A3B-Lancaster Saturday, July 12, 2003 No-Till Farming Methods Catching On Among Amish DAVE LEFEVER Lancaster Farming Staff GAP (Lancaster Co.) More Amish farmers are taking, an in terest in no-till farming. That’s evident from the big crowd that visited the David F. Stoltzfus farm for a no-till field day this past Tuesday. A total of 120 guests attended the third annual field day. They had a chance to hear stories and see first-hand examples of how using horse-drawn no-till plant ers can save many hours of labor, conserve moisture, prevent ero sion, and help build up soil struc ture over the years. Stoltzfus first began hying no till methods eight years ago. Since then, he’s switched entirely to no-till planting for his 70 acres of com and alfalfa crops on the farm. His father Gideon and several brothers manufacture and adapt a variety of planters at their near by business shop. Stoltzfus said the main reason he began no-tilling was to better deal with the red clay soil found Sjoerd Duiker shows corn roots taken from a field that has been no-tilled for several years on the Stoltzfus farm. Although this corn was planted in fairly wet conditions and the soil shows some evi dence of sidewall compac tion, the crop is growing pretty well. Grant Troop demonstrates the importance of keeping the no-till planter level in order to get a good planting job. in some of his fields. The dense, poorly-drained clay makes it tough to plow and work the soil. But no-tilling can be an advan tage for all soil types, according to crop specialists at the meeting. During this wet spring, for exam ple, no-till farmers were often able to get their crops planted sooner than those who plowed. “A lot of people found out no tilling was good this year. They didn’t have time to plow,” said Bob Anderson, Penn State crop agent in Lancaster County. Anderson pointed out that planting com by conventional tillage (plowing, discing, harrow ing, and planting) takes at least six times as long as no-tilling, which involves only one pass across the field with a no-till planter. “I find the interest (in no-till) is growing,” said David Stoltzfus. Some of the reasons for this, he said, are because some Amish dairies are growing larger and labor is not as readily available as it used to be. Grant Troop, an agronomist from Quarryville, spoke on some of the basics of no-till planting, including planter parts and'ad justments. The best way of transitioning to no-till com is by planting into an alfalfa field, according to Troop. After four years of not being tilled, soil in an alfalfa field “has structure back in it,” he said. “Year after year of plowing compromises soil structure,” Troop pointed out. Visitors had a chance to exam ine one of Stoltzfus’s com fields he no-tilled planted this spring in fairly wet conditions. Troop and Stoltzfus said they were con cerned about how the com would grow because of the risk of “side wall compaction” that can hap pen when com is planted in wet soil, Troop said. This kind of compaction is caused by hardening of “side walls” created by the no-till coulters in the soil. If the com roots cannot break through these walls, they will only grow in a single plane along the planting groove, greatly reducing yields. Troop and Stoltzfus said they were pleased with how well the com was growing. This .is the sec ond year the field was planted to no-tUI com. Prior to that it had been in alfalfa. Troop attributed the good- Interested farmers gather around a com planter on the farm of Gideon and David F. Stoltzfus farm, as Grant Troop goes over some of the essentials of good no-till methods. In the background is a field of no-till corn. growing com to the fact that the field had not been tilled for sever al years. Sjoerd Duiker, Penn State soil scientist, pulled up several com stalks to show the root develop ment. The roots showed some evidence of sidewall compaction, but not to the extent of causing large yield losses. Duiker also had soil samples on hand for farmers to see the difference between soils that have been no-tilled over the years and soils that have been tilled. Better splatter board, rear foot winch, two front foot winches and a full width belly band and winch to lift the animals weight off their feet. All winches have heavy duty friction brakes providing constant, positive holding action. ALL STEEL PARTS ARE POWDER COATED USING THE PBZ FIVE-STEP PROCESS. Call or write for additional information and the name of your nearest dealer structure and fewer signs of com paction could be seen in the no till soils. As far as no-tiller planter ad justment, Troop stressed the im- portance of making sure the planter is level to get the best planting job. “If you don’t have the com planter level, it’s not going to do the job you want it to do,” he said. Troop also went over recom mendations on various planter parts. Generally, 13-wave coult ers work best for planting com, Paul B. Zimmerman, Inc. 295 Woodcorner Road • Lititz, PA 17543 WATERLESS TOILETS “SUN-MAR” Composting / Toilets / Several models available / including non-electric L j \ • NO Septic System —L • NO Chemicals \ - Save the Environment! \ I Recycle Back to Nature! Vw \ \ FREE: 12 Page Color Catalog We Perform Septic Inspections & Certifications ECO-TECH Call Today 717-337-9325 This highly versatile equipment can be used to secure a cow safely and efficiently for foot care or veterinary services. Side panels and gates easily replace hoof care accessories to create a vet chute where almost any common vet procedure can be performed. Once in the chute with the belly band winched into working position, the cow is safely secured for foot treatment 717/738-7365 1 mile west of Ephrata he said. They should not be mounted on the planter frame, but mounted so that depth wheels can give direct depth con trol. Other Penn State personnel on hand for the day included Greg Roth, professor of crop manage ment; David Sylvia, head of the Department of Crop and Soil Sci ences; and Mark Goodson, York County crop agent and organizer of the field day. Farmers' attending the field day were eligible to receive chem ical application credits. Hours Mon - Fn 7-5
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