A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Fabruary 24,1996
Improved Stand , Less Weeds Possible With No-Till Transplanter
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster
Co.) Tomato and other veget
able growers could realize enorm
ous cost and labor savings in
addition to improved soil erosion
control by replacing plastic
mulch with a natural mulch.
A method of using no-tilled
tomatoes planted into a hairy vetch
or rye cover can mean big savings
and improved tomato stand and
yield, especially for mid- to late
varieties, according to Steve Groff,
a Holtwood tomato grower.
Groff spoke Monday to about
200 growers at the New Holland
Vegetable Day at the Summit Val
ley Elementary School.
Steve and Cheri Groff operate
Cedar Meadow Farm. The past
year, Groff used a variety of hairy
vetch and rye combinations as cov
er crops for 154 acres of tomato
transplants. He plans to increase
acreage in no-till to eight acres this
year.
Also, Groff grew some no-till
pumpkins and several other crops
at the farm using the cover as a
mulch.
Groff used a customized Hol
land transplanter equipped with a
subsurface tiller following an
18-inch straight-bladed coulter
package. The tiller and shank are
both spring-loaded.
The coulter package opens the
soil over top of the killed cover
crop. As a result, the natural mulch
conserves water and soil and
allows the plant to thrive, even in a
drought
The mulch worked best in the
mid- to late-season tomatoes. For
growers who want an early season
tomato, plastic mulch is still
necessary.
For growers, labor savings are
realized because there is no appli
cation and removal of plastic
mulch. Also, the natural mulch
conserves soil moisture and works
to-control erosion especially
beneficial if planting on slopes.
Groff said that his farm is "98
percent no-till” for com an many
other crops. Groff said, "Soil, I
feel, was meant to be covered, and
this prevents the soil from
moving.”
On May 25 this year, Groff no
tilled Ml Supreme variety of
tomatoes into hairy vetch cover
crop. In years past, the Groffs used
a combination of fall and spring
plowing and planted into bare
ground.
In the 1995 experiment, in the
no-tilled segment of the test plot,
the vetch was killed with herbicide
from an overhead sprayer. TTien,
one plot was rolled and the other
mowed.
Using a specially equipped Hol
land transplanter, four rows of
tomatoes were planted directly
into the killed vetch and, in another
Held, rye.
The best results were obtained
from the plot that was rolled over
the one that was cut, in terms of
overall weed control, according to
Groff. The vetch was mowed with
a flail mower. The mulch decayed
faster in this plot but had a few
more weeds.
In the rolled plot, the vetch was
sprayed with herbicide one day
before planting and then rolled
simply by letting the depth control
roller on the flail mower press the
vetch flat Weed pressure was less
in this plot because the mulch
remained on the soil longer.
But one benefit from using the
hairy vetch and rye combinations
of natural mulch included less Col
200 Attend New Holland Vegetable Da;
oerghagt
tant professor of horticulture
at Penn State, spoke about
the Penn State bedding varie
ty trials at Rockspring and at
the Landlsville Research
Farm.
Ken Fager, Penn State farm
manager at the Rockspring
Research Center, said that In
1993, a system of growing
tomatoes using organic
methods resulted In higher
yields and higher returns.
orado potato beetle incidence.
Some experts indicate this is
because the natural mulch acts as a
physical barrier to the maturing
adults, keeping them from the
plant’s leaves.
Also, there is less incidence of
early blight in no-till tomatoes.
The mulch helps keep weed pres
sure down. Groff noted that a
thicker cover crop would control
more weeds.
No-tilling saves plowing, dis
cing, harrowing, and cultivating. It
eliminates the use of plastic and
adds nitrogen to the soil, according
to the Holtwood grower.
The use of a no-till planter
added $lO an acre to the cost, but
the total savings amounted to
about $550 per acre, according to
Groff.
Other benefits include better
soil organic matter and soil tilth.
The seeding date for the cover
crop is September, but early
October might be OK, according
to Groff, if the weather cooperates
and the winter is not too severe.
Planting should be one month
before the average of the first frost
date.
in July this year, Groff plans a
field day at his farm. He will be
demonstrating a drip irrigation
attachment on the no-till planter to
put a dripline in beside the row.
Also, a new way to “crimp” the
mulch plant to control it without
using bumdown herbicides will be
examined.
Other plants that could be
planted using the no-till method
include peppers, eggplant, snap
beans, pumpkins (“I had higher
yields and much cleaner pump
kins,” Groff indicated), melons,
and sweet com.
For growers interested in using
the transplanter, contact Joel
Myers, die Keystone Soil and
Water Conservation Society, (717)
782-3446.
The New Holland Vegetable
Day. sponsored by the Eastern
A method of using no-tilled tomatoes planted into a hairy vetch or rye cover cover
can mean big savings and improved tomato stand and yield, especially for mid- to late
varieties, according to Steve Groff, a Holtwood tomato grower. Groff made use of this
customized Holland transplanter equipped with a subsurface tiller following an
18-inch straight-biaded coulter package.
Lancaster County School District
and Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion. featured other programs as
well.
Farm Systems
Trial
Ken Pager, Penn State farm
manager at the Rockspring
Research Center, said that in 1993,
i system of growing tomatoes
using organic methods resulted in
higher yields and higher returns.
The farm systems trial exa
mined three different methods of
growing tomatoes in several plots
at the Penn State Rockspring
Research Farm. One way included
the conventional methods, using
soil tests to look at nutrient needs,
and adding nutrients where neces
sary. Plastic mulch and herbicides
to control weeds were used.
Another, an intermediate sys
tem, used primarily cultivation for
weed control. For cover crops, a
grass/legume mixture was used.
A third system, an organic sys
tem. used on-site composted dairy
manure for nutrient needs. Straw
mulch, instead of plastic, was
used. Copper sulfate and a biologi
cal pesticide control were used.
According to Fager, overall, the
organic system in 1993 had the
best yields of the three systems.
However, iifel99S, the other sys
tems had better yields for reasons
NCFC President Urges
Focus On Export
WASHINGTON. D.C.—We
arc entering a more open trading
system globally for agriculture,
but the fact remains—world trade
is still dominated by trade barriers,
policies and programs by our
competitors that impact the flow
of goods, said Wayne Boutwell,
president of the National Council
of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC)
today.
“We simply must recognize this
and be prepared to meet this kind
of competition head on.”
That was NCFC’s goal last year
in arguing strongly for adequate
funding for key export programs
such as the Market Promotion
Program (MPP), and Foreign
Market Development' (FMD)
programs and other export pro-
that are still unclear. More
research is necessary to determine
the variations in yields.
Preserving
Quality
Also, Tim Elkner, horticulture
agent in Lancaster County, indi
cated that whatever producers can
do to keep produce cool will help
in preserving quality after harvest
ing of produce.
Elkner indicated that Pennsyl
vania produce has an annual value
of $l5 billion. Of that. 20 percent
about $3 billion is lost
because of mishandling of produce
and other reasons after harvest.
Producers should realize that
harvested plant parts are “still liv
ing tissue” and producers should
think of them as such. After
explaining exactly how produce
deteriorates after harvest, Elkner
said that “temperature has a tre
mendous effect on shelf life and
storage life of fruits and
vegetables.”
An increase of temperature in
10-degree increments can have a
considerable impact on shelf life.
For optimum quality, producers
should consider their market
before making decisions regarding
shelf life of products. Harvest
should occur at optimum maturity
(earlier if shipping to auction, later
grams, Boutwell said as he
addressed farmer cooperative
leaders from across the country at
the organization’s 67th annual
meeting here.
NCFC has strongly supported
MPP, which has come under
attack in both the House and
Senate.
“At the same time, MPP has
done more to help expimd exports
across agriculture, especially
value-added, than any single pro
gram,” he said. “It’s a documented
fact."
Boutwell explained that all
agricultural cooperatives—
marketing, supply, and farm credit
banks—have a vested interest in
helping expand exports. There
fore, with cooperatives’ continued
if atroadside stand) when tempera
tures outside are coolest (at the
“crack of dawn”). Also, produc
ers should handle produce careful
ly and not overfill containers. Pro
tect harvested produce from the
sun, and beware of transportation.
Harvest only if you plan to sell it
otherwise, leave it in the field.
Also, don’t be afraid to cull
some produce. “Don’t take down
the value of the whole lot over one
item.” he said.
For those using cold storage, it
is important to minimize traffic in
the area to keep the temperature
consistent.
Also, Bill Tiroxell of the state
vegetable growers association
spoke about the benefits of mem
bership in the association. He said
a field day will be hosted by the
state growers on July 23 at
Rockspring.
The next Pennsylvania Veget
able Growers Conference is set
Jan. 28-30, 1997 at the Hershey
Convention Center.
Also, Robert D. Berghage,
assistant professor of horticulture
at Penn State, spoke about the
Penn State bedding variety trials at
Rockspring and at the Landisville
Research Farm.
At the Vegetable Day, Berghage
provided descriptions of the win
ners of the All American Award
for bedding plants.
support, NCFC hopes to maintain
funding for these important export
programs.
In looking ahead, Boutwell said
this year’s driving force will be
the Presidential and Congression
al elections in November.
“We believe the debate this
/ear will be on a more macro
scale,” he said. “As a result of this
.nacre debate, we don’t see much
jeing done on specific programs
beyond the normal appropriations
process dealing with the funding
of authorized programs. Hopeful
ly, progress can be made on a
number of key issues such as clean
water, pesticide reform, and safe
drinking water. However, it is
unlikely that action will be com
pleted in 1996“