wyOfINTALK master corn GROWERS ASSOC., INC. Corn Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 24, 1998 McPhersons Cultivate A-Maize-Ing Entertainment JOYCE BUPP York Co. Correspondent NEW PARK (York Co.) Don’t cut through the com. Don’t pull off any ears. No run ning. No cigarettes! Got those rules? Then you’re ready to take on the challenge of Maize Quest. After an introductory initia tion to the fine ait of safely ne gotiating their way through a com field, including a pointed warning about bow cigarettes can start fires in a dry field, several thousand people did just that last fall at the McPher son family’s Maple Lawn Farms, New Park. The south ern York County com maze was one of several such con sumer-entertainment out reaches that have bees culti vated around the region in the last few years. Com rustled as a brisk, fall The Pennsylvania Corn Checkoff Program Study committee recently sent out 400 surveys to large corn pro ducers in Pennsylvania. The goal of the committee was to get an idea of what these pro ducers thought about a possi ble corn checkoff. Conference, York Springs Fire Hall, 9:30 a.m., Contact ■ S t (717) Guthriesville Fire Hall, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Com Clinic, Kauffman Corn- breeze stirred through the dry ing stand of upside-down ears and drooping, brown stalks. A cricket dashed across a packed path, seeking a haven from a pounding by passing sneakers. And a gleeful cluster of chat tering church-group members gathered to add yet another section to their map of the intri cate com maze. If they could complete the map, it would show them the way out Maize Quest was truly a family endeavor of the Paul and Gail McPherson clan, longtime advocates of educat ing the consuming public about where food originates. From their U-pick orchard to period ic newsletters sent to a~ wide mailing list of customers, the McPherson’s Maple Lawn fruit and grain operation has always been on the leading edge of PENNSYLVANIA MASTER N GROWERS ASSOCIATION President’s Message Chris Kimmel President, PMCGA More than 25 percent of these surveys were returned. The committee was very pleased by this response. According to the results of the surveys received, it is evi dent at this time that there is not enough support for a ref erendum vote on a corn Center, Bair Station, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., contact John Rowehl, (717) 840-7408. Lehigh/Northampton County Crops Day, UGI Auditor ium, Bethlehem, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (Turn to Pago 4) agriculture-education activism. Sharing in the major plan ning and implementation of Maize Quest, with its heavy emphasis on information along with entertainment, were sib- lings Hugh and Gretchen Mc- Pherson. Hugh, a recent Penn State graduate with an ag busi ness degree, combined his interest in undertaking a new farm venture with the art de gree of his sister, Gretchen, who lives in California. Their brainstorming birthed the Maize Quest idea months before the first com seed went into the soil. Hugh had heard about other mazes in the area and saw it as an extension and alternative use of the farm’s normal planting of a large acre age of gram corn. They envi sioned a com maze that would not only entertain visitors, but (Turn to Png* 2) checkoff program in Pennsylvania. The results of the surveys are acceptable to the Pennsylvania Master Corn Growers Association. The association was asked by the National Corn Growers Association and several neighboring states to look into the possibility of a Pennsylvania state corn checkoff. As a result, the Pennsylvania Committee was formed and work was begun to determine the thoughts of Pennsylvania's corn producers on this mat ter. I would still like to encour age you to become a member of the PMCGA. We do a lot to promote your product in Pennsylvania as well as work with the NCGA for export programs and the develop ment of new uses for corn. See our application form in this issue and our special three-year membership plan. Despite a year of drought, the attraction drew a lot of visitors who came back twice, or more, during Maize Quest’s season, Aug. 2 through Nov. 1. Com Grazing Supplements Cool Season Crops Mena Hautau Extension Agent Clyde Myers Extension Agent Berks County Cooperative Extension LEESPORT (Berks Co.) - The “summer slump” is a pre dictable event for pasture managers using intensive grazing. When managing total feed resources in mid summer, the approach varies with the operation. Some producers have enough acres per animal that they can increase paddock Weather, High Yield Management At Corn, Soybean Conference GRANTVILLE (Dauphin Co.) At the Pennsylvania Com and Soybean Conference, scheduled Friday, Feb. 13 here at the Holiday lim, weather pat terns and high yield manage ment are among the topics featured. Weather patterns and their effects on crop production will be addressed by Paul Knight, Pennsylvania State climatolo gist. Knight is also known for his co-host role on Weather numbers and therefore can maintain feed intake from pasture. Some farm opera tions have high animal densi ties per acre. These produc ers must either provide sup plemental stored feed with pasture or rest the dormant perennial pastures and rely on warm season crops. In Berks County, we have cautiously been encouraging graziers that have acres devoted to summer annuals to experiment growing differ ent warm season annual (Turn to Pago 7) World, a popular weather tele vision program produced by WPSX TV. Managing for high yields will be addressed by Dr. Joe Heckman of Rutger’s Universi ty. Heckman has managed a high-yield com program at Rut- gers for eight years and has reg ularly achieved yields of more than 250 bushels per acre. Heckman’s research has shown responses to some unusual fer (Tum to Pag* •)
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