PENNSYLVANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC. Producers Should Analyze Corn Test Plots . Take Notes VERN ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Farming Staff BERRYSBURG (Dauphin Co.) All com variety trials are not equal, but all can reveal very useful information about the varieties planted, according to Dauphin County Extension Agent Paul Craig. Throughout the year, local trial plots can be observed for germination success, rapidity of growth, etc. But late summer and fall, just prior to harvesting, is especially the season for field day open houses cooperating businesses sponsor demonstra tion activities of implements, inspections of seed variety plots, and, usually, guest speakers. THE EARS HAVE IT With com, you can tell some things about a crop by looking at the ears. In a place like Pennsylvania, in a year like 1993, you’ll encounter lots of different looking com ears. The appear ance of these ears can tell you a little about the com crop you’re looking at. Let’s discuss a few of the Voice Support For ST. LOUIS, Mo. During the next two months, com growers are urged to contact the Clinton Administration and strongly voice their support for ethanol, according to the National Com Growers Associ ation (NCGA). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has until December 15 to finalize ethanol’s role in the Clean Air Act’s Reformulated Gasoline (RFG) program. “There is no scientific or environmental reason why ethanol should not be allowed to fully participate in the RFG program on a year-round basis,’’ said Randy Cruise, a Pleasanton, Neb., com grower and NCGA president. “The As long as those who visit these events take notes and approach the review with a spe cific agenda, a great deal of insight into the applicability of a specific variety can be gained. According to Craig, if a pro ducer is really on top of effi ciency in selecting varieties to plant, the comparisons and record keeping never really stop. He said that, in his opinion, a producer should probably'he switching varieties every five years in order to stay with the best the industry has to offer. But he also said thai prior to switching varieties, at least two years of observing that variety should be done before changing the whole farm’s production YLVANIA MASTER *RN GROWERS ASSOCIATION Between The Rows Dr. Greg Roth Penn State Agronomy Assistant Professor characteristics about ears and what they mean. The first characteristic is size. The rale of thumb is that half pound ears mean that your population is about optimum for the conditions. Large ears are not necessarily an indica tion of a high yield. Last year, I checked a field that went just over 200 bushels with 18 rows of kernels per ear with about 37-38 kernels per row—not an Growers Urged Clinton Administration and particularly EPA need to know com growers fully support ethanol and that we expect it to receive the opportunity to fairly compete in the marketplace with other oxygenates.” Under current Clean Air Act emissions standards, during the summer ethanol cannot be blended into reformulated gasolines without significant restrictions. Critics of ethanol have erroneously charged that its higher evaporation rate increases ozone formation. But a recently completed indepen dent study commissioned by the Council of Great Lakes Governors demonstrates con Corn Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 9,1993 strategy. As a suggestion for best evaluation, Craig said planting small plots that are designed to provide objective results is a good way to deter mine whether a variety is suited for a particular farm. While these techniques are available, not every producer follows a systematic evaluation in selecting new varieties. “I read somewhere that the majority of decisions made on which seed variety to purchase are based on knowing the sales man," Craig said. And while that may be good news for seed companies, to Craig it means more producers are at risk of taking in a lower yield or having a crop failure (Turn to Pago 12) exceptionally long ear. The sec ret to success here was a uni form stand of 27,000 plants per acre at harvest. This year, despite the spotty weather we’ve had, there are fields that will repeat or top that yield. One aspect of ear size is ker nel rows. The number of rows on an ear usually varies from about 16-20 in a good year. The (Turn to Pago 6) To Ethanol clusively that a 10 percent etha nol blend and an 11 percent MTBE blend perform similarly in improving air quality. As market opportunities for ethanol grow, NCGA estimates demand for the home-grown fuel could eventually exceed two billion gallons per year, requiring 800 million bushels of com. To voice your support for ethanol, write to President Bill Clinton, TJie White House. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington. DC 20500 or call (202) 456-1111, or contact EPA Administrator Carol Browner, USEPA, 401 M. Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. Paul Craig, Dauphin County Extension agent, inspects the condition of an ear of com in a university trial done by Penn State University. Craig said that producers should vis it test plots when they can and compare differences between end-row ears at a corn variety test plot, look for ear heighth, ear number, barren stalks, husk length and confi guration, apparent pest and disease tolerance, apparent differences in soil type and drainage between specific plants, etc., and keep notes on each aspect for each variety example inspected. %C OSiSI TALK Farm Calendar SoiancoYoung Farmers meet ing. Corn Grain tage Conference, Ramada \ I 1(1.IN , ,1,111(1,11 \ Deadline for com entries in Farm Show. S.nm d.i\, j.mn.u \ S | Pennsylvania State Farm Show. Conference, Days Inn, State Colleee. thru Jan. 20. Satellite Conference (con tact your local county exten sion office for details). l rida\, I i hni.n \ 4 Pennsylvania Com Confer ence, Lancaster Host Resort. Satellite Conference (con tact county extension offices Satellite Conference (con tact county extension offices for details).
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