Vo). 42 No. 26
Farmers attempted to move Into spring fieldwork this week, but as usual,
some areas were wet and some still so dry planting was held up tor fear
weed control agents would not be effective until some moisture was in the
ground. The Pennsylvania Agricultural Statistics Service reported some
com planted but it is still too cool in many areas. About 70 percent of the
winter wheat crop was described as good or excellent. Pasture develop
ment has been slow and grazing Is off to a slow start.
On a trip south of Taneytown, Maryland along Route 194 on Tuesday,
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
LICKDALE (Lebanon
Co.) Calvin Miller, a Lickdale
dairy fanner, is a certified “indivi
dual” nutrient management
specialist.
He is one of the first in the state.
He has yet to receive his official
certification card, they just came in
horn the printer this week. But he
knows his certification number
No. 317.
Wheat Growers Should Scout For Disease, Insect Challenges
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
ROBESONIA (Berks Co.)
Despite near-ideal wheat growing
conditions, now is the time for
growers to begin scouting for plant
disease and insect problems,
according to a Penn State agro
nomist who spoke at a dairy farm
here on Tuesday.
Dr. Elwood Hatley, professor of
agronomy extension, spoke to
about a dozen producers and agri
industry representatives at the
Penn State-sponsored Wheat Pro
duction Walk. Hatley told produc
ers that, as the flag leaf begins to
emerge from the wheat stem,
growers should look for signs of
mildew and septoria leaf spot in
the uppermost leaves.
Hatley spoke at the farm oper
ated by Mark A. Wolfskill and
family north of Robesonia.
Four Sections
123 Receive Nutrient Management Certification
The number is not reflective of
the number of people who took the
test and received certification.
Actually, 123 people recently
passed the state’s first round of
nutrient management examina
tions to become certified as a nutri
ent management specialist
Though it means virtually
nothing, some clarification might
be needed to keep the numbering
system from being confusing.
More than a year ago, the state
“Right now is the critical time
for disease scouting,” said Hatley.
Unfortunately, according to
Tim Fritz, Montgomery County
agent at the Wheat Production
Walk, scouting now can create
conflicts of work. “It corresponds
to the busiest time for everything
else” in planting season, he said.
One strip in a Wolfskill field.
State Grange Day Event Focuses On Rural Issues
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Fanning Staff
UNION DEPOSIT (Dauphin
Co.) Hundreds of members of
the Pennsylvania State Grange met
Monday at the Sheraton Inn-
Harrisburg in Union Deposit to
celebrate state Grange Day. attend
educational workshops and a ban
quet with state representatives.
The day-long event occupied
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, May 3, 1997
compiled a list of people who were
probable candidates for certifica
tion based on their existing jobs
and the skills those jobs required.
As that list was compiled, indi
viduals were assigned a number
for identification. That was carried
over into the first round of testing
and now into certification records.
(As an even further aside, Ger
ald Batz a part-time worker for the
Berks County Conservation Dis
trict, has certification No. 1.)
the wheat was at stage 7, with the
flag leaf (which produces about 85
percent of the carbohydrates
necessary for grain development)
still in die stem.
Stages 7 or 8 are the best times
to spray to control potential dis
ease formation. After stage 9,
when the flag is fully emerged, it is
already too late to spray.
several side meeting rooms and the
main ballroom of the convention
hotel for the banquet
For the rest of the year and the
next, the Pennsylvania State
Orange is celebrating 12S years of
existence, starting with the first
annual meeting, which occurred
Sept 18, 1873 (the organization
began with a meeting, thus the
12Sth meeting is this fall).
corn planters were at rest because water was lying in the low areas and the
fields were quite wet. But as you moved north into York County, Pennsylva
nia, only 20 to 30 miles north, tillage equipment was at work in ground that
worked up quite nicely. In the photo, Bill Waltersdorff provides the nice
spring farming scene. Bill and his brother Tom farm 1,300 acres south of
Spring Grove, along Route 116. Parents Norman and Delphine Waltersdorff
live in the Waltersdorff Farm homestead that provides the nice backdrop for
the field activity. Photo by Everett Newswanger, managing editor.
Miller was one of 22 people
statewide to recently take (20
passed) the certification exam to
receive certification status as an
“individual” nutrient management
planning specialist
Again, some clarity is needed to
understand another important
aspect to the program.
There are three catagories of
nutrient management specialists
under Act 6 regulations
“individual” for personal plan
Hatley said that most years, pro
ducers inspect fields for mildew.
“That’s Uie major, most consistent
disease,’ 1 said Hatley.
But last year’s growing condi
tions could have been ripe for the
development of septoria—a lot erf 1
rain. After planting in late Septem
ber, there were 10 days of rain,
according to Mark A. Wolfskill.
The Grange itself won’t be 125
years old until 1998.
As part of that celebration, at
last year’s annual convention, a
torch that was made at the Hun
tingdon County Area Vocational
Technical School was lighted and
began a tour of each county level
Grange in the state.
While the Olympic-style torch
was set to be in Potter County for
$28.50 Per Year
ning use only; “public,” for gov
ernment plan reviewers; and
“commercial,” which is self
explanatory.
That means the Lickdale-area
dairy farmer will be able to deve
lop his own nutrient management
plan, once final plan regulations
have been approved. That is antici
pated to be Oct. 1.
While that almost sounds like
(Turn to Page A 35)
That rain splashes the septoria
from the soil to the lower leaves
and all the way to the critical upper
leaves and could result in high
yield losses.
Hatley indicated he’d seen so
signs of mildew or septoria at the
Wolfskill farm. To develop mil
dew, there has to be high humidity
{Turn to Page A 22)
Monday, it was brought to Harris
burg for the Grange Day event to
remind members of the signifi
cance of the symbol which repre
, sents the purpose of Grange to
pass the light of knowledge and
cooperation throughout the land.
The message of hope for rural
Pennsylvania famiHies 125 years
(Turn to Page A2O)
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