EMincnt* Farming, Saturday, March 131993 Program Helps Fruit Growers Manage Frost UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) A single frost can devas tate fruit crops, inflicting damage that takes years to correct. Soon a computerized expert system being developed in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences may make it easier for growers to pro tect their orchards from frost damage. “In one season, growers can lose hundreds of thousands of dol lars worth of fruit to frost dam age,” said Dr. Paul Heinemann, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering. “Yet even as scientists demonstrate that frost protection systems pay for themselves in reduced crop loss, growers remain reluctant to install them. Many fear that the cost is too expensive or that managing such a system would be too time consuming.” Heinemann hopes that one of his research projects—a computer program that makes frost protec tion decisions easier, reducing management time and effort— will increase growers’ acceptance BREAKING MILK RECORDS! Lancaster Farming Carries DHIA Reports Each Month! HERNIA? No hernia is unrepairable, even after sev eral previous failed attempts. We special ize in outpatient hernia repairs, and most patients are able to return to full work with in several days. PLEASE CALL COLLECT OR WRITE FOR MORE INFORMATION MID ATLANTIC SURGICAL SERVICES 217 Harrisburg Ave., Suite 201 Lancaster, PA 17603 (717) 295-5454 MOST INSURANCE ACCEPTED HARDY "Outside" Wood Furnace No Fire Danger To Your Home PERFECT FOR New Homes •existing Homes Swimming Pools • Greenhouses Barns • Mllthouses Offices • Business Places b SAFE V r i —pi Furnace sits outside, eliminates fire \ K| “Tm danger and flue fire forever. 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Lltllz, PA 17543 717-626-4705 BEN VAN DUSEN MACHINERY RD #2, Box 400 Sayre, PA 18840 717-888-5370 AGRI-COMMODITIES 1585 Granite Station Gettysburg, PA 17325 717-334-6224 “frost protection strategies, opera' tional management, forecasting, and instrumentation." The first module, frost protection strate gies, summarizes frost protection methods and compares them eco nomically. ‘This part of the sys tem also includes information on risk partitioning, site selection, heating design, sprinkling, wind machines, and cover systems.” The operational management component guides the crop mana ger during a frost night “A grower could use this part of the program to determine sprinkler rates for Meyer Mfg. Corp. has developed a new style of manure spreader that can handle a wide variety of manure. The double expellor system rips away tough pen or frozen manure and applies it to the field in a smooth, even pattern. The new Meyer unit unloads out the rear, not the side, to prevent debri from coming back to the spreader and tractor. The Super Spreader is available in 260 bu., 325 bu.. 360 bu., 390 bu., 450 bu., and 540 bu. units. Lower Loading Height Faster Unloading Time Trouble-Free Design 50% Thicker Tank Steel Free Demo Meyer 500 & 600 TSS Forage Boxes Total Speed System Meyer Mfg. Corp. has developed a new style of forage box that can unload at a much faster rate of speed. This is accomplished thru a low range-high range variable speed system. Apron speeds range from 0-7.5’ per minute in low range and 0-17’ per minute in high range. The Meyer TSS also allows the operator to inch the augers free of material before engaging the apron chain. This box is available in the All Steel TSS or the TSS AL Alumin ized model. under-and over-tree irrigation, heater requirements, and the effectiveness of wind machines,” Heineman said. The forecasting section of the program includes long-term tools for determining “frost windows,” periods when a particular area is susceptible to frost “It also fea tures short-term tools to show how far temperatures will drop during a particular night and how long the cold may last “The fourth component, instrumentation, shows the grower how to locate sensors in the field Super Spreader Heavy Duty Expellor* MEYER Mfg. Corp. DORCESTER, Wl Ph 715-654-5132 and what types of sensors to use,” Heinemann said. The frost program will be avail able in both Macintosh and IBM PC versions. Other fruit manage ment expert systems that have already been or are being deve loped at Penn State include the Penn State Apple Orchard Consul tant, PeachES, and VITIS. For more information, contact Paul Heinemann at The Pennsyl vania State University, 246 Agri cultural Engineering Building, University Park, PA 16802, (814) 865-7685. 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