A3frUMMt* F«injpo, Saturday, July »,H9s Compound Activates Plants ’ Immune Systems GREENSBORO, N.C. Ciba Crop Protection researchers have announced the development of a chemical compound that controls several plant diseases by stimulat ing plants’* natural defense me chanisms. The innovative new product, called a plant activator, was announced at the recent Inter national Crop Protection Confer ence in The Hague, Holland. The natural defense mechanism in a plant is stimulated when a plant is infected by a fungus, bac terium, or virus. However, in a field of crop plants infected by a disease, the disease-resistance me chanism is not uniform in its onset or intensity. The plant activator, if applied protectively or in the early stages of a controlled disease, uni formly triggers the defense me chanism. Because the activator, known by the developmental designation CGA-245704, acts indirectly on plant diseases by mimicking the natural phenomenon which acti vates plants’ self-defense mechan isms, it is not classified as a fungi- Cost-Share Applications Accepted For Winter Cover Crops ANNAPOLIS. Md.—Maryland Department of Agriculture Secret ary Lewis R. Riley has announced the Maryland Agricultural Cost- Share (MACS) Program is accept ing funding applications for wint er cover crop to be planted this fall to tie-up residual nitrogen in the soil. Cover c t o t jj ;re an agricultur al “best management practice” used by farmers to protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. “This program is an excellent tool for the farmer to preserve nit rogen and phosphorus and reduce nutrients from entering the Bay water. We have continued it for this year due to such positive results,” said Riley. Rye, rye/legume, barley and wheat planted during the fall of 1995 are eligible to receive cost share funding for $lO.OO per acre. The following are some cost-share guidelines for farmers to consider: •MACS assistance is limited to acreage where com or soybean is the immediate preceding crop. •Cover crops must be planted before certain deadlines. •Grant payments will be awarded in the spring of 1996, after the cover crop has been Seedway To Distribute Penn State Variety HALL, N.Y. Seedway has announced it will be distributing a new soft red winter wheat. Penn more, released by Penn State Uni- versity. Pennmore exhibits high grain yields, high test weights, excellent milling quality, and moderate re sistance to leaf rust and powdery mildew. Pennmore is beardless, and medium in maturity and plant cide. This indirect effect minimiz es the possibility of diseases developing resistance to the com pound. In field tests, CGA-245704 has been shown to induce control of some wheat diseases and, in vege tables, downy mildew, leafspot, and bacterial diseases. Also, the chemical provides good protec tion against blue mold in tobacco. Eileen Watson, Ph.D.‘ director of research and development for disease control at Ciba Crop Pro tection’s U.S. headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., said company researchers have conducted many laboratory and field tests to estab lish which diseases the plant acti vator is effective in controlling. “Now we are conducting mar ket research to determine which of the diseases are economically im portant to U.S. growers,” Watson said. “We already have decided to apply for an Experimental Use Permit in tobacco next year, and we hope to have it approved for use in 1997.” • destroyed. •Cover crops being produced for commodity purposes are not eligible for funding. •10 acre enrollment is the mini mum application per farm. Farmers should submit a cost share application to MDA though their local soil conservation dis trict between July 3 and August 4 for the 1995 growing season. Both tenants and landowners may apply for assistance. The Maryland Agricultural Cost-Share Program provides far mers with up to 87.5 percent of the cost to install selected best man- Universal Services KANSAS CITY, Mo.— Universal Dairy Equipment Inc., one of the largest dairy equipment and service companies in the world, is bringing a new and inno vative dimension to the former Agway dairy services that will dramatically improve the service Agway customers have already come to expect. height Pennmore will be available on early order with Bay tan seed treat ment Baytan provides excellent disease control on powdery mil dew, rust glume blotch, and smut Some advantages of using Baytan include thicker, lusher, greener stands, more vigorous crop, bigger heads, and increased tillering. Row Mulcher BIRD IN HAND (Lancaster Co.) —Millcreek Manufacturing Company introduces a unique machine that helps small farmers eliminate hand labor for mulching row crops. The new Millcreek Row Mul cher applies wood chips, compost, and other types of spreadable organic mulch to row crops, such as berries and grapes, in a 24 inch wide row pattern. The new machine comes in three sizes: 3.0 cubic yards, 4.5 cubic yards, and 6.8 cubic yards, and is PTO oper ated. It includes a 10-year guaran teed floor. Said Millcreek President Joe Equipment Design ST. LOUIS, Mo. Virtual imaging the higher-than-high tech process that brought dino saurs back to life in Jurassic Park and created memorable scenes in Forrest Gump is entering the world of agriculture and equip ment design. At the forefront is Caterpillar, the Peoria, lU.-based manufactur er of construction, industrial and agricultural equipment. At the core of the company’s effort in virtual imaging is Richard Ingram. agement practices (BMPs) to pro tect water quality and control nutrient movement. Grassed waterways, spring developments, .and animal waste storage struc tures are among the 25 BMPs cur rently eligible for MACS funding. During its 12-year history, MACS has helped Maryland farmers install more than 9,000 BMPs throughout the state. For more information on Mary land’s Agricultural Cost-Share Program, contact the local soil conservation district or call MDA at (410) 841-5864. Brings New To Agway Called “Universal Dairy Direct'",” the Service Plus'" representatives-most of which are former Agway service techni cians—will provide 24-hour ser vice to customers. Also, the “Route One” sales representatives will continue to supply familiar products as well as a lineup of proven cleaners and sanitizers from Universal, all competitively priced. More importantly, Univer sal Dairy Direct customers will have access to a 24-hour toll-free customer service line to provide assistance any time of day, any day of the week. The number is (800) 409-1170, according to Walt Maharay, presi dent of Universal. “The recently announced agree ment between Agway and Univer sal means more than the fact that former Agway dairy route trucks will now be Universal Dairy Direct,” Maharay said. Save The new Millcreek Row Mulcher applies wood chips, compost, and other types of spreadable organic mulch to row crops, such as berries and grapes, In a 24 Inch wide row pattern. Virtual Imaging World Ingram, a staff engineer for 20 years with Caterpillar, will discuss this newest of technologies during the first annual North American Agricultural Equipment Confer ence (NAAEC), November 4-S, at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago. He has worked in vehicle modeling, hydraulic system design for wheel loaders, hydraulic system analy sis. and vehicle performance analysis. Ingram’s topic, “Virtual Proto typing,” will be a joint presenta tion with Mathevft VandeWiele, a doctorate student at the University of Dlinois-Urbana. Their presenta tion is expected to center on how virtual reality (imaging) systems provide engineers with dramatic opportunities in computer-aided interactive design of machinery and hydraulic systems and the stu dy of machine testing and perfor mance. HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Agriculture Secretary Charles C. Brosius said that the state’s Farmland Protection Program is succeeding in preserving Pennsyl vania’s valuable farmlands. The program’s 1994 annual re port, which was released to the General Assembly, notes an in crease in farm acreage protection. It also notes that five new counties joined the program in 1994, in cluding Butler, Clinton, Law rence, Mifflin, and Washington counties. “Adding these new counties will further our efforts to protect quality farmland,” Brosius said. “Preserved farms will remain available for future generations to use all across the state.” Initiated in 1989, the Farmland Protection Program allows the state and counties to purchase de velopment rights referred to as easements to guarantee that farms will remain as agricultural land. Individual landowners initially ADS” g. PAY OFF! WL A. a. Helps Time With this technology, manufac- Farmland Report Notes Banner Year Farmers Click, “We saw the need for a machine that was affordable to small farmers and would save them much of the hand labor that is so time consuming. The only other machine of its type we know of is about three times as expensive.” The Millcreek Row Mulcher allows operators to stay about one and a half feet from rows during application to avoid plant damage. The two smaller models are 62 inches wide to fit between most rows. The largest capacity model is 80 inches wide. Millcreek addi tionally builds custom row mul chers for special needs. Enters Hirers can improve product design and expedite development The auto industry has been a leader in using virtual imaging to develop cars and introduce them to the market at lightning speed. Caterpillar already accomplish es its basic test driving and equip ment ergonomics with virtual imaging. For example, operators can sit behind a computer model of a tractor cab and test the equip ment’s control panels long before a prototype of die machine enters the manufacturing process. Opera tor comments are then used to make adjustments to the computer model. This type of testing helps con trol the constant rebuilding of clay or even steel prototype tractor cabs and control panels. Modifica tions can be made from the com puter screen within hours instead of the months it might take to re build a prototype. apply to county agricultural land preservation boards. If approved for purchase, the county boards may request state funding partici pation. Counties may participate jointly with the state in easement purchases or may purchase ease ments outright themselves. In the program’s last fiscal year, which ran from April 30, 1994 to April 30,1995, the state Farmland Protection Board approved ease ment purchases for 12,587 acres on 104 farms. The diversity of easements purchased included dairy and livestock operations, fruit and vegetable farms, hay and grain fields, and vineyards. Fiscal year 1994-1995 was the first full year using transfer money from cigarette revenue of two cents per pack. Two transfers were made from the cigarette fund to the program, totalling more than $22 million. The Farmland Protection Pro gram has purchased or approved easements for 66,582 acres on 533 farms to date.
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