822-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 15, 1992
(Continued from Page B 20)
Presentation; Urban Youth Education and the Theatre Arts (Wednesday) - College
Exhibits Building
Presentation: Is Your Water Safe to Drink (Thursday) - College Exhibits Building
General Research Tour - Com Crib
Processed Food Demonstration: Low-fat Dairy Products - College Exhibits
Building
Macintosh Computer Class - Youth Building
General Research Tour - Com Crib
General Research Tour - Com Crib
Ag Progress Days Exhibits Close (Tuesday and Thursday)
3:20
3:30
3:40
4:00
5:00
The following activities take place on Wednesday only
General Conservation Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Forest Stewardship Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Macintosh Computer Class - Youth Building
Presentation: Backyard Composting - College Exhibits Building
Horse Breed Exhibitions - Horse Arena
General Research Tour • Com Crib
General Conservation Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Macintosh Computer Class - Youth Building
General Research Tour - Com Crib
General Research Tour - Com Crib
Forest Stewardship Tour • Conservation Education Tent
Meat Cooking Demonstration - Mealing Place
3:30
4:00
4:20
4:30
4:40
5:00
Ag Progress Days Exhibits Open
General Research Tour - Com Crib
Forest Stewardship Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Vegetable and Small Fruit Research Tour (Tuesday) - Com Crib
Rotational Grazing Systems Tour (Wednesday) - Com Crib
Corn and Small Grain Research Tour (Thursday) - Com Crib
Meat Cooking Demonstration • Mealing Place
Pesticide Workshop: Weed Life Cycles and Identification - College Exhibits
Building
Horse Breed Exhibitions - Horse Arena
Horse Events: Thorncroft Mainstreamers Drill Team, Side Saddle Demonstration
(Thursday) - Horse Arena
General Research Tour • Com Crib
Timber Bridge Tour (Wednesday) - Com Crib
General Conservation Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Watering Systems and Stream Crossing Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Machinery Demonstration: Conservation Planting
Food Demonstration: Omelettes from Pellets - C c .cge Exhibits Building
Macintosh Computer Class - Youth Building
9:00
10:00
10:20
10:30
Youths Learn About
ROCKSPRING (Centre Co.)
Young people can find out about
computers, 4-H programs, horses,
plants, soils and more at Penn
State’s Ag Progress Days.
“Young people will have the
opportunity to participate in
hands-on activities introducing
them to a variety of skills and
careers in the agricultural sci
ences,” says Dr. Robert Baldwin,
assistant dean for resident educa
tion in Penn State’s College of
Agricultural Sciences.
Two horticulture exhibits will
be on display in the Youth Build
ing. “Propagation: the Art of Re
producing Plants” will cover re
production techniques for horti
cultural crops. Youths will have a
chance to propagate their own ger
aniums.
“Do You Know the Trees in
Pennsylvania Landscapes?” in
cludes an identification test of the
slate’s trees. Leaf and stem sam
ples will be on display along with
information about the trees they
represent. ‘Trees provide beauty,
shade and many other benefits,”
says Dr. Larry Kuhns, professor of
ornamental horticulture. “It’s im
portant for young people to recog
nize their value.”
Another Youth Building dis
play will show careers in agricul
tural and biological engineering
and agricultural systems manage
ment and technology. “Young
people can get information on soil
conservation and water quality,
food processing engineering,
structures and their environments
and power and machinery sys
tems,” says Dr. Dennis Buffing
ton, professor and head of agricul
tural engineering.
Youths also can leant about
soils and landscapes, computer
ized geographic information sys
tems, terrain analysis and remote
sensing. “A display will compare
traditional and computerized me
thods of evaluating soil and land
resources,” says Dr. Rick Day,
manager of Penn State’s Land
Analysis Systems Program.
Youngsters and adults can get
experience using Macintosh com
puters at a number of exhibits.
Half-hour computer-training
classes will take place in the
Youth Building’s computer class
room, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday and until 7
p.m. on Wednesday. Visitors can
lake a computer quiz, work with
basic data and leam how to use a
graphics program.
“This is an opportunity for peo
ple of all ages to sit down at a
computer for the first lime in a
low-pressure situation,” says Tho
mas Weber, computer training and
support specialist in the College of
Agricultural Sciences.
A station next to the computer
classroom will introduce PEN
pages, an electronic library of con
sumer and agricultural informa
tion operated and maintained by
Penn State’s College of Agricul
tural Sciences. PENpages is a free
information service with thou
sands of fact sheets, news articles
and other sources of information.
The 4-H exhibit “4-H is More”
features a touch-screen computer
program. Youths can interact with
the program to learn about 4-H
programs in plant science, entre
preneurship, photography, nutri
tion and many other areas. The ex
hibit also will include 4-H mater
ials and printed information.
Other 4-H exhibits include
“4-H Camp; The Experience of a
Lifetime”; “Don’t Waste Our Fu
ture,” which demonstrates news
paper recycling and small-scale
composing: and “Be Careful:
You’re Standing on Groundwa-
1992 Schedule Of Events
Technology And The Environment
ler,” which shows how human ac
tivity impacts water resources.
“4-H Livestock Raising: Art or
Science?” demonstrates how
youths leam to raise and care for
animals. Participants in the 4-H
Theater Arts Program also will
perform.
In addition, several equine
events of special interest to youths
are planned for Wednesday, Au
gust 19. These include a therapeu-
On-Farm Composting
ROCKSPRING (Centre Co.) The finished product can be
Composting can reduce manure used on the farm as a soil condi
and form wastes by one-half to tioner or for livestock bedding. “It
two-thirds whde converting them a lso can be sold to other farmers,
into an effective soil conditioner homeowners, landscapers, turf
that can be spread or sold. managers and n operators.”
During the composting pro- says
cess, microorganisms convert Composting is slightly more
organic waste into a light, odor- labor-intensive than spreading
free soil-hke product, says raw manure or disposing of
Timothy Fritz, Penn State wastes. It requires proper siting,
Cooperative Extension agent in and laiger operations may need to
Montgomery County. It can be purchase equipment for moving
used as-is mixed with wood chips, compost,
sawdust or other materials to m addition. The U.S Depart
make an excellent mulch.” mem of Agriculture and the
Fntz will talk about on-farm American Society of Soil Conser
“>lJlsSfUng 20 vation views manure composting
kV ‘d°-Er"' * C C ° c ge Exhi- as manure storage. The compost
bits Budding during Penn State s j n g operation can be cost-shared,
Ag Progress Days. but die site must meet certain
Composting is simple and can design standards,
be done on any size farm,” says “But composting is worth the
Fntz. Farmers with small opera- effort on many farms,” says Fritz,
tions can turn piles with front-end “Less manure and waste means
loaders, and larger operations may less hauling and spreading with
choose to move compost with soil-compacting machineiy. Corn
mechanized composting post also improves soil's fertility,
systems. structure and water-holding
Any livestock manure or organ- capacity. Nitrogen in compost is
ic waste can be composted, slow-releasing, which can be bet
mcludmg leaves yard waste, pap- ter for plants and the environment
er and cardboard. It takes three to than nitrogen in other forms.”
four months for a properly Composting may also be the
designed and operated system to most practical way for poultry far
complete a cycle. mere to dispose of dead chickens.
General Research Tour - Corn Crib
General Research Tour - Com Crib
Forest Stewardship Tour • Conservation Education Tent
Nutrient Management Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Machinery Demonstration: Primary and Secondary Tillage
Macintosh Computer Class - Youth Building
Pesticide Workshop: Choosing and Using Spray Nozzles • College Exhibits
Building
General Research Tour • Com Crib
General Conservation Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Watering Systems and Stream Crossing Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Wetlands Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Food Demonstration: Vegetable Stir-fries - College Exhibits Building
Macintosh Computer Class • Youth Building
General Research Tour - Com Crib
General Research Tour - Com Crib
Forest Stewardship Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Meat Cooking Demonstration - Mealing Place
Macintosh Computer Class - Youth Building
Pesticide Workshop: Residue Testing - College Exhibits Building
General Research Tour • Com Crib
Processed Food Demonstration: Low-fat Dairy Products - College Exhibits
Building
Macintosh Computer Class • Youth Building
General Research Tour • Com Crib
General Research Tour - Com Crib
Forest Stewardship Tour - Conservation Education Tent
Machinery Demonstration: Mowing
Macintosh Computer Class - Youth Building
Presentation: Composting Poultry (Tuesday) - College Exhibits Building
Macintosh Computer Class - Youth Building
General Research Tour - Com Crib
Food Demonstration: Omelettes from Pellets - College Exhibits Building
Macintosh Computer Class - Youth Building
General Research Tour - Com Crib
General Research Tour - Com Crib
Macintosh Computer Class - Youth Building
Presentation: Pesticide Handling for the Homeowner - College Exhibits Building
Horse Events: Flag Presentation, Dedication Ceremony, Thomcroft Mainstreamers
Drill Team, Freestyle Reining, Draft Horse Hitches and Carts - Horse Arena
6:20 General Research Tour - Com Crib
6:30 Processed Food Demonstration: Low-fat Dairy Products - College Exhibits
Building
Macintosh Computer Class - Youth Building
General Research Tour - Com Crib
10:40
11:00
11:20
11:30
11:40
12:00
12:20
12:30
12:40
1:00
5:20
5:30
5:40
6:00
tic horseback riding demonstra
tion, presentations by 4-H horse
club members and demonstrations
by stale 4-H riding champions.
Wednesday evening will feature
an exhibition of draft horses, drill
teams and freestyle reining.
“Various breeds will be exhibit
ed each day of the event, and there
will be a horse handling and train
ing clinic by Penn Slate horse
farm manager Ward Studebaker,”
says Pat Comerford, extension
horse program coordinator.
A tent in the horse area will fea
ture 4-H horse programs, tack and
equipment, Penn Stale’s quarter
horses and teaching programs,
horseshoeing, the horse in medie
val agriculture and other exhibits.
Commercial and breed exhibitors
also will have displays. A variety
of horse-related videos will be
shown including “Careers in the
Horse Industry.”
Featured
“Composting chickens is an
inexpensive alternative to inciner
ating,” says John Schwartz, exten
sion director and poultry specialist
for Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion in Lancaster County. “Instead
of destroying the carcasses, far
mers can turn them into an asset.”
Schwartz will talk about poultry
'composting Tuesday, August 18
at 1:00 p.m. in the College Exhi
bits Building.
Flock sizes and body weights of
chickens have increased in recent
years, creating more bulk to dis
pose of when chickens die.
“Incinerating carcasses requires
fuel,” says Schwartz. “Selling
them to rendering companies to
make into animal food has been an
option, but fewer companies are
accepting dead poultry because
the feathers are difficult to
process.”
Composting chickens started in
Pennsylvania about three years
ago. “Farmers are discovering that
it fits into their routines without
creating a lot of extra work,” says
Schwartz.
Poultry compost bins must have
concrete floors to keep moisture
from leaching into the ground and
a roof to keep rain out Pressure
(Turn to Pago 824)