Prior
to the walk in the field, Bill spoke briefly about GMOs. He said no GMOs get in soybean oil because
the protein of the GMO food does not get in the oil. He also distributed two articles from independent
groups regarding GMOs and Monsanto: Straight
Talk on Genetically Engineered Foods produced by the Center for Science in
the Public Interest, a nonprofit education and advocacy organization that
focuses on improving the safety and nutritional quality of our food supply; and
Monsanto v. Monarch Butterflies
produced by Genetic Literacy Pro, where science trumps ideology.
Eleven
soil samples were taken for a soil test of the field between the rye and
pollinator traps. When taking samples
the following observations must be made:
soil type, topography for low areas and the entire field must be
walked. Three samples were taken from
the headland area, one from the low area and the remaining from areas zigzagged
through the field. The headland area is
the curve of the plow at the corners of the field. At least two samples should be taken there.
Samples from the field should be 6 – 8” deep and home samples 4 – 6” deep. Soil
tests should be done every 3 years. It
is best to mix the sample soil when it is moist and then dry it.
Extra
soil should not be added to low areas of a field as the texture will be
different and with the new layer, the soil drains will drain differently. It is best to put in a drain pipe or create a
waterway.
Weeds identified:
·
Winter annual bluegrass (boat shaped leaf and seeding now)
·
Mares tail
·
Purple deadnettle (square stem)
·
Wild geranium
·
Purple vetch (used for erosion control, plant has tendrils and in legume
family, takes nitrogen from the atmosphere)
·
Blue eyed grass (used for hay)
·
Red clover
·
Lambs quarter
·
Curly dock
·
Cheat grass
·
Pennsylvania smartweed
A
rye cover crop was planted in the fall and plowed over. Some was still there and observed were small
grains or awns which were flat. Deer do
not eat rye. At the edge of the field was some rye that was pollinated and the
pollen is visible on the seed head.
Tilling
soil versus no tilling: Soil has pore
space and tilling increases this space. Soil particles contain 50% oxygen and
water. Opening up the soil increases
infiltration, there is better germination and tilling gets rid of weeds. No tilling puts a slit in the soil keeping
the soil in place. The farmer can cover
more acres quicker. No tilling can cause a buildup of insects and diseases so
soil needs to be tilled every once in a while.
Plot
reports:
Strawberries - more straw is needed
and was picked up May 13. There are no visible pests yet.
Peanuts – Spanish peanuts were
planted which are a smaller peanut (like a bar mix) than the Virginia peanut.
Spanish peanuts have a shorter growing season better in our climate. The plants are yellowing at the top showing potassium,
K, deficiency which will be added. Peanuts can have a calcium, CA, deficiency
because of the shell and farmers put gypsum down to replenish it. If there is a
nitrogen, N, deficiency, the plant robs itself of the N and the bottom of the
plant shows the deficiency. Peanut plants have a peg under the soil which fruit
under the soil. Pegs should be planter
higher so rain will drain from the plants.
Hops – Hops are seasoning for
beer, some for bittering and others are for aroma. The plants need to be pruned back now leaving
an extra leader branch, or runner in case one dies on the string. Some plant
should be left at the bottom when pruning. There are two runners per string. Burlington County has 3 commercial hop
growers.
Maturity
time of crops was discussed. For corn,
100 days may be stated from planting to plant maturity, but the corn may not be
ready for harvest at that time. This applies to all crops.
Wheat field - The wheat field should
be harvested by July 4. The two top flag
leaves are responsible to feed nutrition to the wheat seed head. Powderly mildew was observed starting on the
plants. The mildew must be watched and the top 2 flag leaves must be protected
from it. Rain and cooler weather is due
so the crop may need spraying. Spraying
can be done with narrow, high-tire sprayers or airplane. Airplane is expensive.
Some
spots were observed. Yellow on the
outside and dark on the inside could be disease, fungus or rust. Solid yellow spots are dead tissue and
fertilizer burn. Curved tops of the seed
head are a genetic problem.
Cereal
leaf beetles where found which do the window paning of the leaves.
Insect traps – were set at the corners
of the corn field with the following pheromones:
1.
Black cutworm
2.
Fall army worm
3.
European corn borer
Trap
colors are yellow and green which attract insects.
Birds
were also spotted in the corn field. Need
to watch them as they eat seed.
Popcorn
will be planted in the field south of the demo plots.
Notes
by compiled Marilyn Bidrawn
