A New Cash Crop Alternative
(Continued from Pago A 1)
service in 1936 and the family lost
their seven-generations-owned
Wedlitz Farm there to Nazi
takeover. In 1952, he emigrated to
the United States and became
manager at Fox Lease Farms in
Virginia. Under Haberland’s gui
dance, Fox Lease gained national
recognition for its fine-bred regis
tered Holsteins.
Ted, Jr., and Diane returned to
Fox Lease following their mar
riage in 1983 to handle the 1,000
acres of crops. When Ted, Sr.
retired in 1986, the young couple
went to work on a Ml Joy dairy
farm pursue their interest in
Eighteen months later, they
purchased a small dairy farm in
Berks County and began milking
st in the five-feet-tall canola are from left, Beth,
6; Theo, 5; and Elsa, 3; the Haberland youngsters.
(|bJ) <jsb|) (jjsj) (|s|) <@) (§s|)
GSf
(ifisiiip
(GSj)
(psj)
(ittg)
GSI
GSI
30 cows, including a core of IS
head owned from Ted’s 4-H
career. Within a year they
received an “irresistable” offer
from a buyer who wanted the
farm. Through a Lancaster Farm
ing ad, they located their present
Thomasville R 1 operation, for
merly owned by Claude “Bud”
Holmes.
“So we’re in a new venture with
an old friend,” grins Ted of the
canola planting which has so fas
cinated the neighborhood. “Dad’s
up every couple of weeks and has
been watching it grow. It’s been a
big kick for him.”
The 25 acres were planted to the
tiny, round, black canola seeds
last August 25, after silage com
was harvested. Soil tests called for
50 pounds nitrogen, 60 each of
TIME TO GO
kU
SSI
ssi
PLAN NOW FOR YOUR
FUTURE GRAIN STORAGE
actory-Trained Dealer
A
★ Full Line Parts Dept. * Sell, Service & Install *
14 Herrville Road
Willow Street, PA 17584
Ph: 717-464-3321 or Toll Free 800-732-0053
Store Hours: Mon.-Set. 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM
ssi
ssi
phosphorus and potash and 5 of
sulphur per acre.
“Canola is such a small seed
that it needs to be handled like
alfalfa in preparing a seedbed,”
Ted explains. And, while Euro
pean growers have specialized
canola seeders, Haberland had to
improvise.
After chisel plowing, the
seedbed was disked and culti
packed twice. A grain drill, minus
the hoses in front of the drill disks,
was used to direct seed the canola
at the rate of 6 pounds per acre.
After seeding, the bed was culti
packed once more for good seed
to-soil contact
In about a week, the seedlings,
“looking like little tiny bow-ties”
were up, ideally six to ten plants
per square foot. By late October,
the Haberlands were pleased with
the stand, which turned a brilliant
crimson in fall’s chilly
temperatures.
“Early planting seems to be a
key to a good stand,” Haberland
believes. “Canola has a tap root
that needs to develop. There’s not
much heighth in the fall, just
leaves and tap root. It should have
10 to 12 leaves per crown to be
ready to go into winter, when the
tops completely die off. And it
cannot take wet spots; canola must
good winter drained soils.”
By early May, the sunny yellow
blooms atop the five-foot stem
covered the fields with color and
kept the local honeybee popula
tion working overtime. Dozens of
tiny, fingerlike pods, already fill
ing with the pin-head-size seeds,
protruded off branches from each
main stem.
The Haberlands frequently host
European visitors, including youth
exchangees. They’ve praised the
stand, and marvel at the lack of
pests on it. Lack of cold winters in
growing areas there encourage
insect and fungus infestations.
“Dad has told us that with a
good canola crop you should be
able to pull on a plant at one edge
of the field and it should shake at
the other edge,” Haberland
observes of the crop’s tendency to
tangle together into a thick mass
of growth. “And a crop with
decent yields should start to lay
over as it matures.
“We like to plant a fall grain for
(^slxgsj)
:gbi:
- Grain Bins
ssi
SSI
pods on the canola stand.
generating early summer cash
flow and then double crop com or
soybeans,” adds Haberland. “But
we didn’t really need the straw
from barley and canola matures
earlier for double cropping. We’ll
probably follow it with beans.”
The Thomasville dairyman
plans to harvest the canola with a
soybean head, in early June. Seed
moisture should ideally be at nine
percent at harvest for the highest
concentration of oil and to prevent
rancidity. Haberland, Sr. has cau
tioned the couple that all harvest
and hauling equipment must be as
free as possible of leaks and
cracks.
“Dad says that if trucks or
equipment won’t hold water, they
won’t hold canola, either,” Haber
land says of the fine seed.
“You can handle the seed and
actually feel the oil from it,” he
says of this oil-rich crop. Prom
oted as one of the healthiest veget
able oils, canola oil is seeing
increased use for frying by
consumer-health-conscious fast
food chains.
“Canola oil is available in some
local supermarkets,” notes Diane,
sbx
Feed Bins
Grain Testers
Bucket Elevators
Auger Conveying (GSX)
Equipment .
Aeration Fans (GRX)
& Floors
SSI
ssi
SSI
lincastef Farming, Sahmhty, aim# ft, IJ9I-A35
(tssi)
(JSBJ)
(issit)
(fisi)
(GB1)
<@)
(|S|)
<®>
<m
SSI
who has taken to reading cooking
oil labels in search of marketers of
the product.
According to Haberland, canola
protein meal has tremendous
livestock feeding characteristics
as an oilseed by-product. Howev
er, due to its expense, he figures
alternatives as more economical.
The recent opening of Iron Cur
tain countries to increased world
trade has been a factor, Haberland
believes, in making canola variet
ies available that will tolerate area
winter temperatures.
“Poland had the strains of those
seeds,” he adds. “Before leader
ship changes in Poland and the
opening of the country, they
weren’t available here.”
The Haberlands credit York
Agway for assistance in locating a
supply of seed for planting. And
grow was instrumental in con
tracting the crop to Albright’s Mill
in Kempton.
Running an input cost analysis,
Haberland tallyed slightly over
$9O per acre of planting and
harvest costs. That included six
pounds of seed at $2.72 per pound,
$35.50 of fertilizer, $lO for tillage
and $3O harvest and trucking.
And, while his father recalls yields
of 35 bushel per acre, prior to
commercial fertilizer usage and
with old seed varieties, Haberland
hopes for at least a 50-bushel yield
and a $5/bushel price. Price per
bushel, he says, usually runs
somewhat parallel that of
soybeans.
While the canola was in final
ripening stages, the Haberlands
were filling their forage silo with
another less familiar silage crop,
triticalc.
“It gives more tonnage than
barley and is ready later than rye.
Our heavy soils just won’t support
equipment most years early
enough to chop rye. It gives us a
ten-day harvest window, and can
head out and still give a 18-20 per
cent feed," Haberland adds. Last
year’s triticale silage yielded six
tons dry matter per acre. Com or
beans follows the forage crop.
“We like to try new things,”
agree the Haberlands. “We don’t
necessarily need to be first, but we
don’t want to be the last.”
The Haberlands enjoy sharing
their experience with these locally
lesser known crops and are willing
to talk with other farmers consid
ering planting them. They may be
reached at New Wcdlitz Farm,
Thomasville Rl, 17364, phone
717-259-8406.