READING (Berks Co.) — Far mers throughout southcentral and southeastern Pennsylvania suf fered huge crop losses in the sum mer of 1991, one of the driest in recent memory. Along with everybody else, far mers were wondering what that drought will mean. Is it part of a normal weather pattern? Was it a freakish occurrence? Will the loc al climate become hotter and more arid? According to Penn State meteorologist Paul Knight, the summer of 1992 is almost certain to be wetter than the summer just past Although the 1991 drought was severe, it was well within the normal range of summer weather, Knight reported in the most recent issue of Meridian Bank’s Ag Letter. The Ag Letter is mailed period ically to fanners and agribusiness men in Meridian’s service area. Meridian is one of the largest ag lenders in the Northeast. In most recent years, according to Knight, the cultivated fields have been covered with lush spring growth. The early grpwth helps keep the ground cool by reflecting sunlight. In 1991, the fields did not have that early spring cover. The dark-colored earth absorbed sunlight It heated up and stayed hot which was why the region suffered through a heat SCRAPE, DIG, PULL, LOAD, TILL, MOW AND MORE wave as well as a drought “What happened this summer was a blocking weather pattern that came into southern and south eastern Pennsylvania and just stayed,” Knight said. “It’s not likely to happen two years in a row, and it's certainly not going to happen every year. In 1991, the block came in at the worst possi ble time, early May, when the crops needed rain and cloud cover to germinate and get off to a good start." Most of us, farmers and non farmers alike, can't do anything about the weather except hope for the best But, Paul Clugston, who farms outside Halifax in Dauphin County, has taken a more active course. Clugston's farm is hilly and has soil types that don't retain water very well. His income derives from the sale of milk from a dairy herd, and chicken from a flock of broilers. Clugston needs his 223 acres of farmland both to produce feed for his cows and to dispose of the manure from the dairy animals and the chickens. Like most dairymen in the area, Clugston grows corn, alfalfa and some ryegrass for dairy feed. For many years, that's all he grew, but he was constantly worried about dry summers. Four years ago, he took part of the land he ordinarily would have Ag Letter Looks At Drought planted with com and instead planted sudangrass. Sudangrass is a relative of com, but it doesn't produce ears and is much more tolerant of drought. In another Ag Letter article, Clugston said not everybody could benefit from his cropping scheme. It did very well for him this summer, though, because his State HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) A Newport farmer with more than 50 years of dairy experience has been nominated by the Pen nsylvania State Grange to serve on the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board. Robert Gabel, owner-operator of the 250-acre, 100-head dairy farm where he was bom and raised, is also being supported by other major farm organizations and dairy cooperatives. He is a 46-year member of Oliver Grange in Perry Co. If appointed to this three-year term, Gabel will help make deci sions and oversee the Board’s $BO million yearly budget. The Board’s main responsibility is the promotion and advertising of dairy Estate owners, landscapers and fanners will appreciate the Kubota B-50 Series' wide choice of handy implements. These include mid and rear mount mowers, front loaders, boxscrapers, back hoes, posthole diggers, snowblowers, even rotary tillers. Kubota's remarkable B-50 Series compact tractors come \dth mid and 2-speed rear PTO. Optional Hydrostatic Transmission. From 17-24 HP. Kubota's optional ''Bi- Speed Turn" system allows smaller and precise turns in 4-Wheel Drive, which makes mowing and* even loading more efficient. Reverse air flow cooling directs radiator heat away from the operator for a comfortable, quiet ride. The Kubota B-50 Series. Versatile compact tractors. Kubota Tractor Corporation markets a full line of tractors through a nationwide network of over 1,000 dealers K'jboto. soil types, combined with the hot, dry weather, were extremely unfa vorable for corn production. Even the sudangrass was hurt somewhat In a more normal year, Clugston said he would expect to get three cuttings of sudangrass for animal feed. In the summer of 1991 he was able to get only two cuttings. In addition to its drought resis- Grange Dairy Nomination products. Gabel serves on the Board of Directors for Eastern Milk Produc ers Cooperative Association, Inc., the Pennsylvania Grange Dairy Committee, and the advertising and promotion agency for the Middle Atlantic Milk Marketing Area. Some of the other organizations which Gabel is a member of include Pennsylvania Beef Coun cil, Pennsylvania Animal Health and Diagnostics Commission, Pennsylvania State Council of LyVLIHEM WflH NJILK lance, sudangrass removes two to three times as many soil nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus and potas sium - as does a crop of com. For livestock-intensive farms such as Clugston’s, this can be a valuable management tool to help stem the runoff of soil nutrients into nearby streams. It can also help control the leaching of nitrates into groundwater supplies. Makes Farm Organizations, Perry County Ag Land Preservation Board, and the Dairy Herd Improvement Association. Gabel has also won several awards and honors, including Master Farmer Award in 1987, Blue and Gold Award from New port FFA Chapter in May 1990, and a citation for Perry County Farm Family of the Year in 1976. He and his wife Bemeice reside on Bamview Farm in Newport with their two children. See Your Local Kubota Dealer PENNSYLVANIA Albums CANNS-BILCO 215*820-0222 Avondale THOMAS POWER EQUIP. 215*268*2181 Bloomsburg TRACTOR PARTS CO. 717-784-0250 Chambarsburg STOUFFER BROS., INC. 717-263-8424 Cochranville STOLTZFUS FARM SERVICE, INC. 215-593-2407 Hanover FINCH SERVICES HANOVER, INC. 717-632-2345 Honesdale MARSHALL MACHINERY, INC. 717-729-7117 Lebanon kelleOros. TRACTOR CO. 717-949-2000 Lancaster KELLER BROS. TRACTOR CO. 717-569-2500 Reading NICARRY EQUIPMENT CO. 215-926-2441 Stroudsburg SEBRING'S POWER HOUSE 717-421-8980 York YORK TRACTOR, INC. 717-764-1094 MARYLAND Hanarstown ARNETT’S GARAGE 301-733-0515 Chestertown W.N. COOPER & SON, INC. 301-778-3464 Rama Sun AG IND. EQUIP. CO. INC. 301-656-5568 NEW JER! MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEMS 609-267-6100 Shtloh ROBERT G. HAMPTON 609-451-9520
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