Lancaster Farming • Section F • Saturday, February 1,
A Little Bit Of ‘Barley,’ A Lot Of Herefords
Help Make Corn Contest Winner A Success
MICHELLE KUNJAPPU
Lancaster Farming Staff
McCONNELLSBURG
(Fulton Co.) “I don’t like to
play golf or sit around the
house I like to farm,” said
Harry Johnston, Back Run
Farm.
Johnston not only operates
a 400-acre farm but also
works hill-time at Agronomy,
Inc. in Mercersburg. The com
pany sells fertilizer, spray, and
seed and offers crop consult
ing and soil testing.
Perhaps it is this experience
with crops and sods that has
given Johnston an edge in
Taylor To Speak
GRANTVILLE (Dauphin
Co.) The 2003 Pennsylvania
Com and Soybean Conference
will bring together some of
Pennsylvania’s top com and
soybean growers to hear some
topics on how they can better
plan for the future and im
prove their bottom line. This
year’s program will kick off at
9 a.m., Feb. 7 at the Holiday
Inn in Grantville.
The featured speaker at this
year’s conference is Marcia
Zarley Taylor. Taylor is a Des
Moines, lowa native with 20
years experience in farm poli-
DROUGHT AND
MARKET DECLINE
Fd like to wish everyone a
happy, safe, and prosperous
2003.
Being a grower myself, I real
ize that this business is not
nearly as easy as it used to be.
Farmers as a whole are having
a very difficult time making it
work financially.
It is hard to not be discour
aged by having 1970 s prices for
our products and 2003 prices
for everything that we buy. I’m
always amazed by the fact that
farm management. Although
his studies at Penn State (he
graduated with a degree in
agronomy) gave him a basis of
understanding of crops, his
work has really given him an
opportunity to see “what
other farmers do, and see
what work for them,” he said.
He has come in as a first
place winner in the three-year
average division of the 2001
Pennsylvania Five-Acre Com
Club Contest. He also won
second place in the ear com
class.
Johnston works Back Run
Farm with his father, also
At Pa, Corn, Soybean Conference
cy, agricultural finance, and
environmental reporting.
Since 1990, Taylor has served
as editor of Top Producer
magazine. Marcia recently
was awarded the 2002 Jesse
Neal Award for her series en
titled “ Brazil the Competitor
You Can’t Ignore” published
in Top Producer.
In her presentation, she will
discuss not only the grain pro
duction potential of Brazil but
also recent investments in
grain processing and hog and
poultry production and what
we must do now to remain
PENNSYLVANIA
GROWERS ASSOCIATION
'resident’s Message
Guy Wagner
President, PCGA
two small bottles of water in a
convenience store cost as much
as a bushel of corn is worth.
The deep drop in the grain
markets since September does
not help either. It is difficult to
look at your own crops being
drought-stricken and watch the
market decline at the same
time. I know that many of you
are struggling with the combi
nation of poor crops three of
the last four years and low
prices on top of it. Even the
dairy farmers are not immune
with low milk prices as well.
named Harry Johnston, a gen
eral practitioner, who helps
with farm work on the week
ends and sometimes through
out the week.
The farm, consisting of 400
acres, includes about 110 acres
of com, 80 acres of soybeans,
and the remainder in timothy
hay that is sold to horse own
ers.
A cow-calf herd of SO head
of Hereford and Simmental/
Hereford crossbreds also re
sides on the farm. The John
stons also market beef to a
(Turn to Page FI 4)
competitive.
The morning program in
cludes speakers on soy bever
ages and the Penn State foot
ball team, how to maxi
mize the quality of com and
soybeans, and discussion of
how the movie “Signs” was
produced using a Pennsylva
nia com field.
Our afternoon sessions will
feature some in depth work
shops on the Farm Bill and
Crop Insurance, again with
several top speakers.
Sam Willet, nationally rec-
(Turn to Page FI 9)
On Feb. 7 the PCGA and the
Pennsylvania Soybean Board
will present the Corn and Soy
bean Conference at the Holiday
Inn at Grantville. I’m excited
about the program.
Marcia Zarley Taylor will be
the featured speaker. She has
been the editor of Top Producer
magazine since 1990.
Since 1998 she has traveled
to Brazil four times to leam
more about our biggest compet
itor. She was recently honored
(Turn to Page F 11)
Com grower Harry Johnston is joined by friend
Winter and dog “Barley.” Photo by Michelle Kunjappu
Farmers Learn About Twin
Row Corn At Field Day
MICHELLE KUNJAPPU
Lancaster Farming Staff
MILLERSTOWN (Perry Co.)
Farmers are always looking for
early canopy, uniform plant
spacing, and preserved moisture
for their crops.
These issues are characteristic
of narrow {I'A- inch) rows,
according to Penn State studies,
says Scott Brown, C.B. Hoober,
Monday, February 3
Chemical Producers and Distribu
tors’ Association Mid-Year
meeting and trade show, Hilton
Crystal City, Arlington, Va.,
thru Feb. 5, (703) 548-7700.
Adams County Crop Clinic, Agri
culture and Natural Resources
Center, 8:30 a.m.-2;30 p.m.,
(717) 334-6271.
Tuesday, February 4
Tilling the Soil of Opportunity,
Cayuga County Cooperative Corn and Soybean Conference,
Extension, Auburn, N.Y., thru Holiday Inn Grantville, (814)
Feb. 5, (315) 787-2622. J
(Turn to Page F 7)
Wednesday, February 5
Inc. Brown discussed the subject
at a field day in Perry County
this August.
Earlier work at Penn State,
where twin row com was evaluat
ed against 30-inch rows of com,
showed that the twin row corn
had better moisture utilization
and was 12-18 inches taller than
30-inch rows. The study showed
(Turn to Page Fl 9)
ORN TALK
Farm Calendar
Pesticide Update Meeting, Clarion
County Extension, Clarion
County Park, 1 p.m., (814)
782-0033.
Thursday, February 6
York Corn and Crop Clinic, York
4-H Center, 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.,
(717) 840-7408.
Grain Marketing Meeting, Dutch
Family Restaurant, Millington,
Md., 7:30 a.m., (410) 778-1661.
Friday, February 7