(Continued from Page A2S) the upper layers of soil are released when disturbed. Initially, the release of nutrients results in good crop harvests because (he plants can readily use those nutrients. However, the plant nutrients locked up in the organic matter constitutes a base level like a time-release fertilizer in soils that provides season-long food for plants, regulates soil moisture and alkalinity, and not only reduces erosion, but eventually increases soil bulk. The whole system depends on several tools, according to KinseJ la, the most important of which is the farmer’s brain, and of course, a healthy supply of large earth worms, otherwise known as nightcrawlers. Many fields no longer have populations of earthworms. They are starved out when no crop residue is left on the field, they are killed by certain chemicals such as Furadan, used to control grubs and other soil insects which prey on the roots of plants, and there are other ways in which they can be elimi nated, such as through continual plowing. The reason earthworms, espe cially nightcrawlers. are so impor tant to soils is because their tunnels allow water and air to infiltrate the soil so that it is retained and can be used by the plant over the season. Small worms, such as common rcdworms are also important, though their tunnels aren’t as deep. p^Bm§roll TRACTOR & CATTLE GUARD For Ran Ke Co i Of PAUL B. ZIMMERMAN. INC. w W MU HMRJH IVil mm aMS I KlWiff Bi a® a® Caff or Wrttt For 29$ Woodcomar ltd. Additional Information Utft*. PA 17543 And Your Naaraat Daalar 1 Mile W*«f Of Ephrata Phont: TIT-7W-1121 Raise Worms For Better Crops because they also provide hun dreds of miles of air and water pas sages, like pores in a sponge. In facta sponge is what Kinsella attempts to create. Additionally, because of their sheer volume and tunneling abili ty, earthworms can eliminate com paction problems, as long as far mers don’t frequently drive heavy machinery on their fields and keep trips in the fields limited to the bar est minimum. Kinsella’s system depends heavily on the use of herbicides, however, while the herbicide costs may go up, the overall cost of rais ing crops is reduced significantly because of the elimination of the need to use a lot of machinery and tractors. He showed charts which com pared overall costs of raising crops by both methods with the cost of business as usual much higher than no-till. Kinsella said that many are not thrilled with no-till because of ear ly attempts to use a technology that was little understood. He said he made many mistakes in the early years, but has since worked out those problems. He told the group “Don’t be the first one to use new technology, but don’t be the last one.” The use of herbicides has received a lot of bad publicity over the recent years, which Kinsella addressed. “Some of the chemicals we used in the past should not be used, but there are a lot of people who have an irrational fear of chemicals because they don’t understand them.” Kinsella said he has to explain to some people that the herbicides he uses work by blocking the function of the chlorophyl (the sun activated energy producing part of a plant) in the plant. He said he tries to explains that since people don’t have chlorophyl they are in no danger of dying from these types of herbicides. He said he also uses less chemi cal overall than traditional farming would demand and that he wouldn’t use anything that would injure his earthworm population. There were apparently several people in the audience who also practice no-till fanning, as at least one “Amen,” was said during Kinsella’s talk. The earthworm tunnels also help prevent the spread of chemi cals, because the oxygen-needing microbes in the soil line thd walls of the worm tunnels and break down the chemicals, thus prevent ing the chemicals from reaching the ground water. Rinsella said that years ago, the thought was to try to kill the earth worms because it was feared that the tunnels they provided would help speed the travel of chemicals into ground water supplies. “In fact, the opposite is true,” he said. Kinsella said he uses starter fer tilizer cverytime he seeds no-till, Years Of Service! Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 21,1W1-A37 because, while plenty of nutrients are present in the ground, they are not in readily availible form when the seed needs it. In addition,.he said his seeding rates are probably lower because he is planting seeds exacdy at the depth they should be and providing a more hospitable environment for plant growth. An example of the results of his methods is a 200 bushel per acre com yields he got this past year. Although a user’s manual on no till farming is still being developed for use in the East, the Midwest edition can be obtained through BASF Corporation, P.O. Box Manure Structures improving the operation and main tenance of the facilties. In addition, farmers can contact the local SCS office to look into options to help them improve existing facilities. New facilities can be constructed with cost-share money available from ASCS and the Chesapeake Bay program. In addition. Bowers and safety engineers are working to make use ‘A well-constructed, well-maintained pond or structure within 50 feet of a stream, if it’s catching the barnyard runoff that got in the stream before, I think it’s a very positive action that the farmer has taken.* New From S Shenandoah BRUTE Designed for poultry and other farm applications CALL OUR TOLL FREE CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER: 1-800-673-2580 cignKmnKgßMH systems 13528, Research Triangle Park, N.C., 27709. Yogurt, cheese, ice cream and puddings are among the favorite foods of 6th to 12th graders, according to a survey conducted by Harris/Scholastic Research. Other favored foods include milk, pasta, potatoes and fruit The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents serve children under 2 years of age whole milk, since fat plays a vital role in brain development. (Continued from Page A 36) of the results of the survey in the Department of Environmental Resources (DER) Manure Manual update. “One of the purposes of the study was to get the information and what to do with the informa tion,” said Goodlander. “So I hope that we can do something now that we have the knowledge and information about it” {iterators ext Generation with the benefits you asked for... life.. • No grates to replace, fractory-lined bum chamber, (f-supporting, replaceable top. of use ... ... Auto ignition. No pilots to light. More capacity ... Cleanly bums 250# per load. fuel efficiency.... Weight: 1762 pounds Quick incineration means low fuel consumption. IN STOCK STORE HOURS . Mon.-FH. 7:30-4:30 Sit. 7:30-11:30
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