ViCorntalk
MASTER CORN GROWERS ASSOC., INC.
Corn Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 14, 2000
First-Time Five-Acre Corn Contest Entry Yields Top Spot
shell corn per
acre earned Robert More, Montgomery, a first-place
spot in the 1999 Five-Acre Corn contest and second
in the National Corn Grower’s Association contest
for Pennsylvania.
Photo by Carolyn N. Moyer, Tioga Co. correspondent
NOT TOO LATE
TO PLANT RYE
COVER CROP
Mark Goodson
CCA Extension Agent
York County
I adapted the following ar
ticle from “Managing Cover
Crops Profitably,” second edi
tion, 1998, Sustainable Agri
culture Network, Beltsville,
Md.
Rye, the cool season annual
cereal grain, is inexpensive
and easy to establish. It is the
hardiest of the cereal grains
and can be planted later in
the fall than other cover
crops.
Benefits growers can count
on from planting rye include:
• Considerable dry matter
production
• An extensive soil-holding
root system
• Significant reduction of
nitrate leaching
• Exceptional weed sup
pression
• A moisture-holding snow
trap over winter.
On infertile, shaley, acidic,
(Turn to Pago 6)
CAROLYN N. MOYER
Tioga Co. Correspondent
MONTGOMERY (Lycom
ing Co.) For many farmers,
the 1999 corn crop yields
spelled dis
aster, but for
the corn crop
planted by
Robert More,
Montgom
ery, the rains
came at crit
ical times,
giving him
an excellent
crop.
£The farmer wants to farm, but also he
wants to receive a return on his investment.
He’s not received that for a number of years.
When I look forward, 1 don’t see anything
different happening. I have a daughter and a
son, and I don’t see them being involved in
this business. 9
In fact,
More’s yields
were almost twice as high as
others’ corn yields in sur
rounding areas.
His high yields of 218.3
bushels of dry shell corn per
acre earned him a first-place
Management Strategies Essential When Planting
Rootworm-, Corn Borer-Resistant Varieties
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANDISVILLE (Lancaster
Co.) New transgenic com
varieties with rootworm con
trol are available to growers
on a limited basis now, and
will continue to grow.
But just like varieties with
the Bt gene to control Europe
an corn borer (ECB), some
kind of resistance manage
ment will also have to be in
place, according to a crop en
tomology specialist.
Dennis Calvin, Penn State
entomologist, spoke about
evolving strategies to deal
with the new transgenic corn,
some with “stackable” genes
that have traits to fight corn
rootworm (CRW) and ECB.
Calvin spoke to about 70
crop consultants and agripro
duct representatives in mid-
July during the Penn State
sponsored Field Crop Pest
Management Field Day at the
Landisville Research Center.
About 1 percent of the corn
in the U.S. planted this year
had CRW control characteris
tics, noted Calvin. For 2001,
that number is certain to
grow.
Those strategies for dealing
(Turn to Pag* 2)
spot in the 1999 Five-Acre
Corn contest and second in
the National Corn Grower’s
Association (NCGA) contest
for Pennsylvania.
“When you’re talking
about rain showers, one area
can get just a trace and anoth
er area can get a half of an
inch,” said More. “That half
an inch at the most critical
Dennis Calvin, Penn State entomologist, spoke
about evolving strategies to deal with the new
transgenic corn, some with “stackable” genes that
have traits to fight corn rootworm (CRW) and ECB.
Calvin spoke to about 70 crop consultants and agri
product representatives in mid-July during the Penn
State-sponsored Field Crop Pest Management Field
Day at the Landisville Research Center.
time can make considerable
bushels of corn difference.”
Although More has been
farming for 35 years, this is
the first time he entered the
contest.
Currently
he has slightly
more than 300
acres in pro
duct i o n ,
growing two
thirds corn
and one-third
soybeans.
“When I
graduated
from high
Robert More
school in the
early 60s, my father and I
worked together,” More said.
“At that time, we just farmed
the home farm, which was
about 90 acres.”
(Turn to Pag* 4)