A3O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 1,2003 Virginia Farm Show A Success (Continued from Page A 29) On the other hand, there was a hairdresser from Orange County making a first-time ever visit to the farm show. The outing with her husband, who is a small-scale farmer, was delightful. Another group of three males of varying ages was lured by the tractor exhibits in Expo Hall. One of them was intrigued that an 8-horsepower import model could boast a price tag of less than $30,000. “I’m droolin’,” the young farmer confided, replacing a panel that covered the engine after he had fully examined the components. Some 140 exhibitors had dis plays and demonstrations. Transition Cow Management Workshops PORTERSVILLE (Butler Co.) and GREENSBURG (Westmore land Co.) Transition cow man agement workshops are sched uled for southwest Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at Brown’s Country Kitchen Restaurant in Portersville, and Thursday, Feb. 27, at the Westmoreland County Extension Office (Donohoe Cen ter) in Greensburg. Each work shop will start at 10:30 a.m. and conclude at 2:30 p.m. Why is the Transition Cow Management Program so impor tant? A recent article in Dairy Herd Management magazine cited a Journal of Dairy Science research study which detailed that fresh cows with milk fever were 23.6 times more likely to have ketosis, 7.2 times more like ly to have dystocia problems, 4 times more likely to retain fetal membranes, and 5.4 times more likely to have clinical masti tis. Consequently, many of these cows start off very sluggish and this has a great impact on milk pro duction for that lacta tion and consequently affects profitability. Many of these prob lems can be avoided if producers follow a transition Cow Man agement Program. Nutrition is one im portant area where changes may need to be made. However, many times cow com fort, feed bunk space, and water quantity and quality have a sig nificant impact. Speakers for the event include Dr. Bob Van Saun, Penn State extension veterinarian and John Tyson, Penn State extension agri cultural engineer. They will outline the management steps and protocols that should be followed to help minimize problems. Cost of attending the workshop is $l5 per person with a reg istration deadline of Friday, Feb. 21 For additional in formation, and regis tration details, contact Eugene Schurman at (724) 465-3880. An import tractor has caught the attention of one visi tor to the Va. Farm Show that was held Jan. 21, 22 at Au gusta Expo Land. With the panel aside he can better in spect the mechanics of the engine. Later, he commented that he was “droolin’ ” for the machine because he learned the 8-horsepower piece was being marketed for under $30,000. Joe Farmer, left, Stafford, keeps four Percheron horses and oxen. That’s why he is checking out the horse trailers exhibited at the Virginia Farm Show, Fishersville. Farmer here is talking with exhibitor Chris Branham from Maupin Trailer Sales. Varying Soil Conditions Can Impact Nutrient Levels WOOSTER, Ohio This growing season’s topsy-turvy weather may have impacted more than crop performance and subsequent yields. Maurice Watson, an Ohio State University Extension soil specialist with the Ohio Agricul tural Research and Development Center (OARDC), said that the wet spring followed by a summer drought may have also affected soil nutrient concentrations. As a result, growers should test their soil for nutrient availability following harvest to determine whether or not fertilizer is re quired before spring planting. “Most growers test their fields to determine nutrient concentra tions. We recommend testing every three years, so that growers over time get a feel for the natu ral variation of nutrient levels in the soil,” said Watson. “This year is just more of a concern be cause of the extreme wet and dry conditions we encountered.” Watson said that varying soil conditions affect a plant’s ability to uptake nutrients effectively. Under extreme wet conditions, the oxygen supply to the roots is limited, affecting the uptake of nutrients, even though the nutri ents are present in sufficient con centrations. Under drought con ditions, plants are unable to take up nutrients because of the lack of water flow to the roots and the lack of growth or slow growth of the plant. “Because of this year’s drought, it is possible not as much fertilizer will be needed by next year’s crop on a field that was sufficiently fertilized this year. In addition, it is possible that not enough fertilizer was ap plied this year because of the very wet spring,” Watson said. “Despite either condition, a soil test will determine whether or not nutrients are at their opti mum levels.” Watson said growers should mainly test for phosphorus and potassium, the two main ele ments that can impact a plant’s performance if they are in defi cient levels. “In a nutrient-deficient situa tion, the biochemical reactions are not going to be what they should be under normal condi tions. You may get a reduction in protein formation, which is the main building block of the plant,” said Watson. “A plant will tend to take some nutrient elements from the older leaf tis sue and put it toward the youn ger leaves to compensate, partic ularly in the case of nitrogen or potassium deficiencies. As a re sult, you don’t get the norma) de velopment of the plant and yield is then reduced.” Plants may also run into a nu trient if nutrient levels are too high in the soil. Nutrient levels are also im pacted by soil type (sandy soils have less of a reservoir for nutri ents than clay or silt loam soils), as well as the type of crop being planted. For example, com silage and alfalfa remove more potassi um from the soil than grain crops. Guidelines for choosing a qual ity soil-testing laboratory can be found online at http:// ohioline.osu.edu/hygfact/ 1000/1133.htm1. More informa tion on fertilizer and lime recom mendations for com, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa is available in the Tri-State Bulletin E-2567, which can be obtained from local county Extension offices or on line at http://ohioline.osu.edu/ e 2567/.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers