International Conference Focuses
On Plastics In Agriculture
UNIVERSITY PARK
(Centre Co.) Farmers, hor
ticulture industry workers,
plastics manufacturers and
suppliers, educators, and
other interested professionals
from both the U.S. and
abroad can see firsthand how
new uses for plastics have
transformed agriculture at
“Plasticulture 2000,” the
15th International and 29th
National Agricultural Plas
tics Congress, Sept. 23-27 at
the Hershey Lodge and Con
vention Center in Hershey.
“This congress is a golden
opportunity to see and hear
about the latest top cutting
edge research and methods in
plasticulture,” said Michael
Orzolek, program chair and
professor of vegetable crops
in Penn State’s College of Ag
ricultural Sciences. “You also
can see active field demon
strations of machinery, crops
grown in plasticulture sys
tems and five special tours.”
The congress is hosted by
Penn State and sponsored by
the American Society for
Plasticulture and the Comite
International des Plastiques
en Agriculture. A three- to
four-day tour of farms and
agribusinesses in New Jersey
is scheduled before the con
ference opens on Sept. 23.
Sponsored by Rutgers Uni
versity, and starting in
Newark, N.J., attendees will
see production agriculture
farms using drip irrigation,
plastic film mulch, and
greenhouse technologies. As
the tour approaches Hershey,
visits to historic sites near
Philadelphia also are sched
uled.
The congress opens Sept.
23, with a general assembly.
On Sunday, Sept. 24, atten
dees will hear a keynote
speech on “Plasticulture in
the Global Community” and
four other plenary presenta
tions on various elements of
plasticulture. Later in the
day, roundtable discussions
will address drip irrigation,
greenhouse technology, pack
aging technology, and plastic
technology that will extend
the growing season.
On Monday and Tuesday,
Sept. 25-26, more than 80 re
searchers from the United
States and various foreign
countries will give research
presentations on greenhouse
Beekeepers To Meet
HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.) l° u k , now h ° w important
- Have you ever thought honey bees are to agriculture?
about becoming a beekeeper? The Capitol Area Bee-
Are you interested in keepers Association is offer
nature?... Agriculture? Do ing its 13th annual Short
production, row covers and
high/low tunnels, use of plas
tics in vegetable, fruit and or
namental crop production,
and plastics in packaging and
livestock operations. Plastics
disposal, reuse, and recycling
also will be covered.
The conference includes an
extensive trade show Sept. 26
and 27, according to William
Lament, program co-chair
and Penn State associate pro
fessor of vegetable crops.
On the final day, Wednes
day, Sept. 27, visitors can
take one of five tours to agri
cultural businesses in central
and southeast Pennsylvania.
Tours will visit commercial
fruit operations, vegetable
operations, commercial
greenhouses, ornamental
nurseries, and businesses spe
cializing in plastic packaging
technology.
For more information on
Plasticulture 2000, call The
American Society for Plasti
culture at (814) 238-7045 or
visit the society’s Website:
http://www.plasticulture.org.
Grower and Marketer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 20, 2000—Page
The Farmstand:
Direct a
Marketing
peanut butter, they receive a
“correction” to their moist
nose,
The highly visible polywire
and peanut butter baits on a
charged wire provide an ef
fective deterrent to feeding
inside the wire. This system is
generally good on areas up to
five acres. The baits must be
maintained with fresh peanut
butter every 2-4 weeks and
care needs to be given in
planning the location for the
enclosure. Locating this psy
chological barrier in a long
used deer thruway will not
have any effect, as they will
leap over the wires. This
system is very inexpensive be
cause the only costs are for fi
berglass posts, polywire, a
little miscellaneous hard
ware, peanut butter, and a
charger. Solar-powered bat
tery chargers can make this
system completely portable
to those areas on your farm
with no power.
The concept with all elec-
t r. • r. i For a registration form, lo-
Course In Basic Beekeeping, .. °
f * c * cation maps, and lodging m-
May 20 from noon to sat the * , 6 .
ii/r-ii TT , w-i „ tormation, contact Mana
Milton Hershey Farm Con- c *
ference Center and Aoiarv in Contmo ’ Secretary, 6087
Srch “ AP y Rockland Drive, Harrisburg,
y ‘ PA 17112, or call (717) 657-
3932.
MESSICK'S Equipment
For a tractor that matches your needs perfectly, choose
aTN tractor from New Holland. It's packed with big
tractor features that save you time and make you money
■ New 3-cylinder engines deliver lugging power that
will send you looking for bigger jobs to tackle.
■ Clutchless power shuttle option lets you shift from
forward to reverse with only the touch of a finger.
■ Faster cycle times thanks to the highest
pump flow in the business. Sb
Stop by and pick out a tractor that s built j
for you. A New Holland IN tractor.
MESSICK'S Equipment
(Contlnued from Pago 12)
Built for you
RD #l, Box 225 A Rt. 30, Abbottstown, PA 17301
Phone (717) 259-6617
trie fencing is to train the
deer to stay out of an area.
Start before your crop needs
protection and maintain the
fence. Don’t turn it off during
the time that you want pro
tection because the deer will
periodically test the wire and
go through if the system is
off. During high snow peri
ods, your fence may become
ineffective.
For more information on
deer control methods;
•Penn State: Deer: Penn
sylvania Wildlife Nuisance
and Damage #l2.
•University of Maryland
Cooperative Extension: Con
trolling Deer Damage in
Maryland, Wildlife Manage
ment Series Low-Cost Elec
tric Deer Fence, Wildlife
Management Series.
•Virginia Cooperative Ex
tension: Low-Cost Slant
Fence Excluded Deer from
Plantings (web article from
Charlie O’Dell).
NIWHOUAW
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