JL fT? (Tti TP W W A TTIW y/ A\l JI /CVJJL4J IBP< PENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ittlT. inn "Wm Corn Talk ’ Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 17, 1993-Page 1 Brothers Pay Attention To Kind Dave, Ralph, Richard, and Mike Glenn received their Five Acre Corn Club award for a yield of 213 bushels to the acre. EVERETT NEWSWANGER Managing Editor WEST MIDDLESEX (Mer cer Co.) —Com is king, not only of the fields, but com will become king of the market place if com growers have their way. From one pound of Hydro-Sorb, a new powder made from com that can drink a ton of water in 60 seconds, to ethanol, the fuel that helps reduce pollution from engine exhaust, the potential to con sume com in non-farm uses is enormous. That’s the message Mike Wagner, executive director, Ohio Com Growers Associa tion, told the Pennsylvania Master Com Growers at their conference in February. Wag ner reported that Ohio farmers have been working with a one half cent per bushel check-off I often hear our football The same is likely true for stresses our profitability, coach, Joe Patemo, say on TV com growers, since we face Our challenge is to try to “you never stay the same fierce competition from our keep doing it a little better each you either get better or you get neighbors in the Cora Belt and year just to keep up with the worse.” other countries that continually (Turn to Pag* 6) Coni Becomes ‘King’ Of Marketplace program the past three years, and this gives them a million and a half dollars each year for research and advertising. A 15 member farmer board of direc- tors governs the use of the funds. In 1987 Ohio had 500 com grower members. Now they have 1300 members. Before they started their promo tion efforts, 16 percent of the fuels used in Ohio were ethanol blends. Now 25 percent has the com derivative in use. “Our number one priority was to increase the use of etha nol,” Wagner said. ‘This was the quickest way to increase com grind. It has been difficult because one professor at Ohio State continues to say ethanol will never be a factor. But we are grinding more than 400 mil lion bushels of com for ethanol each year. That is more than YLVANIA MASTER RN GROWERS ASSOCIATION Between The Rows Dr, Greg Roth Penn State Agronomy Assistant Professor Ohio raises in a year. I think that’s important.” In Cleveland, a clean air act required an oxinated fuels prog- Here we stand at the edge of the field, ready to enter the establishment phase of the 1993 com crop. Our land will be adequately protected by con ducting our field operations Of Corn They Plant BONNIE BRECHBILL Franklin Co. Correspondent McCONNELLSBURG (Fulton Co.) A yield of 213 bushels of com per acre made the Glenn brothers of McCon nellsburg new members of the Five Acre Com Club. Their farm is along Route 552 south, in one of Fulton County’s scen ic valleys. “We didn’t do anything spe cial,” to obtain that yield, Richard Glenn said. They chisel plowed and disked, then planted the seed with their four-row planter on 38-inch rows, using eight pounds of insecticide per acre. “We shoot for 22,000-23,000 population,” Richard said. The plot received 220 pounds of 10-30-10 fertilizer to the acre, and was sprayed with 145 units of nitrogen with her bicide at planting time. The brothers also spread manure from their 40 x 70 foot con- ram by last November. The Ohio check-off money was used in Cleveland to educate people about ethanol. Their YLVANIA MASTER >RN GROWERS ASSOCIATION President’s Message H. Grant Troop President, PMCGA according to our soil manage ment (conservation) plan, thus controlling soil and water los ses during periods of rainfall runoff. To grow com, we need the rain to enter our field soil, not the nearest stream. We’ve tested our soils and ai rived at our lime and fertilizer recommendations based on soil series production capabilities and expected yield levels. We adjusted (reduced) our nitrogen application rates to account for manure and legumes where applicable. Seed com has been selected with the highest yield potential for the conditions under which we grow com (high or low population, no-till or conventional, early or late planting, etc). Pesticides have been chosen to target known weed and insect pests with an eye on costs. Their safe use is a top Crete block pit on it. The three Glenn brothers Richard, 43; Dave, 39; and Mike, 36 farm in partner ship about five miles south of McConnellsburg. They pur chased the cows and machin ery from their father, Ralph, in 1977, and rent 600 acres from him. They farm a total of 720 acres and milk 137 cows. Their Crop Management Association technician, Troy Vanderau, said that when scouting for beeties on the com silks, he couldn’t reach the ears on some of the plants in that plot. Besides their 238 acres of com, the Glenns raise alfalfa, oarley, wheat and oats. Some land is in timothy and pasture. While not all their fields equalled the 213 bushel yield, 50 acres on the home farm averaged 185-195 bushels to the acre, while the rest of the (Turn to Page 2} messages said ethanol will not hurt your car, it will not decrease gas mileage, and your (Turn to Page S) priority. Application methods and timing for fertilizer and pesticides have once again been reviewed and possibly adjusted lo gain efficiencies. Nutrient uptake efficiency is a must and weed and insect control at good to excellent levels the mini mum for our success. The planter has been certified ready lo go. We’ve checked it over meticulously and even done our homework by reviewing the operator’s manual. We contemplate that first pass through the field when once again we’ll be on our knees to check that the seed is properly placed in the good soil. And while we are on our knees, let us not fail to beseech the Lord of the harvest for the increase as we are the stewards of what He has entrusted to us. Don’t forget lo check with (Turn to Pag* 4)
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