Soil Conservation, Nutrient Management At Ag
ROCKSPRING (Centre Co.) —
About 40 percent of Pennsylva
nia’s fanners use conservation till
age to reduce erosion and runoff.
A large percentage also have
adopted nutrient management
plans to maintain fertility and pre
vent pollutants from entering our
water systgems. To learn more
about why conservation tillage
and nutrient management are im
portant, visit Penn State’s Ag
Progress Days, August 17-19.
“Before World War 11, farmers
added nutrients to their fields by
spreading manure and growing
legumes,” said Dr. Les Lanyon,
associate professor of soil fertility
in Penn State’s College of Agri
cultural Sciences. “When chemi
cal fertilizers became readily
available after 1945, the issue
soon became more complex.”
Lanyon will talk about the his
tory of nutrient management, be
ginning with farming before there
were chemical fertilizers and lead
ing up to the challenges of manag
ing nutrients on today’s farms.
The presentation will take place
each day at 10:45 a.m. in the Col
lege of Agricultural Sciences Ex
hibtis Building.
Lanyon will discuss why nutri
ent management is financially im
portant for farmers, businesses
and communities.
“Nutrient management isn’t an
isolated practice,” said Lanyon.
“It involves connections between
livestock and crops on farms and
between farms and businesses that
supply feeds and fertilizers. It also
involves connections between dif
ferent kinds of farms, such as in
tensive livestock operations and
cash-crop farms.”
In addition, daily-nutrient and
crop management tours will focus
on proper calibration of manure
spreaders and injecting liquid
manure into fields to prevent ni
trogen losses to the atmosphere
and reduce odors. Times and loca
tions of these tours will be listed
on the schedule available at the
event.
Farmers and others also can
learn about the latest conservation
tillage and surface residue prac
tices. Lynn Hoffman, superintend-
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ent of the Agronomy Research
Center in Penn State’s College of
Agricultural Sciences, and Joel
Myers, state agronomist for Penn
sylvania’s Soil Conservation Ser
vice. will discuss these topics each
day at 10 a.m. in the College Ex
hibits Building.
“Maintaining surface residue
reduces soil erosion, conserves
soil moisture and protects water
sources,” said Hoffman. “It’s also
important in meeting compliance
requirements of government farm
programs.”
ROCKSPRING (Centre Co.)
“Conserving Our Resources
Through Science” is the theme of
this year’s Ag Progress Days ex
position, Aupst 17-19.
The event, sponsored by Penn
State’s College of Agricultural
Sciences, is Pennsylvania’s larg
est outdoor agricultural showcase.
“The public is becoming in
creasingly aware of the need to
protect our environment and use
our natural resources wisely,” said
Robert Oberheim, Ag Progress
Days manager. “Visitors at this
year’s event will see how research
and education are helping to en
sure a safe and plentiful food sup
ply while protecting and preserv
ing our water and soil.”
Educational displays in the Col
lege of Agricultural Sciences Ex
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Some crops, such as soybeans,
leave a small amount of residue '
after they have been harvested.
“Since surface residue is import
ant to prevent erosion during the
winter as well as the summer, I’ll
discuss planting residue-supple
menting winter cover crops, such
as rye. barley, wheat and oats,”
said Hoffman.
Hoffman also will talk about
timing tillage to preserve maxi
mum surface residue and will in
troduce residue-maintaining deep
Ag Progress To Focus
On Resource Conservation
hibits Building will highlight the
importance of clean drinking wa
ter for consumers. Exhibits will
focus on groundwater movement
and quality, community water
supplies, maintaining a private
well, household water testing and
treatment, water conservation and
other topics.
The Landscape. Lawn and Gar
den Tent will feature displays and
information on the recycling of or
ganic waste through backyard
composting. Guided tours will
show how cutting-edge research is
helping producers to grow crops
with fewer pesticides and fertiliz
ers.
In addition, workshops and de
monstrations for farmers will cov
er nutrient management, soil con
servation, on-farm composting
tillage equipment. “The correct
choice and proper timing of tillage
practices can maintain surface re
sidue as well as increase yield and
farm profits,” said Hoffman.
In addition, each day there will
be.a cultivation demonstration at
11:45 a.m., a deep tillage demon
stration at 12:30 p.m. and a secon
dary tillage demonstration at 1:30
p.m. Locations of tillage and ma
chinery demonstrations will be
listed on the schedule available at
the event.
and related production practices.
Visitors also can see a variety of
popular Ag Progress Days attrac
tions, both new and traditional.
The equine educational pro
gram will feature breed exhibi
tions, training clinics, riding de
monstrations and draft horse
hitches and carts. The Equine Ex
hibits Tent will house displays and
equipment from various segments
of Pennsylvania’s $4 billion horse
industry.
History buffs can tour the Pasto
Agricultural Museum and see
more than 300 rare and antique
farm and home implements from
the “muscle power era.”
Crafts representing Pennsylva
nia’s rural heritage, such as quilts,
woodworking and pottery, will be
showcased in Exhibits Building
Progress
Penn State's Ag Progress Days
features more than 500 acres of
educational and commercial ex
hibits, tours and machinery de
monstrations. It is held at the
1,500-acre Russell E. Larson
Agricultural Research Center at
Rockspring, nine miles southwest
of’State College on Route 45,
August 17-19. Hours are 9 a.m. to
S p.m. Tuesday and Thursday,
with extended hours of 9 a.m. to 8
p.m. on Wednesday. Admission
and parking are free. For more in
formation, call (800) PSU-1010.
#l. Several artisans will display
their handiwork and discuss their
crafts businesses.
Interactive displays for children
and a computer classroom will be
featured in the Youth Building. In
formation on careers in the agri
cultural sciences also will be
available.
Those who enjoy animals can
see live owls, hawks, turtles and
snakes at the Shaver’s Creek En
vironmental Center exhibit, adja
cent to the Youth Building. Happy
Valley Friendly Farm, which
operates an educational center and
petting farm, will display domesti
cated animals.
Ag Progress Days
“Conserving Our Rtsourcts Through Science”