Pasture Ponderings
(Continued from Page E 10)
me that he is a grazier and
has been for several years. He
is a topic of discussion for
some of his friends and neigh
bors who wonder how he
making a profit because his
milk levels dropped since he
went to grazing. He also has a
side business that provides a
limited amount of income,
which his peers say is making
him his only profit.
Well, Aaron’s good friend
and neighbor challenged him
to put his recordbook on the
table and compare bottom
lines. Aaron was reluctant, as
most of us would be, but be
cause of continued encourage
ment to do so, he finally re
lented. At the end of the
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141 East Main St
Silverdale, PA 18962
215-257-5177
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Rt. 220, Main St. Exit
Jersey Shore, PA 17740
570-398-1391
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Farm Equip.
Rd 2, Box 24A
New Ringgold, PA 17960
570-943-2131
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comparison, the neighbor re
alized that Aaron’s profit-per
cow was more than $lOO per
cow greater than his own. The
analysis did not include the
side income. A successful
grazing story.
If you have any ideas for
future “Ponderings” or for the
conferences, please contact
me by e-mail at HYPER
LINK mailto:duane.py
sher@pa.usda.gov duane.py
sher@pa.usda.gov ; write to
me at NRCS, One Credit
Union Place, Suite 340,
Harrisburg, PA, 17110-2993;
or telephone me at
717-237-2221.
Until next time, happy
grazing.
Pennsylvania
Hines Equipment
RT 220, Belwood, PA
814-742-8171
Keller Brothers
R 7 Box 405
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-949-6501
and
1950 Fruitville Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-569-2500
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610-593-2407
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1066 Lincoln Way West
Chambersburg, PA
17201
717-263-8424
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817 Tobias Road
Halifax, PA 17032
717-362-3132
New Jersey
Rodio Tractor Sales
North White Horse Pike
Hammonton, N.J. 08037
609-561-0141
Warren County
Service Center
228 Route 94,
Blairtown, N.J.
908-362-6916
New PFGC President To Promote
Grass-Based Marketing, Youth Programs
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
GRANTVILLE (Dauphin
Co.) Tim Fritz of King’s
AgriSeeds has been named the
new Pennsylvania Forage and
Grassland Council president
for a year’s term.
Fritz grew up on a dairy
farm near Bridgeport, Lancas
ter County, and went on to
graduate from Penn State in
1986 with a bachelor’s degree
in agronomy. He then traveled
to Washington State Universi
ty to earn his master’s degree
in the field.
Returning to his home state
in 1988, Fritz went to work as
an agronomy and dairy agent
for Penn State Cooperative
Extension in Montgomery
County, a position he held
until 1997.
In the early 19905, Fritz
began to take an interest in
grass-based production and
“got the grazing bug,” he said.
He credits Brian Moyer, a
dairy farmer then in Mont
gomery County and now a
grazier in Bradford County,
for influencing his shift to
ward grazing and grass
land systems.
In 1993-1994, Fritz
helped convert the Fritz
family farm to a grazing
dairy. Then, in 1997, he
Study Looks At Yield and Persistence
Of Bolting-Resistant Chicory Varieties
Matt A. Sanderson
USDA-ARS
University Park
A challenge in managing
forage chicory is dealing
with “bolting” or rapid
growth of the flower stalks
in spring.
Varieties with reduced
bolting potential are avail
able. In a three-year field
plot study at Rocksprings,
we evaluated commercial
forage varieties and Europe
an root-type varieties of
chicory for yield, bolting,
and persistence under clip
ping.
Glenn Beidler, Freeburg, PA
570-539-8993
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 19, 2003, Foraging Around-Ell
Tim Fritz
moved to Springfield, Tenn,,
to assist his brother Jack Fritz
with his new dairy operation
there.
He returned to Pennsylva
nia in 1999 and worked as
farm management agent for
Lancaster and Chester Coun
ties until 2001, when he took a
job as an Ampac Seeds repre
sentative.
In mid-June of last year, he
went to work as agronomist
for King’s Agri-Seeds, cover
ing “about the whole state of
Pennsylvania” in his travels.
Fritz said his goals as
PFGC president will be to
“continue to see us have a
focus on applied production
‘Grasslands Puna’, ‘Lacer
ta’, and ‘Forage Feast’ for
age-type chicory, and ‘Da
gerrad’, ‘Halle’, and
‘Katrein’ root-crop chicory
cultivars were sown in field
plots in May 1999. Forage
yield was measured monthly
and the percentage of bolt
ing was estimated visually.
The varieties did not dif
fer in forage dry matter yield
in 2000 (average of 6,700
pounds dry matter/acre).
Grasslands Puna and Lacer
ta yielded more dry matter
than other varieties in 2001.
and a balance between grazing
and hay production.”
He also intends to promote
more marketing of grass
based products, a move that,
at least in part, comes from
personal experience with a
new way of eating. Fritz said
he has been following for
about a year the research on
the health benefits of a grass
based diet for humans.
“I now personally eat a lot
of that food,” Fritz said, not
ing that he has found local
sources of grass-fed beef and
poultry. “It really does taste
better.”
He is also looking for a local
producer of pasteurized,
grass-fed milk.
In seeking ways to help gra
ziers market their unique
products, “I’m still learning
where the opportunities are,”
Fritz said.
He said he will also help
promote a new youth pro
gram, organized in part by
Pennsylvania’s Project Grass,
in which FFA and 4-H kids
will participate in pasture
evaluation contests.
Fritz lives in Atglen with his
wife Carolyn and children
Ashley, 12; Taylor, 10; Harris
on, 7; and Madison, 6.
Chicory varieties differed
in their persistence and de
gree of bolting. More than 80
percent of Lacerta chicory
plants bolted during both
years, and Lacerta suffered
an 89 percent loss of plants
during 1999 to 2002. Less
than 50 percent of Forage
Feast and the root-type chic
ory plants bolted, but these
varieties did not produce as
much dry matter and were
less persistent than Puna.
After three years. Puna
had the highest plant density
(nine plants per square foot)
and Lacerta the lowest
(two plants per square
foot). Forage Feast
had 5 plants per
square foot and the
European varieties av
eraged 6 plants per
square foot after three
years. The results in
dicate that some chic
ory varieties show less
bolting but have lower
levels of persistence
than other varieties.
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