Ag Council Hosts Summer Research Tour (Continued from Page A 1) ences. At the swine research lab, Ken Kephart, professor in the depart ment of dairy and animal science, highlighted several environ mental research programs. In the summer of 1999, for ex ample, researchers working on a swine odor research program evaluated three odor-reducing technologies on eight farms and surveyed the neighbors to de termine the effectiveness of the technologies. Biofiltration, ex hausting air from the swine fa cility through a pile of wood chips, seems to show the most promise, he said. Researchers have also been evaluating swine production sites since 1999 and making recom mendations to producers to help mitigate odor problems. Kephart also highlighted a Manure Hauler Certification Program, begun in 2000, and an environmental cer tification program for producers, the Pennsylvania Environmental Agriculture Conservation Certifi cate of Excellence (PEACCE). Eileen Wheeler, associate pro fessor in the department of agri cultural and biological engi neering, described a project involving the use of wetlands in odor control at the swine facility. The project includes separat ing the solid and liquid manure, then running the liquid manure into eight wetland tubs at a rate of 3,000 gallons per week. The tubes empty into an effluent tank. Based on prior, smaller FiCHi illiEivi Create An Oasis for Your Cowsl I Reran V FLUSH "Bi " "" H Bi BI H BMP Bl m Fabricators of Galvanized and Stainless Steel Barn Equipment studies, the researchers expect a 50-80 percent reduction of odors in the final liquid manure. Microbes in the wetlands, ex plained Wheeler, convert the or ganic matter into carbon dioxide and water. The project uses disci plines such as horticulture to set up the greenhouse, an example of the collaboration necessary on many of the university’s research projects. Rick Day, an assistant profes sor of soil science and environ mental information systems, de scribed the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in ag riculture, land use, and com merce. The AgMap program, said Day, includes more than 55 busi nesses that have registered online with a listing of their products and services. In the program the user can search by commodity and service for agriculture busi nesses in specified locations. Gretchen Kuldau, assistant professor in the department of plant pathology, spoke about the university’s study of mycotoxins, which are present in food, feed, and the indoor environment. “Mycotoxins take a number of different tolls in the ag sector,” said Kuldau. Mycotoxin in feed, for example, can cause produc tivity losses, veterinary costs, and testing costs. One project dealing with mycotoxins is to investigate their presence, and detrimental effect to cattle, in corn silage. The incident and distribution in Pennsylvania is not well un derstood, she said. “Our hope is Introducing • • • WATERER • Features rugged construction with 304 stainless steel for durability and cleanliness • A gushing 50 GPM flow fills the tank fast with adequate water supply • Round bottom design can be cleaned with a sweep by tipping the waterer using convenient lock-away handle • Optional Frost-Protection Unit that at the end of the project we will be able to make recommen dations on management practices that seem to be able to prevent mycotoxin formation,” she said. Another research project in cludes classifying and defining mycotoxins and putting the in formation into a web-accessible database. At the Toftrees site, Todd Bowersox, a professor of silvicul ture at the school of forest re sources, and Lisa Kelso, also from the school of forest re sources, spoke about a program that irrigates the university’s treated wastewater. Since 1983, Penn State has re cycled all of its wastewater by ir rigating 520 acres of farm crops and forest areas. The project op erates at approximately 70 per cent of its four million gallons a day capacity. According to Bow ersox, researchers have experi mented with clear cutting, then either planting or letting the for est naturally reseed the area. They have found that certain types of trees have adapted better to the high-moisture environ ment, said Kelso, who described the planting efforts of attempting to develop a plant community compatible with the irrigation system. They plan to reharvest the trees in 10-12 years. Also at Toftrees, Bryan Swis tock, extension associate in the school of forest resources, taught tour participants about well con struction and safety. Private wells serve more than three million people in Pennsylvania, accord- A NEW Waterer System Built from the Ground Up For Free Stall Applications JvLtimj&cbircd J sj|j INI 717-484-2233 Remholds, PA 17569 Eileen Wheeler, associate professor in the department of agricultural and biological engineering, described a project involving the use of wetlands in odor control at the swine facility. ing to Swistock. However these wells, if not properly constructed or maintained, may be host to coliform bacteria from insects, mice, or groundwater coming in contact with well water. Research projects included dis infecting and fitting wells known to be contaminated with sanitary well caps. The second study fo cused on testing new wells with a sanitary well cap but no grout seal, a second component impor tant in sanitary wells, Swistock said. Jack Schultz, professor of en tomology, presented his research on plant responses to their envi ronments. Wounded plants emit responses (color or growth) that “fingerprint” what their attacker was. Researchers then decided to use plants as environmental re porters for pest attack or bio/ chemical warfare. Magnetoelastic sensors capable of sensing plant emissions will re port the results, said Schultz. Plants can be used to locate and identify crop pests, pollutants, nutrients, etc. “Our overall goal is to deal with sensing and help augment the plant’s responsive PENNSYLVANIA’S uine Industry Needs Your Help Economic Impact Study of the Pennsylvania Equine Community to be Conducted THE PA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, through the State Horse and Harness Racing Commissions, has contracted with The Pennsylvania State University to conduct the survey. KNOWLEDGE of the current scope of the equine industry is important for enhancing government and citizen understanding. THE SURVEY will assess the composition and nature of Pennsylvania’s horse industry including its direct and indirect impact on the state’s economy. IN FALL 2002 written questionnaires will be mailed out to randomly selected individuals throughout all sectors of the equine community. PARTICIPATE if you receive a survey by completing the questionnaire. Your information will be kept completely confidential. For more information on the survey contact Dr Ann Swmker Extension Horse Specialist (814) 865-7810 or (814) 863-7639 Website www.PaEquine psu edu/ Penn Slate is committed to affirmative action equal opportumtv and the diversitv of its workfoicc Lancaster Palming; Saturday, July 20,2002-A35 ability,” he said. At the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Lab, veterinarian Pat ricia Dunn spoke about the lab’s role in agriculture, in particular the recent avian influenza out break. Because of rapid detection and reporting of cases, aggressive biosecurity, and coordinated tracking and monitoring of the virus, the outbreak was quickly contained. The animal Diagnostic Lab has worked on vaccine development and educational programs for the agriculture industry. Nine veteri narians work at the lab. During the luncheon, Bruce McPheron spoke about agricul ture biosecurity, which he de fined as the effort to prevent the entry of a pathogen or pest into a susceptible population of plants or animals. “This is the same question that we’ve been dealing with in vari ous guises for years,” he said. Ag riculture has always been inter ested in making safe food, it’s not anything new. Protecting the food supply is the “same sort of issues that we’ve always faced,” he said. iswinkerfci nsu.edu Pt-JSMSIAI Equin^ti iScience)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers