(Continued from Page A 2) 2471 1633 3304 1754 L**t Week Left Year CATTLE; Compared toUb week’* clo*- in| price*, daughter ateen doaed weak to 30 lower. Slaughter heifer* weie not well te*ted. Thi* week'a maiket ataited out fully iteady and then dropped on Tueaday. Some strength waa evident at the cloee, although tale* were very apotty throughout the week. Volatility waa die care for moat all of the beef maiket* Ihia week, except for boxed beef price* which were Heady to firm. Slaughter cow* ended the week mixed, after a iharp drop at mid-week. The 75-85 percent lean cow* doaed Beady to 1.00 lower. Lean cow* from 85-90 percent fm iibed 30-1.50 higher with increaaed itiength on Thnnday. Slaughter bulla doaed 1.00-2.oolower. Thi* week'a aupply included 47 percent daughter ateera, 6 per cent daughter heifer*. 36 percent daughter cowa, 6 percent bull* and the balance were feeder cattle. SLAUGHTER STEERS: High Choice md Prime 2-4 1140-1485 lb. 60.75-65.25, few Charolaia X 2 1230-13S0 Iba 65.00- Choice 2-3 1025-1490 lb* 59.00- high dreaaing 1-2 6230-66.50. Select and low Choice 2-3 1120-1500lb* 55.00-61.75; 1500-17401b* 51-25-58.00. Select 1-3 1070-1510 lb* 50.75-57.85. HOLSTEIN STEERS: High Choice and Prime 2-3 1325-1615 Ibe 54.10-56.50 i Choice 2-3 1130-1680 Ibe 51.85-55.00 Select and low Choice 2-3 1080-1630 Ibf 49J0- 53.75. Selea 1-2 1040-1590 lb* 46.50-52.00. Few Standard 1-2 42.00-45.50. SLAUGHTER HEIFERS; Few high Choice and Prime 2-4 1200-1300 lb* 61.35-62.50. Choice 2-4 1060-1270 Ibe 57.754050 Select and low Choice 2-3. 965-1415 Ibe 54J0-58.00. Heifeieoea: Choice 3-4 10601380 lb* 51.25-57.00 Few Commercial and Standard 2-4 9501300 lbs 48.0052.00 Beaver Run School Fall Consignment Sale Sept. 5,1998 Washingtonvflle, Montour Co., PA * Wanted: Consignments For All Farm Related Items, Antiques, Quilts, Crafts, Furniture and Etc. in Good Saleable Condition. For Free Advertising Consign by Aug. 15. Sale Committee: Hesea, John N. and Aaron-Hostetler 717-437-3704,437-3083, 437-2758 We Sell On Commission Bill Wolfe, AU-001035 ABSOLUTE AUCTION ONE MILLION DOLLAR INVENTORY Heaters, Air Conditioners and Parts Contents of Philadelphia’s Largest “Carriers” Distributor Wednesday, July 29,1998 10 a.m. On Site ★ HVAC Equipment, Carrier, Payne, Reznor, Hydrotherm, Mitsubishi, Tetco Air Temp, Fngidaire, and more; 150 Gas & Oil Furnaces, 200 Condensing Units, 600 Window Air Conditioners, Fancoils, Magic Aire, Split Systems Commercial, Heat Pumps, Reznor Refrigerant Specialties, Compressors, Motors & Accessories, Factory Parts, Controls, Installation Material and Supplies, Servicing Material and Replacement Components, Tools, Test Instruments, Meters, Copper Pipe, PVC Pipe, Freon, Building Material Trailer Load, R -19 Insulation, 10 Trailer Loads of Ceramic Tile 4" to 12", 3500' of 12”xl2” Marble, 3000’ of Oak Hardwood Flooring, 75 PH Exterior Doors, 300 SC Doors, 400 HC Doors, 5000' of Pine Molding, 150 Asst. Windows, Tubs, Toilets, Sinks, Faucets, Large Inventory of Tools, 1000' of Pallet Racking, Forklifts, Cars and Trucks. Terms: $lOO.OO Refundable Deposit Required to Bid, 10% Buyers Premium. All Sales Cash or Certified Funds. Inspection: Morning of Sale, SAM to Start of Sale Auctioneers Note: This Sale is a Contractor’s Dream. Never Seen at Auction? Short Notice, Don’t Miss It. SLAUGHTER COWS*: PERCENT LEAN WEIGHT BULK LOW DRESS ING Breaker* 75-80 pet lean over-1400 lb* 373042.25 36.0039.25 Boner* 8085 pet lean over-1200 lb* 34.50-41.50 33.0035.75 Lean (Hi-Yield) 85-88 pa lean over-1200 lb* 33303830 33.003530 Lean 88-90 pa lean over-1000 Iba 30.75-37.75 28.003430 Lean (Light-Wt) 85-90 pa lean 750 -1000 lb* 293035.25 •Over 95 percent of mpply consiated of Holstein cow*. Leesport Livestock Lecaport, PA Wedncaday, July 22, 1998 No Report Available By PDA Report Supplied by Auction CATTLE 542..3UPPLY INCLUDED 52 SL. STEERS AND HEIFERS, 79 SL OWS, AND 20 FEEDER CATTLE. SLAUGHTER STEERS: CHOICE 2-3 TO 61.75, FEW SELECT 1-3 58.0060.00, STANDARD 1-2 47.0051.00 HOLSTEIN STEERS: HIGH CHOICE AND PRIME TO 59.00, STANDARD 40.0047.00. HEIFERS: FEW CHOICE 2-4 1105-1131 LBS. 56.0059.25, SELECT 1-3 54.0057.00 COWS: BREAKING UTILITY AND COMMERCIAL 2-4 37.0039.75. CUT TER AND BONING UTILITY 1-3 30.0035.00, CANNER AND LOW CUT TER 1-2 17.003000 SHELLS DOWN TO 100. BULLS: HOLSTEINS 44.0049.75. CALVES: 157..VBALERS 90-HOLES TO 78.00; HEIFER CALVES 1.00-1.35. HOGS; 18.. .BARROWS AND GILTS 33.50-34.50. BOARS: ONE LOT 255 LBS. 13.50. FEEDER PIGS: 140... PER HEAD 12.00-28.00. SHEEP; ...SLAUGHTER LAMBS CHOICE 50.00-70.00, HEAVIES TO 80.00 AND UP. Public Auction Register LATE WED. JULY 29 -10 AM. Ridge conditioners 4 parts. Associated Fire Co., along Rt. 23 btwn. Rt Auclloneefs. 215-739-1021. 100 & Phoenixvllle, PA. Collectors WED. JULY 29 - 7PM Four Auction, toys, dolls, stamps, States Lvst. Sales, Hagerstown, advertising & Ephemera. Kathy MD. Brown Swiss Herd Dlpsersal, Maurer. AucL. 610-970-7588. 27 reg. Brown Swiss, 2 Jersey 4 3 WED. JULY 29 -,IOAM. 3950 D Hptetelns. By Ricterd 4 Maitene St, Philadelphia, PA Heaters, air Block. Sale bam 301-733-8120 BUY SELL TRADE 13th ANTIQUE HUNTING & FISHING SHOW & SALE SATURDAY, AUGUST 1,1998 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Lancaster Farm and Home Center, Arcadia Road, Lancaster Pa. Take Service Road off Rt 72 South (Manheim Pike) off Rt 30 & Rt. 283, Turn between Jones Pontiac and Conestoga Marine (follow show signs) Admission: $3.00 • Air Conditioned Early Bird Admission $lO.OO - 8 a.m. HUNTING & FISHING LICENSES, SHELL BOXES, OLD LURES, PLUGS, REELS, DECOYS, FISHING RODS, BOOKS, POSTERS, KNIVES, GUNS, TRAPS, PICTURES, RELATED ITEMS, HUNTING & All State, Federal and Local Regulations Apply Remittance must accompany reservation Send to Ron Funk, R & S Enterprises, 34 North Vintage Road, Paradise, PA 17562 Information' (717) 442-4279 evenings DOOR PRIZES ★★★ Next Lancaster Show - Saturday, March 6,1999 Lebanon Valley Livestock Mkt. Farm Machinery Consignment Sale August 1,1998 9:00 AM 1 mile east of Fredericksburg, PA, along Rt. 22 TRACTORS: 1H1466, ID 125 Skid Loader, 154 Cub EQUIPMENT: JD1209 Haybme, 4 Star Tedder, Woods Finishing Mower, Mr Sickle, IH 14 Rake, IH 56 Blower, H&S Wagon, IH Round Baler, JD336 Baler w/Thrower, JD 3960 Chopper, Stone Rake, 12 ft. Packer, IH 4 Semi Mount, 3000 Gal Manure Tank. LAWN & GARDEN: White Horse 111, JD 111, Bolens 1402, Work Horse, JD 212, Sears 12, JD6OO Amt. BUILDING MATERIALS:Doors, Windows, Old Window Glass, Hot Bed Sash TERMS: Cash or Approved Check Day of Sale. All items must be removed within 5 days of sale unless arrangements have been made. F.M.I. Call: Dave 717-866-5783 Neil 717-933-4865 Brian 215-257-6271 Keith Byers AU-1924-L Gerald Hoover AU-2794 Any announcements made day of sale take precedence over printed matter. Auctioneers I recently attended the national meeting of the American Society for Horticultural Science and was able to collect a great deal of information about the production of fruit and vegetable crops. Over the next few months I intend to pass that information on to the readers of this column. Watch Soil Moisture Levels As I wrote last month, the hot temperatures that we are having now can have dramatic effects on the yield and quality of your fruit and vegetable crops. You need to be carefully monitoring both fruit and vegetable crops for their water status and be sure to apply water before drought stress can reduce yields and crop quality. Research conducted in Ohio showed that a slight water stress on nursery Closing Date Monday 5:00 P.M. of each week's publication Internet Sale Register will be updated every Sat. at 2:23 P.M. FISHING PATCHES Free Parking & Good Food Available Advertised Nationally and Locally Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 25, 1998-A39 stock resulted in a growth reduction of 50% compared to well-watered control plants. The stress applied to the plants did not result in any visible symptoms (leaf wilt, loss of leaf glossiness) so the researchers could not tell the plants were stressed other than through soil moisture measurements. I had read before that plants can be experiencing water stress without any visible symptoms but this research project dramatically demonstrated this effect. While your fruit and vegetable yields may not be reduced by 50% if your plants are stressed, you should still keep your plants wall watered to harvest the largest and highest quality crop. No-Till Vegetables There has been greater interest in no-till vegetable production in the US in recent years. The advantages of this system include soil erosion control, labor and fuel savings, improved field conditions following rains, and water conservation due to reduced runoff. Numerous studies have shown the advantages of this system for the production of both field crops (com, soybeans) as well as many types of vegetables. However, there are some disadvantages of this system including weed control problems, necessary equipment modifications, delayed maturity of early-spnng planted crops, problems with application of soil-applied chemicals, and residual habitat for certain diseases and insects. I attended a half-day workshop on the use of cover crops in vegetable production and based on that discussion and personal experiences I would encourage more Lancaster county vegetable producers to examine this system for the production of some of the crops on your fields. Based on the discussions, the no-till system will not be useful for the production of early crops of tomatoes, com, or melons. There is just no way to warm the soil sufficiently to get the necessary early growth of these crops. However, for late-planted crops, especially pumpkins. I think this system has enough benefits for you to try it. There are a few keys to being successful with a no-till system. First, you need to obtain a dense, uniformly distributed , weed-free cover crop prior to planting. If you do not have a dense enough stand then you will most likely have weed problems later in the year. Next - you need to thoroughly kill the cover crop prior to planting and leave a heavy residue. Not killing the co.ver crop will lead to unwanted competition for water and nutrients. Third - you need to establish crop plants with a minimum disturbance of surface residue and surface soil. Again - weed problems can arise with too much soil disturbance. And finally - you need to practice year-round weed control. You need to have either a vegetable crop or a cover crop on the field at all times. Never leave the field fallow to produce a 'crop' of weeds and weed seeds. I feel that pumpkins are an ideal crop to produce using no-till procedures. The seed is large and easy to establish. Transplants can also be used and they too are easy to establish. Pumpkins are planted later in the season so the soil would have a chance to warm up. In addition, you do not need to apply soil treatments in order to establish a pumpkin crop. And finally, by planting pumpkins after a cover crop containing some hairy vetch, you should not need to apply any nitrogen fertilizer to produce the crop. Growers who have grown pumpkins in a no-till field with sufficient residue have also told me that the fruit is much cleaner at harvest - an additional benefit to the producer and the buyer. The best cover crop for pumpkin production would be a mix of both hairy vetch and rye. The vetch will provide nitrogen (as I mentioned earlier) and the rye would produce the long-term residue necessary for season-long weed control. Unsatisfactory results have been obtained with just vetch cover crops for two reasons. First - the residue breaks down too fast and weed control can be a problem. Second - some growers have had excessive vine growth because the vetch left too much nitrogen in the soil. Straight rye cover crops are not ideal because they do not provide any nitrogen to the soil and may even tie-up some of the nitrogen in your soil while the residue breaks down. One common problem with a vetch-rye cover crop system is that the cover needs to be established in September in order to get satisfactory growth of the vetch before winter. Many growers do not have a field available at this time to establish the cover crop. However, with some planning before crop ent you may be able to have the field space available in early fall for cover crop establishment. I strongly encourage you to look into no-till pumpkin production on your farm. If you are interested in the no till system and want to see first hand a farm that is sucessfully using no-till then you should attend the "Tools for Transition" Farm Field Day at Cedar Meadow Farm in Holtwood on July 29 from 10.00 AM until 3:00 PM Steve Groff has been using no-till on his farm for 14 years and can provide information and tips lor successfully using this system on your farm Steve has produced both pumpkins and tomatoes using no-till and has been very satisfied with- the results. Contact the extension office for additional details on this field day. Tim Elkner Penn State Cooperative Extension 1383 Arcadia Rd , Rm. I Phone (717) 394-6851 Lancaster, PA 17601-3184 FAX (717) 394-3962