Simmental Tops Pa. Pennsylvania’s 24th Performance Bull Test recently ended with a smooth-polled Fullblood Simmental finishing strong as top gaining bull over all breeds. Bill Flagg, breed er, left, and Ken Faust, buyer, right, with WP Amadeus at Pennsylvania Bull Test. Department Of Agriculture Open House Attracts Large Crowd ANNAPOLIS, Md. The Maryland Department of Agricul ture’s Tenth Annual Open House recently attracted more than 5,000 visitors to see the department’s many programs in action as well as learn about Maryland agricul ture. Greeting the crowd was Mary land Secretary of Agriculture Lewis R. Riley. He was joined by Maryland Comptroller Louis Goldstein and the American Hon eybee Queen Lisa Anderson, who is on a national tour in support of agriculture. “I was extremely pleased to see so many families enjoy their day at the Maryland Department of Agriculture. We had many activi ties going on throughout our buildings and all over our grounds MILK.IT DOES A BODY GOOD. HI BlN^nrasT 9m ■ilVi Mood»y-Frid«y 7 AM to 5 PM idMBPk RS!R?| 133 Rothsville Station Rd • Lmtz, PA 17543 Saturday 7AM to Noon HI 717-6264705 VWSffiF WE SHIP PARTS DAILY CASK Jfc '^3/4 Case IH Earth Metal Disk Blades i Specials In Effect V HUSK£ \ Through April 30, 1997 y n® Matter You Are • \ 4 You’re Never <ssbs£> ■suS^Na fiSMHIIM GEHU ®» VSI * David Brown CORN PLANTERS A GRAIN CARTS This Is Our Fax No. 717-626-0996 If You Hava A Fax No., Lot Us Know, Wa Can Communlcata With You By Fax to teach people what our agency does to serve each and every Maryland citizen,” Riley said. New this year was an opportun ity to participate in ice cream mak ing, courtesy of the University of Maryland, and an educational trailer provided by the Maryland Agricultural Education Founda tion to educate young people about aquatic science and the environment. Other highlights of the program included die famous hog calling contest and the hay bale toss. Throughout the day there were demonstrations in the weights and measures, state chem ist, seed, plant protection and mosquito control laboratories and exhibits and food sampling of Maryland agricultural commodi ties. In addition, there was a pet ting zoo, a farm puppet show, a feeppß&zm. ffhttftnrnji TRAILERS - L. KELDERMAN AIR RIDE Bull Test, Sale bvAlhans DMMSHnMOACvpMui IQnfflnnsffljap ChtSdS MOWERSS BLADES | '" " diiwl Plows STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) Pennsylvania’s 24th Per formance Bull Test recently aided with a smooth-polled Fullblood Simmental finishing strong as top gaining bull over all breeds. The Agnus breed was heavily represented with more than 35, and there woe IS Hereford, 13 Simmental, four Charolais, two Shorthorn, and a Buelingo! Pennsylvania’s test lasts for 112 days with a 21-day start-up period. Bulls are weighed every 28 days and their feed consumption is tracked using pinpointed. At the end of the performance test, the bulls arc scanned for fat thickness and loin area, and frame scores are assigned. Scrotal circumference is mea sured as well as a pelvic size mea surement. The semen is tested for viability. Only the top 75 percent of bulls on test sell at the end of swarming bee exhibit featuring Bynoc the honeybee dog and a plantn propagation demonstration. The Maryland Department of Agriculture began holding its Open House in 1988 to coincide with the celebration of National Agriculture Week, the third week in March. The event has grown each year and has become an important part of the Slate’s early spring calendar of notable events and activities. The Open House is put on by MDA employees who volunteer from the headquarters building and from field offices from all across the State. The Maryland Department of Agriculture is located at 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21401. Visit the website on the Internet at http://www. mda.state.md.us. O •J Busy V -../. As A Bee? A Phone Call Awayl the test. The top gainer was bred and owned by Bill and Karen Flagg of Warren Point, Elverson. This Full blood son of AF Topflight39sA had an average daily gain for the 112 days of 4.91 pounds with a ra tio of 123. His feed efficiency was 5.06 pounds of feed per pound of gain. The top bull had a fat thick ness of .26 and 13-inch loin area. This bull was out of a Target daughter, who is also the daughter of the Flagg’s 50 percent Reck- Your Corn Planter: Is It Operating Correctly? ST. PAUL, Minn. The plant ing operation can be one of the most costly events that affect your yields. The sins of planting will haunt you all season long. Mistakes made during the planting opera hem are usually permanent, unless you decide to replant the field at a later date. Plant stands that are established uneven and lack uni formity can reduce the yield potential of a cornfield even before the plants have hardly begun to grow. Plant stand establishment is composed of two factors: 1. Emergence uniformity; and 2. Within-row spacing uniformity. The planters used today have the ability to provide uniform plant stand establishment When operated and maintained properly, today’s com planter can eliminate problems like tall-com and short corn syndrome, long gaps within the row or groups of crowded plants. Hie yield performance of an individual com plant is depen dent upon the availability of sun light, water and nutrients. Uni form plant stands allow each and every plant to have an equal abili ty to perform. If com plants have to compete unneccessarily for available sunlight, water and nutrients ... yield will be affected. . In order to obtain a uniform plant stand, planter maintenance and operation are critical. The best available planter, when operated improperly or not well main tained, may only be as good as the last planter eliminated from your Lancaster Farming's ._ e Phone:7l7-394-3047 CLASSIFIED ADS or 717-626-1164 GET RESULTS! Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 19, 1997-A35 veih Athena donor cow. The Flaggs have had Athena progeny on test previously and they have finished top or second. Site Power purchased the last Athena son at the Pennsylvania Bull test This top gainer was also the top selling Simmental bull. He was purchased for use in Ken Faust’s Purebred herd, Faust Hidden Oaks, Gettysburg, for $2,500. Twelve Simmental bulls sold and averaged $1,338. operation. Planter maintenance tips for preventing plant spacing variabili ty are as follows: •Perform servicing schedules as provided in the plantar operation manual. •With plate-type planters, match the seed grade with the cor rect planter plate. •Planters with finger pick-ups should be checked for wear on the back plate and brush. Use a feeler gauage to check tension on the fin gers. then tighten them correctly. •Check for wear on double disc openers and seed tubes. •Make sure the sprocket set tings on the planter transmission are correct • Check for worn chains, stiff chain links and improper tire pressure. •Lubricate all chains and grease fittings. •Make sure seed drop tubes are clean and clear of any obstruc tions. •Clean seed tube sensors of the planter monitor. •Make sure coulters and disc openers are aligned properly. •With air planters, match the air pressure to the weight and size of the seed being planted. Starting the growing season with the best possible plant stand establishment can be a good start to obtaining the yield levels that your operation is capable of pro ducing. Try to spend some time going over and maintaining your planter; it could be one of the best investments you have in this year’s crop.
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