A2B-Lancastar Firming, Saturday, June 13, 1992
Fixing Up Pastures Just Small Part Of Field Day In White Horse
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
WHITE HORSE (Lancaster
Co.) Oftentimes, farmers get
caught up in the daily grind of
chores and time-consuming tasks
and delay taking a moment to see
how things can be improved on the
farm.
Often they’re aren’t aware that
there may be other ways of solving
problems and streamlining farm
operations.
With this in mind, Penn State, in
cooperation with the Soil Conser
vation Service as part of the
Pequea-Mill Creek Water Quality
Project, is sponsoring a Field Day
at the Gideon Stoltzfus Farm along
RL 897 in White Horse.
The purpose of the Held day, set
for Tuesday, June 23 from 9:30
a.m.-3 p.m., is to allow farmers to
get acquainted with the work of the
project and the agencies involved
and to provide solutions for
fanners.
Kinds of issues
The Held day “is basically an
introduction to the Pequea-Mill
emonstrate watering pumps and
troughs, Including a solar pump and a special portable
pumping trough that the cow operates, shown here by
Stoltzfus.
jy, v ne 23, the field day will overview various projects, Including solar
powered water pumps, shown here at left. Andy Mellinger, farm owner, far right
speaks to Frank Lucas of the Soil Conservation Service.
Creek Project, ’ ’ said Jeff Stoltzfus,
project associate. “It’s an intro
duction to the kinds of things we’re
working on, the kinds of issues that
we’re dealing with.’’
The field day will overview var
ious projects, including pasture
rotation, solar water pumps, slit til
lage, pasture pumps, portable
shading, pesticide mixing pads,
and mote. Representatives from
Brubaker Agronomics. Agri-
Basics Soil Service, the Lancaster
County Conservation District, the
Soil Conservation Service, and the
Pennsylvania Game Commission
will speak at'the field day.
A focus of the field day will be
small pasture improvement On
the Gideon Stoltzfus farm, die
Pequea-Mill Creek Project has
recendy helped install new electri
cal fencing and is working to repair
sod to the barnyard.
“We’re going to talk about the
benefits of stream fencing and pas
ture management from a herd
health and from a water quality
point of view,” said the project
associate.
, of stream ft ig and pasture management
from a herd health and from a water quality point of view. Fencing, such as the type
shown here by Andy Melllnger on his farm near Stasburg, will be examined.
Three paddocks
The field day will also examine
three paddocks, totalling eight
acres, on an adjacent farm oper
ated by Amos Stoltzfus. There are
separate paddocks for horses,
cows, and dairy heifers.
On the Amos Stoltzfus limn,
approximately one acre of land
(including a barnyard and path to
adjoining paddocks) has been
worn down to dirt The project is
busily working to reseed and
restore the pasture to allow for
improved soil conservation and to
provide a cleaner pasture area,
according to the project associate.
On a field day recently to Virgi
nia, associates for the Mill Creek
Project learned how cleaner and
cooler properly maintained pas
tures can be for cattle. In one
example, adjacent pasture was
eight degrees cooler than bare
ground.
Well-maintained grass “is cool
er on the cows and it’s better on the
feet,” he said. “Cows are cleaner.
They’re not ditty when you bring
them in to milk them. You don’t
have to deal with dirt and every
thing on the udders, because
they’ve been lying in the grass.
(Turn to Pag* A 32)
...jos v js farm, approx. -iatL / one acre of
land (Including a barnyard and path to adjoining paddocks)
has been worn down to dirt. The project is busily working to
reseed and restore the pasture to allow for improved soil
conservation and to provide a cleaner pasture area, accord
ing to JaffStoltzfus, project associate.
Jeff StoHzfus, associate with Pequee-Mill Creek Water
Quality Project, Inspects a spring well site. A portable pump
will be Installed here at the Amos Stoltzfus farm in White
Horse.
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