown, Perry
Co. The award recognizes
breeder-owners of top pro
ducing and type cows.
gulshed Junior Member Contest to be held
T .• a ti • n g»A 11 < during the National Convention June
Indiana County Farmers Raise Profitable Corn 25 - 28 m charleston. s.c.
INDIANA (Indiana Co.)
Farmers were able to produce an
acre of com in Indiana County in
1989 at a cost lower than the state
average, and receive a substantial
ly higher than average labor and
management return per acre for
their efforts.
At the Indiana County Crops
and Soils Day program held at the
Rustic Lodge in Indiana on Fri
day, Feb. 9, county extension
agent Gene Schurman released
figures which showed equipment
costs, herbicide and insecticide
expenses and the total cost of com
production per acre were less in
Indiana County than the statewide
average in 1989. Schurman’s cost
and return analysis also showed
Indiana County Gartners’ labor and
management return for com pro
duction, excluding labor and dry
ing, was more than SSO per acre
greater than the state average.
The 1989 Pennsylvania Com
Club summary figures for Indiana
County, per acre, with state aver
ages in parentheses, were:
Equipment totals: $68.68
($70.89).
Herbicide material: $10.68
($17.45).
Insecticide material: $9.06
($11.00).
Total costs per acre: $210.62
($261.20).
Total costs per bushel: $1.59
($1.92).
Labor and management return
per acre: $165.90 ($124.17).
three Indiana County farmers
were recognized for their produc
tion in the 1989 Pennsylvania
Com Silage Club. In the 70 per
cent silage category, Clair
Braughler of Rochester Mills pro
duced 34 tons per acre; Tom Wal
lace of Marion Center produced
22.1 tons per acre; and Leonard
Strong of Heilwood produced
20.1 tons per acre.
The state average for 70 percent
silage com was 21.9 tons per acre.
Indiana County winner of the
1989 Five Acre Com Club grain
production was Robert Dilts of
Georgeville, with a total of 167.9
bushels per acre.
Rounding out the top three in
the county for grain production
were Edward Kuckuck of Salts
burg with 163.6 bushels per acre,
and Stan Fabin of Homer City
with 143.6 bushels per acre.
The state average for com grain
production in 1989 was 143.9
Production Contest Winners, selected from 240 entries,
wers honored for their participation In the milk, fat, and
protein production contest.
Indiana County Extension agent Ward Stover, left, con
gratulates Clair Braughler of Rochester Mills, winner of the
1989 Corn Club silage production contest.
bushels per acre.
The Crops and Soils Day prog
ram, sponsored by the county
Cooperative Extension office,
focused on com production and
soil nutrients, and gave approxi
mately 90 farmers the opportunity
to pick up two core credits and one
category credit toward their pesti
cide license recertification.
Dr. Gregory Roth of Penn State
University’s Department of Agro
nomy, warned the farmers of the
dangers of a buildup of nitrates in
some of their fields while trying to
increase com production.
“On a typical Pennsylvania
farm, only about 25 percent of the
nutrients which come onto the
farm ever leave the farm in the
form of eggs or milk or meat,” Dr.
Roth said, adding this accumula
tion of nitrates can be a serious
pollution threat if not properly
managed.
Excessive soil nitrates may
result from inappropriate applica
tions of manure, fertilizer and crop
residue, he said, adding some
fields accumulate more nitrates
than others. This buildup of
(Continued from Page A3O)
nitrates tends to be a source of pol
lution for groundwater more so
than to surface water.
In their discussion of nitrogen
fertilization of com. Dr. Roth and
Dr. Douglas Bcegle, also of Penn
State’s Agronomy Department,
told the farmers Pennsylvania soil
generally contains about 2,700
pounds of nitrogen per acre. Still,
manure and crops such as legumes
are important sources of N. But
mineral N is continuously
changed by weather and soil
microbes, they said, making it
nearly impossible to accurately
predict how much N will be pre
sent in a particular plot at any par
ticular time.
A new approach to nitrogen soil
tests involves sampling during the
growing season -- preferably in
early June after the wet spring
weather - to determine the nitrate
N available in the soil.
If, in the spring at sidedressing
time, a nitrate N concentration of
25 parts per million is available in
the soil. Dr. Roth said it is probab
ly not necessary to add nitrate N
fertilizer that growing season.
uncatur Fuming, Saturday, Fabruary 17,1M0-A33
Com has the greatest need for N
starting about 30 to 45 days after
emergence, the Penn State profes
sors reminded the farmers. Penn
State’s N fertilizer recommenda
tions are to apply 1.0 to 1.1 pou
nds of N per bushel of expected
com yield.
As for the future, Dr. Roth sug
gested the environmental threat
resulting from a buildup of
nitrates in the soil may someday
lead to a limit on animal density,
especially in the southeast part of
Pennsylvania where nitrate and
phosphate pollution problems are
now most common. Another
result may be a requirement for
farmers to develop and maintain
nutrient management plans, he
said.
Another solution to the dangers
of environmental pollution due to
agriculture. Dr. Roth added, may
be the advancement of “bait and
kill” technologies, which attract
insect pests to one location where
they can be killed, eliminating the
need for widespread spraying of
dangerous pesticides.
Dr. Greg Roth
Distinguished Junior Members
Winners- Senior Division, Tammy BaHhas
er from Bernville, Berks Co., and Corey
Will of Berlin, Somerset Co., will represent
Pennsylvania in the National Dlstln-
Wayne County
Dairy Day
Still Open
HONESDALE (Wayne Co.)
Committees for the 1990 Wayne
County Dairy Day, to be held
March 8 from 9:30 a.m. - 3:15
p.m. at the Wayne County Veter
an’s Memorial Armory, have been
announced by Wayne County
Extension Service personnel.
Victor LaTourette and Charles
Dennis are to serve as program co
chairpersons.
Additional committees are as
follows;
Lunch-William Werner, Rick
Dulay, Ed DeVrieze and Robert
Nearing.
Space Assignment- Peter Wilk
en and Victor LaTourette.
Sound system-
Yatsonsky.
Registration- Patricia Mohn
and Ted Kostige.
Seating- John Pawloski, John
Mazzga, Robert Schmidt, Joseph
Schweighofer, Karl Eisenhauer
and Robert Miller Jr.
Clean-up- Joseph Krompasky,
Phil Gottschalk, John Pawloski,
Fred Nordenhold, Art Davis, Beth
Cassel and others.
Dairy Pricness- Daisy Dix and
Kathryn Dix.
Door awards- Robert Muller
Sr., Don Hibbard, Rick Dulay and
Art Davis.
Milk, Ice Cream and Cheese
Bars- John Mazzga, Art Noble,
Ellis Dix, Andy Dean, David
Hudy, Giod Theis, and Dairy Prin
cess representatives.
The program at Dairy Day will
include educational presentations,
commercial exhibits, dairy pro
duct bars, door awards, lunch, and
a report from a Dairy Princess
representative.
Agri-business firms and farm
organizations interested in partici
pating in Dairy Day and having an
exhibit should contact the Wayne
County Extension Service at
717-253-5970 ext. 239 very soon.
Dairy farm persons are asked to
make reservations for Dairy Day
by also calling the extension
office.
James