Phosphorus Conference Provides Forum For Understanding
(Continipd from Pag* A 34)
concern over the use ot commer
cial fertilizers.
Subsequent research and advice
to farmers was to soil test and then
use standardized book manure
nutrient values and application
rates to substitute manure for a
portion of the commerical nutri
ents being applied to raise crops.
Previously, the manure was
being spread, but not effectively
used. In many cases it was applied
to the nearest field, whether it
needed it or not
Further, even with today’s man
ure testing, soil testing and time
specified applications based on
crop yields and rotations, teal
world conditions can prevent time
ly applications or ability to spread
upon an intended field.
The research on effectively
using the nutrients available in
manures was seen as a way to help
fanners save money and stay in
business while at the same time
ameliorating a growing public
environmental concern.
Under former Gov. Robert
Casey, Pennsylvania committed
itself to a 40-percent reduction in
the flow of nutrients down the Sus
quehanna River into the Chesa
peake Bay.
While efforts were begun to
upgrade declining waste water
facilities and to deny on lot septic
systems, and construct larger
capacity and new waste water
treatment plants, more needed to
be done, according to those sup
porting and leading the effort.
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A little later, the poultry and
swine industries rapidly changed
over to almost being entirely “inte
grated” businesses previously
independent, small scale produc
ers went out of business or con
verted to contract production on a
larger scale in coordination with
feed companies and/or slaughter
and meat packing businesses.
Under the integrated system,
while the producers benefited
from establishing a guaranteed
income, as long as a contract was
not broken, production houses
increased in number and size rela
tive to the size of the farms on
which they were sited.
hi the poultry business for
example, the contractual business
arrangements normally provide
birds and feed to the farmer who
supplies the raising facilities, with
loans to build such facilities sec
ured on the basis of the contract
and life expectancy of the
building.
The farmer receives a set
amount of income per live bird.
What the farmer is also left with
is the poultry manure, or litter (lit
ter contains mote than manure,
such as feathers).
This is important, because now
the farmer is being told to dispose
of the manure properly, and not to
put too much on the land.
And, according to one of the
speakers of the conference, Dr. Lcs
Lanyon, a Pom State University
research and extension professor
of soil fertility, it isn’t the farmer’s
fault that there is too much pho
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sphorus on his farm.
Lanyon said that, especially
since World War 11, humans have
become too good at having adequ
ate phosphorus.
He said the system of agricultur
al production has changed dramat
ically and it is a global system,
though the local farm is still seen
parochially as an independent
entity.
It has been coming for some
time.
Nationally, a fast pace of protec
tive or aggressive business mer
gers followed a relatively short,
but widely affecting period of hos
tile takeovers.
That trend of mergers and con
solidations spread into American
mainstream agricultural produc
tion, especially after the 1996
Farm BUI.
Since production support prices
were set to be eliminated, it
became apparent that mergers, and
technology allowing larger scale
production and smaller scale admi
nistration, would be a solution to
the overall reduced profits
expected per commodity unit in
order to position for national
competition.
A longer term trend of mergers
among farmer cooperatives had
been occuring, but mostly from
diminishing numbers of fanners, a
result of many other factors, in
addition to low profit margins.
In reaction to business mergers
and other service industry mer
gers, the global direct ordering of
perishable and non-perishable
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goods and services now available
through the computer and the
Internet (such as happened with
the Dairy Herd Improvement
Association), producer coopera
tives began a quickly accelerated
merging and consolidation
process.
For other industries, integration
allows for essentially setting a
future price on a commodity «nd
then working with less volatUe
cost fluctuations than what has
become an sharp rise and fall in the
non government influenced mark
et pricing system.
What that all has to do with agri
cultural phosphorus and the nutri
ent balance of the Chesapeake Bay
may not be readily apparent from a
local and non-historic perspective.
But Lanyon explained the dra
matic changes that have happened
in global and ccntinential nutrient
flow.
The bottom line of Lanyon’s
talk was that whereas the world
was phosphorus poor prior to the
World Wars, especially since
World War II man has been able to
get lots of it
We have mined it from sediment
loads made up to2somillion years
ago, adding significantly to the
existing amount of phosphorus
that is now cycling in the world’s
ecosystems.
Accenting to speakers, a lot of
effort and money went into secur
ing phosphorus for increased crop
production and higher yields.
Lanyon said that, prior to the
World War technology that allows
greater production and availability
of phosphorus for fanning, the his-
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tory of fhe world was that it sought
out phosphorus where ever it was
to be found the United King
dom had dug up the bones of the
dead from wars in Europe to use
for fertilizer, and common here
mote recently woe fertilizer com
panies in the United States, such as
in Lancaster County and Berks
County, that converted animal
bones and blood into phosphorus
fertilizer.
In the United Stales, the origi
nally fertile fields lost phosphorus
to heavy erosion and continual
removal of the nutrients in crops
raised and sold, or fed to animals
and then sold. Effectively export
ing the nutrients.
The soil needed to be replen
ished with nutrients.
Manure was returned to the soil
to help replenish the nutrients in a
farm’s soils, but the manure did
not contain enough nutrients to
keep up with the demands of crops.
Lanyon called that period of
freely available phosphorus for
fanning as die cxploidvc years.
Following those were years with
out enough phosphorus.
Further, Lanyon explained that
while the nutrient flow on a farm
was slightly imbalanced toward a
deficit, it was more or less a
balanced ecosystem unto itself
the flow of nutrients could be fol
lowed and accounted for in a cycle.
With farm specialization and
integration and transportation,
now, the system brings phosphor
us from various parts of the world
to grain and feed crop growing
areas.
(Turn to Page A 39)
DOVER (Del) In
I response to requests
from concerned local
horse owners. Dr. Beteh
Valentine, Department
of Pathology, College of
Veterinary Medicine,
Cornell University,
Ithaca, N.Y., will speak
on the symptoms of
£PSM, a muscle disease
in horses, tell how com
mon it is in various
horse breeds and share
their research regarding
a cure.
This meeting will be
gin at 7:30 p,m., Friday,
April 24, at the Modem
Maturity Center, Rl 8,
Dover, Delaware, in the
Longwood Room, (use
back entrance from
parking lot), and is free.
All interested persons
are welcome.
Dr. Valentine is
donating her time, to
come inform local horse
owners of her Endings,
at the invitation of the
Delmarva Driving Club
and The Delaware
Equine Council.
She will also be
speaking at the Farm
Plow and Field Day, on
the Miller farm, 962
Dennys Rd., Dover,
Del., Saturday, April 2S
at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Working the ground
with horses will begin at
7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
For more informa
tion, call Organizer Ed
Banning at (302)
628-0100 or 337-3900.
SMV sign for
safe towing on
highways