P& 4-fcomTiilk, Lancaster farming, Saturday, January 25, 1997 GRANTVILLE (Dauphin Co.) 1997 Pennsylvania Com and Soybean Conference Plans are nearly complete for the 1997 Com and Soybean Conference to be held on Feb. 7 at the Holiday Inn at Grantville, just north of Harrisburg on 1-81. This year’s program prom ises to be a good one and will feature Dave Kruse, an enter 1997 Pennsylvania Crops Conference Registration Please return this registration form by February 1. Mail to; PMCGA P.O. Box 304 State College, PA 16804 Pre-registration (lunch included): $l5 Memberships □ Pa. Master Corn Growers Association: $3O □ Mid-Atlantic Soybean Association: $3O Total enclosed Make check payable to PMCGA. Name Address Citv State Phone ( ) PENNSYLVANIA MASTER ORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION 2 k Dr. Greg n State Agronomy Associate Professor Ssr, (Continued from Page 1) Seed industry performance data from strip trials is also use ful especially to compare among entries within the same company. Comparisons between competitive hybrids from different companies are often limited in these trials, however. For most growers, seed com pany information and the Penn State data may suffice, but for those whose livelihood depends on com yields and want to go one step Anther, on farm strip testing and yield records should be considered as well. Both of these techniques can be used to fine tune hybrid selection to individual opera tions. They are also being used effectively to evaluate new technologies such as the Bt corns, high-oil corns, and other added-value corns. There is a danger in relying too heavily on one or two test results, but when strip test data is combined with yield records, seed company data and repli cated data you can begin to Conference Plans Nearly Complete taining ag broadcaster from lowa who will provide us with his forecast for the 1997 com and soybean markets. Also on the program will be Yvonne Wente, an lowa Soy bean grower and representative from the United Soybean board. Yvonne will discuss cur rent efforts to create and market new uses for U.S. soybeans. >en The Rows make sense of hybrid perfor mance with some confidence. One challenge in this area is whether combine yield moni tors can provide accurate enough information for strip testing. Our initial tests seem to indicate they may, but they have to be calibrated well and operated carefully. Other new challenges are approaching in the hybrid test ing arena. No longer will it be quite as easy (if it ever was easy) to select the best set of hybrids. Now, new traits such as herbicide or insect resistance will need to considered along with yield. In the short run we would limit our choice of hybrids often if we choose to use only the resistant hybrids. This can limit the diversity of our hybrid lineup and increase our risk, so we need to consider this. We may also not be able to get the hybrid that is best adapted to our operation in the resistant version. In the long term, most hybrids will have these new traits and we’ll have The program will also feature a recap of the growing season for com and soybeans by agronom ist Mike Brubaker, president of Brubaker Agronomic Consult ing Service. Dr. Jim Bieriien from Penn State’s Ag Economics and Rur al Sociology Department will take a look at the future in another presentation and ask 1997 PENNSYLVANIA Crops Conference February 7,1997 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Holiday Inn GrantvHle, Pennsylvania Program 9:00 Registration, coffee, and visit exhibits Keynote Address—A Provocative Look to the Future for Corn and Soybean Producers David Cruse, president, Comstock Investments, Spencer, lowa 10:00 1996 Corn and Soybean Year in Review Michael W. Brubaker, president, Brubaker Agronomic Consulting Ser\ ice 10:45 Creating, Producing, and Marketing New Uses for U.S. Soybeans Yvonne Wente, soybean grower and USB representative, Waverly, lowa 11:05 What’s Happening with the Feed Grains Checkoff in Maryland Lawrence Meeks, president, Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board 11:25 Discussion 11:45 mote to select from, so this issue won’t be a problem. Another challenge is assess ing some of the new added value hybrids, especially when yield potential is sacrificed for the new traits. For many agro nomists, it’s difficult to recom mend lower yielding hybrids, but there may be situations where it is justified if animal performance or reduced feed costs can offset slightly lower yields. The challenge in this situation is that often the bene fit of the added value hybrid is dependent on the ration or the animals that are consuming the feed. To make good economic decisions on these situations, you II need good numbers on both the yield, feed costs, and the animal performance. Because of this we’ll be seeing more interaction between the seed industry and the feed industry since it will be essen tial to understand the animal side to maximize the benefit from the new genetics. Hybrid selection is not get ting any easier. In the future there will be more need forus to push the pencil and get good yield and animal response num bers if we are going to make the best decisions regarding some of the new com genetics avail able out there. For those grow ers and seed companies that spend the effort, the results will likely be worthwhile. producers if they are ready for managing farms in the 21st cen tury. Other topics on the prog ram include the performance of Bt com hybrids this year and a report on the activities of the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board. The conference will also include ag industry exhibitors, 5-Acre Com Club and Soybean Noon 1:30 2:00 2:30 3:00 directions Take Interstate 81 to Exit 28, just north of Harrisburg. Commodity Analyst To Speak At Conference (Continued from Page 1) lowa. He also has extensive experience with cattle and hog marketing. Kruse has published articles in Successful Farming and lowa Farmer Today and has served as keynote speaker on several other major confer ences across the country. Kruse’s presentation, “A Provacative Look To the Future For Com and Soybean Produc ers,” will address the future of the com market in the IJ.S., the practical impact of biotech on com and soybean producers, and how the industrialization of the grain industry will affect crop producers. Given the volatility of the grain markets and the explosion of new technologies available to Pennsylvania grain produc ers, Kruse’s presentation should be timely and (C©lH TMJK NIWS Yield Contest awards, and reports from the Pennsylvania Master Com Growers and the Pennsylvania Soybean Board. Certified crop adviser credits will be available from the con ference in pest management and crop production. Pesticide applicator credits will be avail able as well. Complete the registration form located in this issue now so you can reserve your space at this years conference. Lunch —Pennsylvania Master Com Growers Association Update —5-Acre Corn Club Awards —Pennsylvania Soybean Board Update —Soybean Yield Contest Awards Opportunities for Transgenic Bt Corn in Maryland Galen Dively, entomologist, University of Maryland Are You Ready for the 21st Century? James Beierlein, professor of agricultural economics, Penn State Herbicide Resistant Soybeans and Corn: A View from the Field Producer panel Clarence Keener, Lancaster County Daryl Alger, Lebanon County Chris Kimmel, Armstrong County Adjourn interesting. Kruse's presentation is sche duled for 10 a.m. at the Pen nsylvania Com and Soybean Conference at the Holiday Inn in Grantville on Feb. 7. See registration information located elswhere in this issue of Com Talk. David KruM
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