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FRIDAY,
OCTOBER 6,2000
Catastrophic Crop Insun
ANDY ANDREWS Farmers experienced about a
Lancaster Farmint Stuff 70 percent crop lost in the
BETHLEHEM county. "How could you not,
(Northampton Co.) Penn- especially the past year, when
sylvania Master Corn producers got less than half a
Growers Association crop?"
(PMCGA) Vice President Ever since Wagner pur-
Guy Wagner knows how im- chased the farm business
portant catastrophic insut- from his father, Walter, in
ance, or CAT, can be for 1990, he has bought crop m
producers surance for his 880 acres of
Because of last year’s com and 400 acres of soy
devastating drought, Wagner beans, for a total of $l2O.
recalls that the com on 40 As for CAT insurance,
acres was so worthless he “most don’t take it,” said
simply disced it in. Guy. “They never thought
CAT insurance for the year could have been like
Wagner amounted to $6O per this either. You just never
crop know.”
“I always took it,” he CAT insurance pays off
said during an interview late only a fraction of the crop
in December at his farm. (lUm
Many Factors Go The Way
Of Five-Acre Winners
£ AIL STRUCK Award in the hand-harvest
Mifflin Co. Correspondent class with 204 3 bushels per
EMPORIUM (Cameron acre.
Co >-She says farming is ex- Jeff and LuAnn Reed both
pensive, and would he like to work fuU time off the farm
try bowling instead 7 In their spare time, they farm
The humor in LuAnn about 45 acres of cropland on
Reed’s voice soon turns to his home farm plus an addi
pride when she talks about tional 60 acres on his father,
her husband, Jeff, farming Earl's, farm,
part time on his family farm, What pleases this Cam
and winning the 1999 Penn- eron County couple the most
sylvama 5-Acre Corn Club (remishms^
Tha height of the com on Earl Read's farm on July 4,
IMO, exceeded everyone's expectations. Shown here,
left to right, are LuAnn, Jeff, and Earl Read.
. resistance management
STRATEGIES
. CORN YIELD INPUTS
. GROWER feature
. STATE & NCGA NEWS
RliimLK
VANIA MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC.
toaster Farming, Saturday, March 4, 2000
nee A Must For Bethlehem Grower
Pennsylvania Master Com Growers Association (PMCQA) Vice Presi
dent Guy Wagner knows how Important catastrophic Insurance, or CAT,
can be for producers. CAT Insurance for Wagner amounted to $6O per
crop. “I always took it,” he said during an interview late in December at
his farm. Photo by Andy Amin wt
Dr. Greg Roth
Penn State Agronomy Associate Professor
WHERE CAN YOU
CUT CORNERS ON
CORN PRODUCTION?
After last year’s dreadful
year, many corn growers are
asking where and how they
can reduce input costs m corn
production
The key is to focus on those
inputs that give us the most
consistent responses to our
investment Let's review how
each of several common corn
inputs have produced a
return on investment in our
trials here at Penn Slate
One input you might think
about is seed In our trials
there is often a large varia
tion in performance-about 30
to 40 bushels per acre So this
NSYLVANiA MASTER
GROWERS ASSOCIATION
tween The Rows
input is not one to cut corners Qur trials have shown rela
on Some, but not all, prcmi- tlvc ly Jow (3-4 bushel per
urn-priced hybrids are top acre) yield responses to the Bt
yielders Check out mdc- gene itself under normal
pendent data to get some idea planting conditions, as have
how new hybrids perform um u
Farm Calendar
BHBOfIBIfIUUIBSEBH
Schuylkill County Crops
Insect, and Disease Man- Clinic, Penn State Schuyl
agement, Lebanon Valley hill Campus, Schuylkill
Ag Center, 9 a m -4 p m
•A 1
2000-1
(Turn I* Pag* •)