A2B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 22, 1998
Com Harvesting Equipment
For Visitors To
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Fanning Staff
ROCKSPRING (Centre Co.)
Kernel processing, fast and more
efficient silage harvesting, and
even methods to get improved
fresh market sweet com eats into
the wagon were highlights of two
Ag Progress demonstrations.
On Wednesday, a couple of
companies introduced com silage
harvesters to a crowd of several
hundred visitors to Ag Progress.
Afterward, one company put on
a show of a sweet com picker and
demonstrated the technology to a
crowd of about 45 vegetable grow
ers and agri-industry
representatives.
Lynn Hoffman, Penn State
agronomist, provided information
about the com hybrid planted at the
demonstration area and introduced
two com silage harvesters.
The harvesters included new
com kernel processing technology
to allow improved ensiling, which
creates better dry matter feed for
livestock. The processor, in
essence, crimps, cracks, and
shreds the kernel to allow
improved digestibility for animals.
The com was planted on 30-inch
rows no-tilled on May 15.
The two harvesters demon
strated to the crowd included one
that uses a rotating blade and the
Lynn Hoffman, Penn State agronomist, provided infor
mation about the corn hybrid planted at the demonstration
area and introduced two corn silage harvesters.
According to several growers, the challenge is coming
up with a machine that can differentiate between useful,
marketable ears and those that won’t sell on the auction
block or at the farm market. Trouble is, according to a grow
er from Lancaster County, the machine processes all ears
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other with a conventional chop
ping silage head.
The material was a couple of
weeks early to ensile, noted Hoff
man, because the com was at the
milking stage with too high mois
ture in the com. If the com was
planted in early May instead, the
kernel breaking process could
have been better demonstrated, he
noted.
Visitors were allowed to see
how the com was chopped and
loaded at the site.
In a separate demonstration,
sweet com growers were provided
information on several varieties of
bicolor sweet com planted both
no-till and conventionally tilled.
The demonstration at the test plots
was on a com picker by a company
based in Wisconsin.
The no-till plot was planted May
15 and the conventionally tilled
plot was planted May 18, accord
ing to Tom Murphy, Lycoming
County extension agent. For both
plots, a preplant fertilizer with 400
pounds 34-0-0 was used. A sided
ressing of 100 pounds of 10-30-10
was also added. About 150 pounds
per acre of nitrogen altogether
were applied.
In addition, several weed and
insect control applications were
used.
(Turn to Page A 34)
Creates Bushels Of Knowledge
Ag Progress Days
On Wednesday, a couple of companies introduced corn silage harvesters to a
crowd of several hundred visitors to ' >ss.
The harvesters included new corn kernel processing technology to allow improved
ensiling, which creates better dry matter feed for livestock. The processor, in
essence, crimps, cracks, and shreds the kernel to allow improved digestibility for
animals.
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The no-till sweet corn plot was planted May 15 and the conventionally Jas
planted May 18, according to Tom Murphy, Lycoming County extension agent.
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harvester. Many noted that the sweet corn ear size was sufficient.
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