A2o4jncaster'Farming, Saturday, March‘2s, 1995
Good Conservation Practices Make Good Neighbors,
According To Chester County Farmer
(Contlnwd from Pago Al)
ing maintains that using a cover
crop is necessary to ensure soil is
held in place.
Homing grows about7S acres of
com and SS acres of alfalfa. On the
alfalfa, he maintains a 3-4 year
stand. He rotates the contour strip
crops with com and hay. Alternat
ing the strips provides the best
hedge against erosion and the rota
tion promotes standability and
production.
As part of the conservation plan,
initiated in May 1992, a
316,000-gallon manure storage
tank was installed in July 1992.
The tank is emptied twice a year,
every six to seven months. It was
For his dairy, Homing looks for cows that have good pro*
duction and good overall health, with adequate udders and
good feet and legs.
Purchase Lawn Care Products Carefully
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) —Before you resign yourself
to having another mediocre lawn
this year—or to spending a hefty
part of your salary to improve it—
take a few tips from a turfgrass
specialist in Penn State’s College
of Agricultural Sciences.
“Revitalizing your lawn doesn’t
need to be a costly, time
consuming process,” said Dr.
Peter Landschoot assistant pro
fessor of turfgrass science. “It’s
more a question of correctly eva
luating the trouble spots before
you invest in solutions.
“One of the first steps to getting
a healthy lawn is to take a soil test,
which will tell you how much fer
tilizer and lime are required,” he
said.
The Penn State soil fertility test,
available for $6 at Penn State
Cooperative Extension offices
across the state, will help you
determine what nutrients your
lawn needs and when to apply
them.
The least costly way to control
weeds is to follow good lawn
management practices designed to
prevent reinfestation.
“A sound program of mowing,
watering and fertilizing is your
best defense against weed inva
sion,” Landschoot said. “Never
theless, many lawns need some
extra help.”
“Before purchasing herbicides,
first identify the weeds you want
to control. If you’re unsure what
the weed is or how to control it,
don’t just guess what product
would be best. Bring a sample of
the weed to a lawn and garden
center or to your county coopera
tive extension office and get a pro
fessional recommendation.
“Most weed problems can be
reduced by using a wced-and
feed-product—an herbicide and
put up with a cost-share program
available through the Chester
County Conservation District.
Homing indicated that since
installing the manure system they
don’t use any starter fertilizer on
crops.
During a recent interview at his
farm. Homing said he is concerned
about possible new legislation far
mers will have to face down the
pike. Staying ahead of compliance
will ensure good relations among
the neighbors, he said. The atten
tion to the management aspect of
runoff, soil containment, and other
conservation aspects will help
him, he said, avoid problems in the
future.
fertilizer rolled into one,” he said.
“It’s wofth the few extra dollars to
rent a spreader, because this will
give you even distribution. Make
sure that you know what type of
weeds are in your lawn before
choosing a product Not all wecd
and-feed products are the same.”
When it comes to fertilizers and
herbicides, more isn’t necessarily
better. Landschoot said.
“Follow the instructions on the
label. Not only are you wasting
your money if you apply more
than the recommended amount
but you could damage the grass.”
Timing is important for weed
control. “To combat crabgrass,
you have to apply a herbicide
before the weed germinates,”
Landschoot said. “Some people
use forsythia bloom as an indica
tor, but a good rule of thumb is to
apply a preemergence herbicide
before April 15 in southeastern
Pennsylvania, during late April in
central Pennsylvani and between
May 1 and May IS in the north
west comer of the state.
“For broadleaf weeds, such as
dandelion and clover, wait until
the weeds appear before treating
SHW I'M
NOT
mmf _ 1i0n...
TIE CLASSIFIED LIVESTOCK SECTION
HIS OEISTLY SELECTIONS!
And while many environmen
talists complain about the nutrient
management and pesticide prac
tices of fanners, the homeowners
have “no legislation at all’’ to
comply with regarding the many
tons of pesticides and nutrients
placed on lawns.
While more of the county is con
tinually being developed, keeping
relations with the neighbors
healthy and working to ensure an
environmental partnership is vital
to DH Lone Hill Farm, according
to Homing.
The original Red and
White, on the 352-day lacta
tion, recorded 30,000 pounds
of milk, he said.
them,” Landschoot said.
Before purchasing grass seed to
replenish thin aieas, homeowners
should assess why the grass disap
peared in the first place. “Ask
yourself if the lawn was too wet,
too shady or poor in fertility
before you spend time and money
trying to replace the grass,” he
said.
“The best time to reseed is in
late summer or fall, when there
isn’t too much competition from
weeds. If you apply herbicides in
spring, you can damage
seedlings.”
“When it’s time to reseed, don’t
just throw seed on the lawn,” he
said. “First, get rid of weeds,
break up the soil surface and put
down the seed so it comes into
good contact with the soil. Place
straw mulch over the area so the
soil doesn’t dry out.”
Choose a high quality seed or
seed mixture adapted to the site
conditions, said Lanschoot.
For more information about
specific varieties suited to your
area, contact the Penn State
Cooperative Extension office in
your county.
Dairying Is the mainstay at DH Lone Hill Farm. The Horn
ing family take care of 60 registered and ID grade Holstein,
In addition to some Red and Whites. There are about SO
replacement calves In the herd. The Pa. DHIA herd average
for the farm stands at about 20,000 pounds, 3.7 f, 3.2 p, tor a
herd total of 685 pounds fat and 624 pounds protein. Here,
David, right, looks over a breeding records chart with Con
rad Smoker.
As part of the conservation plan, Initiated In May 1992, a
316,000-gallon manure storage tank was Installed in July
1992. The tank is emptied twice a year, or every six to seven
months. It was put up with a cost-share program available
through the Chester County Conservation District.