Farm Briefs from July 5, 2008

The Herald

July 04, 2008 03:21 pm

— Pre-register to attend Farm Safety Day
MERCER — Mercer County Farm Safety Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at Mercer County Cooperative Extension, U.S. Route 19, 1.5 miles north of Mercer.
To pre-register, call the office at 724-662-3141 mailbox 303 before Tuesday and leave names of those who wish to attend. The program will feature simulations of common agricultural accidents, tips on accident prevention, and discussions of common rural illnesses. Members of the Amish community are encouraged to attend.
Penn State encourages individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. Farmers who continue in agricultural production despite an injury or on-going health condition should check out the “AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians” display in order to learn more about direct services provided by this program to qualifying individuals.
If you anticipate needing special accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Gary W. Micsky at 724-662-3141.
County Grange fair seeks angel food cake entries
MERCER COUNTY — Mercer County Grange Fair is seeking entries for the angel food cake contest set for Monday through July 12 during the fair.
Entries will be judged on flavor, texture, overall appearance, creativity and topping, icing or decoration. Cakes must be brought between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday to the fairgrounds.
Eggs from the Pennsylvania Egg Quality Assurance must be used and the group symbol from the carton must be submitted along with the entry.
A copy of the recipe on an 8 1/2-by-11 inch paper with entrant’s name, address and phone number on the back also is needed. Info: Virginia Richardson, 724-748-4007.
Grasses, grains at risk for armyworm damage
MERCER — Area forage producers are encouraged to scout hayfields, small grain, and corn fields for evidence of armyworm activity. This pest has been reported in Mercer and neighboring counties and is capable of inflicting extensive damage to grass and grains.
Armyworm damage is infrequently a major problem and can easily be a forgotten production risk. Producers are advised that armyworm can have multiple generations per year which pass through six instars, or growth stages. The final instar, 11/2-inches long, is a voracious feeder accounting for over 80 percent of all foliage eaten throughout the larval period. Pyrethroid insecticides appear to be effective in controlling this pest.
Some helpful suggestions on controlling armyworm appear in last week’s edition of Penn State’s Field Crop News available on-line at http://fcn.agronomy.psu.edu/2008/fcn0816.cfm#c
Farm statistics for local districts available
The Pennsylvania Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service announced the Internet availability of State legislative district profiles compiled from the most recent Census of Agriculture.
These two-page profiles contain farm characteristics, rankings, selected economic and operator characteristics for each Senate and House District in Pennsylvania.
Farms were assigned to each district based on their principal county of operation. These profiles were added to the NASS-PA homepage at www.nass.usda.gov/pa in the box with “More State Features.”
For more details about the Census of Agriculture, see www.agcensus.usda.gov