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.