A36-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 8, 2000
Tree Growers See
New Soil Prep Methods
(Continued from Page A 1)
the wholes to plant the seed
lings, but the auger often pastes
the outside of the whole so the
roots grow only downward. This
is especially true if the planting
is done when the soil is wet.”
Holly Yerger, production su
pervisor at Westlake outlined
the farm’s safety program. She
said it is important to train
workers, especially seasonal
workers to operate equipment
properly. Give operating in
structions until the employees
feel they know how to operate it
comfortably. And only allow
employees to operate the ma
chinery they have been trained
to operate. Provide all the neces
sary safety equipment to protect
workers from noise and the rays
Gary Westlake discusses how improper soil prepara
tion can lead to trees that do not grow well and eventually
die.
From the Department of Dairy and Animal Science
This regular column from Penn State’s Department of Dairy and
Animal Science features the research findings, student opportunities, and
resports on other important topics generated in the Department. The
back issues of the column are archived on Lancaster Farming's
Internet www.lancasterfarming.com home page. Look for them.
Happenings at the Penn
State Sheep Center
Keith Bryan, Instructor
Spring has been a special time
at the Penn State Sheep Center, as
it probably has been for many
farms across the Commonwealth.
Just as our students looked
forward to spring semester and
spring break, our shepherd, Dick
Kuzemchak eagerly anticipated
lambing season as well as its
conclusion. The arrival of
newborn lambs confirmed the
success of our mating decisions
from the previous year, and
provided incentive for the
upcoming breeding season. The
Dorset flock at Penn State
continued to provide high-quality
animals that were, and continue to
be used m our teaching, research
and extension missions. Several
of our recent accomplishments,
challenges and future programs
are highlighted below.
Assistant Unit Manager for
the Sheep Barns
We have recently advertised
for an assistant unit manager at
the sheep farm This position will
of the sun. Don’t allow personal
radios because they are a dis
traction and can cause hearing
loss.
Dr. Larry Kuhns, Penn State
horticulture department, dem
onstrated how to calibrate
spraying equipment. The factors
involved in calibration include,
forward speed, pressure, nozzle
size, and bandwidth.
Dr. Paul Heller, Penn State
horticulture department, dem
onstrated insect scouting and
how to identify key pests and
their feeding damage.
Tim Smail, Chester County
Conservation Service, discussed
site selection and site modifica
tion. New county agent, Cheryl
Bjomson represented the Ches
ter County extension office.
help to provide much needed
assistance for Dick Kuzemchak at
the farm, and will help to relieve
some of the extra workload
brought about by budgetary cuts
and retirements that occurred
during the past decade. We look
forward to adding a bright,
talented, highly motivated
individual to our sheep farm staff
to compliment the outstanding job
that Dick and the undergraduate
students continue to do with our
Dorsets and the sheep program.
Shows, Sales and
Consignments
Our Dorsets continue to shine
at national events, and the Ohio
Dorset Show and Sale was no
exception. Our fall ram lamb was
sth and our ewes placed quite
well with the spring yearlings
finishing 4th and 6th, and the fall
ewe lambs placing 6th and Bth.
Although we did not garner any
champions, our yearling rams
were first and second in their
respective classes with one of
them selling for $3500.
In this picturesque tree setting, the hayride wagon takes the grower meeting partici
pants from one farm to another.
A new “spade” type machine is used to prepare the soil in a one-pass operation for
tree planting. Gary Westlake, owner, drives the tractor.
We have a group ot sheep
ready for the National Show and
Sale in Reno, NV at the end of
May, and we will continue to
evaluate the potential for
exhibiting a show string at the
Ohio State Fair in Columbus, and
the North American International
Livestock Exposition in
Louisville.
Our sheep perform well for us
and for our customers, so we have
consigned another strong set of
rams to the PA Meat Animal
Evaluation Center's Ram
Performance Test. Our
consignment includes four fall
ram lambs and two spring ram
lambs. The ram sale and sheep
field day are slated for Saturday,
Augusts.
We are excited about our
Dorsets and believe they have and
will continue to contribute to the
versatility of the breed in the
future.
Continental Dorset Club
Conference
Faculty and staff in Penn
State's Department of Dairy and
Animal Science have partnered
with the Continental Dorset Club,
and will be hosting the National
Dorset Breed Type Conference
and Symposia at Penn State on
Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July
29. The first mini-conference was
held this year in conjunction with
the Ohio Dorset Show and Sale in
March, and the second mini
conference will be held in
conjunction with the National
Dorset Show and Sale in Reno,
NV, in late May.
The conference will feature
noted speakers from the eastern
U.S. and cover topics such as:
Live evaluation of market lambs.
Selling Dorset lamb meat. Selling
Dorset seedstock, a tour of Penn
State, Proposed Dorset breed
standards with judging classes
and a type discussion, Carcass
evaluation, and presentations on
issues, challenges and
opportunities for the Continental
Dorset Club in the 21st century.
Although this program is geared
for Dorset breeders, we encourage
sheep enthusiasts to attend and
participate in this novel program.
Sale - April, 2001
THE CLASSIFIED LIVESTOCK SECTION
HAS BEASTLY SELECTIONS!
Plans are underway for our
first Dorset production sale in
spring, 2001, hopefully to be held
in April at the Ag Arena. We
intend to offer a livestock
merchandizing course during
spring semester, 2001, and to
have tremendous student
involvement with the planning
and execution of the sale. One of
our goals is to feature several lots
for a variety of sheep producers
and in various price ranges.
Lastly, the current road
construction projects in Centre
County and around Penn State
have made management of the
sheep flock and pastures a great
challenge for Departmental
personnel. Feel free to come and
visit us when you can, but bear
with us as we deal with the
current circumstances.
I'M
NOT
L10N...