Nutrient Management Planners Approved SMOKHTOWN (Lancaster Co.)— The USDA Soil Conserva tion Service has issued a list of fertilizer vendors and crop consul tants who have been approved to develop nutrient management plans for environmental protec tion in the POquea-Mill Creek Pro ject area of Lancaster County. These 25 ag chemical dealers and private consultants have com Elizabethtown Agriculture Project Bolsters Life Skills (Continued from Pago A 26) Gattens. “This is a unique educa tional experience for the students." Stocking pond “Mother Nature also has a way of getting stuff started out there on her own," said Gary L. Swihart, fishery assistance project leader with the wildlife service. Last week. Swihart visited the farm to work out the details of stocking the pond as part of the service’s Part ners In Wildlife program. “We’re just speeding up the process." he said. Martin, who is supervising the “terraforming" of the wetlands site, said that various fish have already been ordered for stocking, including channel catfish, large mouth catfish, bluegills, and striped bass will soon be stocked. Already, the areas have been stocked with water plants, includ ing waterlillies, watercress, and bullrushes. Cattails have been placed in the ditches, where the should grow rapidly, he said. Also, the water chemistry and pleted nutrient management min ing and passed an examination sponsored by Penn State Coopera tive Extension and the Soil Con servation Service. The nutrient management plan ners will use soil tests, informa tion about manure production, and crop production information to recommend nutrient applications from manure and fertilizer to flow are being studied. Working closely Erikson said that the ag depart ment has been working closely with the administration and the school board on the project. “I think the ag department has got to cater to life skills," he said. “Kids don’t learn the traditional way. They learn visually, they learn by doing. And what better place to learn to do life skills than in agriculture?” Next year, about 233 students are registered in ag programs at the school. “If kids don’t learn some of these projects and how to do them, then they’re going to have to have a tremendously high-paying job to pay somebody else to do these tilings for them,” he said. “And we can't teach sitting in a chair and our students sitting in a chair. That doesn’t work anymore." Erikson said, “You can tell a person, you can show a person, but if you get that person to do it, they understand it completely and the education is complete." achieve an optimum agronomic yield while ensuring acceptable environmental protection. Planners will include the envir onmental protection feature by preparing a farm operator’s nutri ent management summary that has been developed by the agencies in Pennsylvania that are responsible for environmental protection. The summary includes a manure t* •» y,* 2 * ♦ \ s S ’ ‘ ■* Nat Johnson, freshman, rototllls the plot In which he will plant carrots, sunflower, and zucchini. spreading schedule, rates of man ure application, and die fertilizer required to meet crop production needs. Fanners will find that by work ing with an approved dealer or consultant, they’ll be able to take advantage of the experience the dealer or consultant Ins in being a part of their farm operation in pre vious years. By being approved Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, May 23,1992429 X» dealer or consultant will be able to offer nutrient management for environmental protection as a new service. To have a nutrient management plan prepared, farmers can contact the Pequea-Mill Creek Project office, 3118 Airport Dr., Smoke town. PA 17576, (717) 396-9423 for a list of dealers and private consultants.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers