Page 14—Ag Progress Section 2, Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, August 15, 1998
More Than 500 Research Plots At Ohio Horticulture Field Night
HILLSBORO, Ohio Have
you ever seen an heirloom toma
to or a virus-resistant pumpkin?
These are the latest in specialty
crops making their niche in Ohio
agriculture, and they will be on
display at Horticulture Field
Night, Monday, Aug. 17, 6 p.m.
to dark.
Horticulture Field Night will
be held at the main campus of
the Southern State Community
College, 200 Hobart Drive, Rt.
62 north of Hillsboro. More than
500 fruit and vegetable research
and demonstration plots and 15
different research projects will
be on display
Brad Bergefurd, horticultural
agent for Ohio State University
Extension at the Enterprise
Center for Economic Develop
ment, said current growers or
those considering growing and
marketing specialty vegetable
crops should attend the event
“If you’re a farmer looking for
ways to diversify your current
farming operation, Horticulture
Field Night will be beneficial.”
Bergefurd said the highlight
of Field Night is usually the
wagon tour Visitors are carried
through field where more than
500 fruit and vegetable research
and demonstration plots can be
viewed Several state and
regional Ohio State specialists
will be on hand to update grow
ers on current problems, new
techniques and research pro
jects that will impact their oper
ations Growers may ask ques
tions or advice for problems they
are currently experiencing on
their own operations
Visitors will also receive
information and watch a video of
the new, one-of-a-kind, mechani
cal pepper harvester for process
ing peppers. The equipment was
designed and is currently used
in Texas pepper fields. The
machine’s manufacturer will be
available for a question/answer
session via a group conference
call. Bergefurd is in the process
of arranging a growers’ tour to
view the machine in operation at
its Texas location.
Another feature of Horticulture
Field Night is the TOM-CAST
disease forecasting system. It’s
used to track weather conditions
that may cause fungal disease
development in Ohio’s tomato
crop. The Hillsboro site was one
of the first places in Ohio to test
this system on fresh market
tomatoes about four years ago.
The system allows for reduced
fungicide use, residues and can
lower production coSts for toma
to growers How? By following
weather conditions, farmers
know exactly when to apply nec
essary fungicides, reducing excess
usage.
“The CR-10 is a computerized
system which monitors leaf wet
ness and temperature within
the field,” Bergefurd said
“These reading are then calcu
lated to come up with a Disease
Severity Value (DSV) threshold
Growers use this information to
determine when to apply fungi
cide applications to their tomato
crop ”
The CR-10 is being compared
to a system called Skybit. It uses
satellite technology to gather
the same information as the CR
-10 units “We’re currently com
paring these systems, because if
they are similar in their results,
a grower could subscribe to the
Skybit system on a season
basis,” Bergefurd said. Growers
who wish to purchase CR-10
units may spend several thou
sand dollars, according to
Bergefurd.
Visitors at the event will see
bacterial spot-resistant pepper
evaluations, ornamental corn
germplasm plots, oriental crops
production and marketing ideas,
red and green cabbage evalua
tions, watermelon and eastern
Producers Strive To Identify Predictable Genetics
SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. -
Regardless of the breed of cattle,
all producers strive to produce
the best beef product possible.
A group of Angus producers
from throughout the United
States have joined together
forming the Angus Sire Alliance,
which uses every tool available,
including ultrasound data, to
help identify the most profitable
and predictable genes in the
Angus breed.
Angus Sire Alliance members
submit one bull to participate.
The sire is then bred to 100 com
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forage mix and Sprint™, Premium Pea-Kal® and Asgrow soybeans.
Grower name:
Street address:
City:
Phone:
# seed corn units:
# forage seed units I mixes:
# Sprint, Premium Pea-Kal:
# Asgrow soybean units:
Grower signature
Date
muskmelon cultivar trials, and
pumpkin disease prevention
techniques. There will also be
Internet and Web page demon
strations.
Bergefurd said a new line of
specialty crop equipment will be
on display as well. Visitors will
see a newly constructed sprayer
used for staked tomatoes, a plas-
mercial Angus cows through
artificial insemination and nat
ural exposure. Data is then col
lected on the steer progeny
when they reach 14-15 months
of age. This data will be used in
determining the top sire.
The first set of Sire Alliance
steers, which consisted of 700
steers sired by 20 bulls, went to
the feedlot on Jan. 20 with pro
jected slaughter dates in late
April or early May.
"Four to six weeks before the
projected slaughter dates, ultra-
Ag Progress Days Special....
Early order voucher must be signed by customer
and submitted to Seedway with the order.
Stop at the Seedway booth (East 6th Street) and find out
how to save on your early seed order.
Seedway carries a full-line Qf anclls the exclusive
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tic mulch layer and lifter, raised
bed shaper, mechanical trans
planter and punch planter for
planting crops through plastic
mulch. A water wheel setter for
setting plants into plastic mulch
will be visible, in addition to a
Porterway mechanical vegetable
harvester, potato harvester and
the newly constructed green
house.
sound measurements are
recorded to determine rib-eye
scores, degree of marbling and
fat thickness to identify which
contemporary groups will be
ready to slaughter. This proce
dure is a measuring stick to see
where the calves are. These
measurements will be compared
to the data collected on the
slaughter dates," said Michael
Montoya of Broken Lance Ranch
in Bucyrus, Kan., a member of
the Alliance.
The Angus Sire Alliance will
have a positive impact on the
Zip:
- savings =
- savings =
- savings =
- savings =
TOTAL SAVINGS :
Dealer signature
Date
' *// ' ,
'"'■‘kt -
Horticulture Field Night is
free and open to the public.
Supper will be served. The event
is sponsored by the OSU
Extension Enterprise Center
and Ohio Agricultural Research
and Development Center.
For more information, con
tact Brad Bergefurd, (800) 860-
7232.
beef cattle industry, according to
Montoya.
"The Angus Sire Alliance will
improve the quality of beef and
increase the degree of marbling
in animals. It also will help pro
ducers identify the most effi
cient and more profitable genet
ics for commercial producers
throughout the country," said
Montoya.
The Angus Sire Alliance is an
ongoing research program, cov
ering every segment of the beef
cattle industry from conception
to the consumer.
- ✓ /**