(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