Spring Agriculture Salute

Spring Agriculture Salute

The Herald ■ YO U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 8 9 5 DUBOISCOUNTYHERALD.COM

DUBOIS COUNTY, INDIANA

FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 SECTION B

PAGE 2 ■ SPRING AGRICULTURE SALUTE

THE HERALD ■ FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

PHOTOS BY ALISHA JUCEVIC/THE HERALD

Irma Hasenour of Huntingburg attached clips around tomato stalks on Tuesday morning in one of the greenhouses at Hasenour’s Organic Produce in Huntingburg. Irma and her daughter-in-law Angie Hasenour check the plants about once a week, pruning and supporting the plants to ensure that they continue to grow upward and don’t get too thick.

Small farm growing good, natural food

By MICHAEL MAZUR Special Sections Writer HUNTINGBURG — Hundreds of tomato plants, some already in blossom, are growing in the greenhouse micro climate as the structure is embanked by snow and the bitter cold February air knocks against its walls. The first picking should be by the first of April, before most gardeners are even able to plant their tomatoes. And hundreds of lettuce heads are ready to be plucked and consumed.

Irma Hasenour, 74, owner of Hasenour Organic Produce, has been growing greenhouse produce since 2003 when she and her late husband, Allen, first decided to try something different to sustain their small family farm. The Hasenours bought their farm in 1964, growing soybeans, corn and hay and raising several cattle and hogs while raising their own children — three boys and two girls.

Through the ensuing years, Allen began to grow weary of the daily, strenuous chores required to maintain a farm. His arthritis began to take its toll.

“He thought there must something else we could do on the farm, something that didn’t require as much work,” Irma said. “Little did he realize that it did take a lot of work.”

Allen read a lot, doing his own research, and came upon the idea of growing tomatoes in greenhouses. After many discussions, the couple agreed to embark on this new venture. Their first greenhouse, the little one (48 feet by 30 feet) as Irma calls it, was an old tobacco house they purchased, moved to the farm and converted.

They added the “big greenhouse” (48-by-128) they bought from CropKing in Ohio. CropKing personnel aided in setting up the greenhouse and installing the heating, cooling and growing systems.

The Hasenours attended several seminars and conferences in Illinois, South Dakota and Colo-

rado sponsored by CropKing and used the company’s support system to learn how to best operate the greenhouse and help with any problems such as adjusting pH balances in the soil.

Once the operation was certified, they opened for business. To maintain certification, the operation must undergo an annual inspection. The certifying agent is Ecocert ICO in Greenwood.

As things don’t always turn out the way they are planned, Allen died a year later, leaving Irma to work alone. Her son Chris, who now is a truck driver, helps when

he can and his wife, Angie, also assists. Her 16-year-old grandSee FOOD on Page 3

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THE HERALD ■ FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

Food (Concluded from Page 2) son, Caleb Hasenour, works after school along with an occasional part-time employee.

“I like to think he (Allen) planned all along that this would keep me busy and my mind occupied when I was alone,” Irma said.

After having success with growing tomatoes, Irma added a hydroponics growing system to grow bib lettuce. Hydroponics uses a mixture of water and mineral nutrients as the growing medium rather than soil. Lettuce is the only plant she grows hydroponically. Irma buys only nonGMO seeds.

Irma also plants English cucumbers, sometimes plants radishes between the tomato plants and has experimented growing eggplant and beans. The beans grew quite well and taste good she said, but the plants grew so large they became unmanageable.

Irma says she always has something to do.

In December of each year, she plants more than 800 tomato plants and each plant produces approximately 20 to 25 pounds of tomatoes.

The seeds are planted in potting trays, and the sprouted plants are transplanted in January to their growing beds. As the plants continue to grow upward, the vine is clipped for support to a polypropylene string.

J-hooks are used to support the added weight of tomatoes growing in clusters. Suckers growing out from the stem are clipped to maintain a single stem. At the end of the growing year, the following December, that stem can measure up to 25 feet long.

The amended growing soil is automatically fed through a piping system, a mixture of fish emulsion and lime. The temperature and humidity is controlled through regulated heating and cooling systems, and the floor is heated to keep the soil warm. The soil is changed out every three or four years. Hundreds of bees are released to pollinate the plants.

When the tomatoes turn pink, they are ready for picking. She picks every Monday and Thursday.

Lettuce is grown in hydroponics growing troughs set up on a waist-high platform. A solution of water and mineral nutrients recirculate through these chan-

SPRING AGRICULTURE SALUTE ■ PAGE 3

nels. She plants more than 6,000 heads of lettuce, first planting the seeds in sheets of Rockwool that are scored with 120 planting cubes per sheet. Each sheet is placed in a tray. As the seed germinates and sprouts, each cube or plug is cut from the sheet and planted in the planting channels. It takes about eight weeks from seed to harvest, she said.

Every two weeks, she plants lettuce to have a continuous harvest throughout the year.

“The greener the lettuce, the more nutritious it is,” Irma said, adding that if you leave the root ball on the head of lettuce, it can stay fresh up to four weeks in the refrigerator.

“I have no trouble getting rid of lettuce,” she said. If she has any produce left at the end of the growing year, she donates it to Shared Abundance in Huntingburg.

Growing plants in greenhouses is not without problems. Just as if planted outdoors, detrimental insects such as spider mites, aphids and white flies and diseases like fungus can destroy the plants. She spays specially formulated applications approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute.

Beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings, supplied by Entmology Solutions in Louisville, devour the detrimental ones. Sheets coated with a sticky residue are sporadically hung to catch the flying pests.

A few years ago, Irma started raising all-natural hogs and cattle — they are not given any antibiotics — growth promotants or hormones. For feed, she plants non-GMO corn and extrudes their own non-GMO soybeans to make soymeal.

Her market is becoming widespread, with sales made not only selling to individuals, but also to organic produce buyers, grocery stores, restaurants and farmers markets.

Bloomingfoods, a food co-op in Bloomington has been buying from her for the past eight years or so. She calls weekly to see what they need.

“They came out to visit my place and approved,” she said with a smile.

Locally, she sells meat and produce to Grounded in Jasper and produce to Holiday Food in Jasper, Ferdinand and Santa Claus and IGA In Jasper and Huntingburg.

In Newburgh, she sells to Paradise Organics, a health food store.

Irma thinks people are trending toward more healthy eating and are looking to consume more

Angie Hasenour of Huntingburg cleaned a hydroponic lettuce tray on Tuesday morning after she and her mother-in-law, Irma Hasenour, harvested lettuce at Hasenour’s Organic Produce in Huntingburg. organically grown food. She sees it more with the younger generation, at college towns and in more urban settings.

She has many repeat customers and keeps adding new ones.

An area school has contacted her to see if she could supply produce (the deal is not finalized). She

has completed training through the Good Agriculture Practice Program, a national program designed to educate growers of fruits and vegetables about good growing practices and to reduce any microbial risk to the food.

“We are a small farm that wants to produce good food and al-

though It is hard work and sometimes I get tired and need a vacation, it is something I have and continue to enjoy,” she said Shes’s not necessarily planning on any succession to the operation, she said, but “with 16 grandchildren, I am sure that won’t be a problem.”

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THE HERALD ■ FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

Purdue Extension upcoming events March 12: Perry-Spencer Crop Day/PARP (St. Meinrad) March 16: Indiana Livestock, Forage and Grain Forum (Indianapolis) March 24: Evansville District Extension Homemakers meeting (Loogootee) April 8: Turkey Market Development Council Annual Producers meeting (Jasper) April 9: Purdue 4-H/FFA Livestock & Dairy Judging CDE (Gibson Co.) April 14: Dubois County Rural Electric Cooperative annual meeting (Huntingburg) April 21: Dubois County 4-H Adult Leaders meeting (Bretzville)

April 23: Dubois County 4-H Share-The-Fun Contest (Jasper) April 28: 4-H Speech & Demonstration contests (Bretzville) May 7: Dubois County Extension Homemakers Achievement Program (location to be announced at a later date) June 3-4: World Pork Expo (Des Moines, Iowa) June 3-5: 4-H Camp (Santa Claus) June 4-6: Purdue Master Gardeners State Conference (USI/Evansville) June 9-10: Dubois County Exploring 4-H Day Camp (Bretzville) June 9-11: Indiana Extension Homemakers

Association 102nd Home & Family Conference (Indianapolis) June 11: “Solar Applications for Agriculture” Workshop (Huntingburg) June 11-12: Dubois County Exploring 4-H Day Camp (Bretzville) June 12-13: Grazing 102 Workshop (SIPAC/ Cuzco) June 25: Indiana Prime Farmland Mine Tour (Dugger) June 25: 4-H Hay Coring (Bretzville) June 25: Dubois County 4-H Adult Leaders meeting (Bretzville) June 26: Dubois County 4-H Fair Traffic Safety meeting (Jasper)

July 9: Dubois County 4-H Adult Leaders meeting (Bretzville) July 14-18: Dubois County 4-H Fair (Bretzville) Aug. 7-23: Indiana State Fair (Indianapolis) Aug. 20-30: Kentucky State Fair (Louisville) Sept. 12: Southern Indiana Purdue Ag. Center (SIPAC) Family Fun Day & Ag. Field Days (SIPAC/Cuzco) Sept. 25: Purdue 4-H/FFA Soils Judging CDE (Petersburg) Oct. 15: Dubois County 4-H Adult Leaders meeting (Bretzville)

■■ From Ken Eck, agriculture and natural resources educatior.

3rd-generation farm recognized for conservation

By PATTI SCHROEDER Program Assistant Dubois County SWCD JASPER — During the Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District’s annual meeting Jan. 27, the Otto J. Bauer Outstanding Conservation Farmer of the Year Award was presented to Mill Creek Farms, now in its third generation of the Robert Hopf family.

The award is named in memory of Otto J. Bauer, a champion of soil and water conservation efforts in Dubois County and a member of the SWCD board of supervisors from 1969 to 1986.

Robert Hopf purchased Mill Creek Farm in Bainbridge and Boone townships in the 1930s. His wife, Bernadine, named the property after the small tributary that runs through some of the fields.

Mill Creek Farm was then handed down to their son, Larry, and his wife, Patty, and their daughter, Betty, and her husband, Randy Mehringer. Today half of the farm is owned by Larry’s son, Duane Hopf, and the other half is owned

by Betty and Randy Mehringer and their son, Aaron.

Mill Creek Farm has grown to approximately 3,200 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat, including 50 acres of pasture and 120 acres of hay. Duane said the crops are more spring and fall responsibilities while the farrow-to-finish hog operations and cow and calf operations are year-round farm duties.

Both Larry and Randy watched the farm progress from using horses and mules to tractors with low horsepower and no cabs and then to high-powered tractors with cabs utilizing the latest GPS technology.

Each of the current partners work on the farm full time with

Aaron Mehringer, left, Randy Mehringer, Duane Hopf and Larry Hopf were honored for their conservation efforts on Jan. 27.

DUBOIS COUNTY SWCD

the goal of keeping it in the family and with the ideals set forth from the past generations.

In 1980, the partners started using no-till practices in increments. When they saw it was successfully managing those first fields, more fields were included in the conservation practice.

Twenty years ago they sold all of their plows and were no-tilling 100 percent of their fields. The majority of their conservation practices have been completed under pro-

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grams offered by the USDA Farm Service Agency and National Resources Conservation Services.

Duane said he has seen how conservation practices are more efficient and effective, resulting in cost savings and tremendous yields. Throughout the years, the

most difficult challenge has been unusual weather, such as rain down pouring on frozen ground resulting in knife-cutting erosion.

All of the partners agree that some of the best things about being a farmer today is being your own boss, doing something differ-

ent every day and having the ability to work outdoors.

Duane has been a Dubois County SWCD associate supervisor for many years, Aaron is a volunteer fireman and Larry’s wife, Patty, retired from the FSA office after 43 years.

THE HERALD ■ FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

SPRING AGRICULTURE SALUTE ■ PAGE 5

Neurologist earns honor for forest stewardship

By PATTI SCHROEDER Program Assistant Dubois County SWCD Dr. Thomas J. Rusche was presented the OFS Brands Forest Stewardship Award by Scott Reckelhoff, property manager of OFS Brands, at the Ferdinand Community Center during the Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District’s annual meeting Jan. 27.

The SWCD board of supervisors annually recognizes forest landowners who carry out a wise forestry stewardship program on their land.

Rusche, a retired neurologist, living in Newburgh, owns 280 acres of property in the southern part of Jefferson Township in Dubois County. Purchasing the property in the early 1970s, he and his wife, Brenda, initially rented out some of the crop-

land but realized that the land wasn’t suitable for profitable farming.

In 1988, under the direction of Fred Hadley, consulting forester for Multi-Resource Management, Rusche had 29 acres of tree seedlings planted in the north field section of the property.

The species of trees planted included white pine, tulip tree, white oak, black oak and white ash. In 1989, MRM began the second planting of 27 acres in approximately the same area planting the same species of trees.

The first improvement harvest began in the summer of 1988 and continued through 1989. In 2004, a second smaller improvement harvest was completed.

When asked about hindrances to maintaining a forestland, Rusche mentioned two different challenges — the summer’s drought and deer browsing on newly plant-

DUBOIS COUNTY SWCD

Scott Reckelhoff, property manager of OFS Brands, left, presented Dr. Thomas Rusche of Newburgh with an award for forest stewardship Jan. 27.

ed seedlings. Several areas had to be replanted to fill the empty voids caused by deer browsing.

Rusche highly recommends evaluating property to see what the optimal usage could be and then seeking professional guidance from others.

Rusche continues to check on his property with the help of Thom Kinney, also with MRM, and Adam Dumond, an Indiana State forester. He believes that forest property should yield productive income even though there are expenses for maintaining, developing, and preserving the integrity of the property. His hope is that the property will continue being maintained through his heirs.

Rusche is involved with several committees at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Newburgh where he lives with his wife.

Trial shows corn plants per acre continue to grow

By DARRIN PACK Purdue Agricultural Communication Service WEST LAFAYETTE — Indiana corn farmers could raise a record number of plants per acre in 2015, mostly due to new seeding technology and hardier hybrids, Purdue Extension corn specialist Bob Nielsen says.

Assessing the results of 67 field-scale trials conducted throughout the state since 2008, Nielsen and his colleagues at Purdue determined that the maximum grain yield for a typical Indiana cornfield under normal growing conditions occurs at a final population of 32,000 plants per acre.

Last year, the estimated average plant population statewide was about 30,850 plants per acre.

In 2012, half of the state’s cornfields had more than 30,000 plants per acre, compared with only 5 percent in 1998.

Corn plant populations have steadily increased in Indiana over the past 25 years by about 300 plants per acre per year. Probably the biggest reason for the increase in corn population, Nielsen said, is the improved stress tolerance of modern hybrids, meaning the

plants do better in densely populated fields.

Variable-rate planter technologies are another factor. Although variable-rate seeding tools have been commercially available for years, they are now becoming standard equipment on most corn planters, Nielsen said. Variablerate seeding allows farmers to put down different rates of seed in different parts of their fields.

The field studies included a variety of hybrids and some splitplanter comparisons using pairs of hybrids purposely chosen for their advertised differences in response to population, Nielsen said.

The research team — consisting of Nielsen, Jason Lee and Jim Camberato — studied cornfields throughout the state, ranging in size from 30 to 100 acres. All of the trials were conducted on 30-inch rows. Growing conditions ranged from ideal to severe stress.

Nielsen said the results indicated that under severe stress, corn does best with a final population of 21,000 to 24,400 plants per acre.

Percent stand - the number of grain bearing plants at harvest divided by the seeding rate - ranged from 79 percent to 100 percent,

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with an average of 96 percent. To achieve the “ideal” population of 32,000 seeds per acre, farmers should plan on putting down 32,500 to 34,300 seeds per acre, Nielsen said.

Nielsen’s complete analysis is

available in the report “Yield Response of Corn to Plant Population in Indiana” online.

Nielsen and the team are currently looking for farm operators willing to take part in the next round of field-scale corn popula-

tion studies. For more information on the studies and how to participate, contact Nielsen at 765-494-4802, or rnielsen@purdue. edu. Nielsen’s Chat ‘n Chew Café newsletter is available at http:// www.kingcorn.org/cafe.

PAGE 6 ■ SPRING AGRICULTURE SALUTE

THE HERALD ■ FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

VUJC Land Stewardship Initiative enters 4th season

By MIKE SMITH VUJC Land Stewardship Initiative Project Technician JASPER — Growing the Vincennes University Jasper Campus Land Stewardship Initiative’s 2014 crop of corn required significantly less herbicide use than expected.

As we enter the spring of the initiative’s fourth crop, it seems that weed management may be one of the first areas where no-tilliing and cover cropping are making their environmental and economic benefits known. In order to explain the changes we’ve seen, I’ll have to back up a few years.

2012 was a difficult year for farmers in the entire Midwest, but the VUJC LSI crop fared particularly poorly. In early spring, our fields were thickly carpeted with purple dead nettle, a common weed. The nettle was easily controlled with a conventional herbicide application but the thick mat it had formed sheltered an aggressive crop of marestail lying close to the ground. Marestail is notoriously difficult to control, especially after it grows to a few inches tall.

The weed sprang up just after soybeans were planted, then 2012’s drought set in. The same dry spell that required the City of Jasper to restrict residential water use parched farm fields across the county. The one-two punch was too much for the beans and our crop failed. Worse, we feared that the thick growth of marestail would allow a significant population of the weed to overwinter. We had the fall’s cover crop applied and put the year behind us.

The Initiative grew corn the following year. Because corn is naturally resistant to the herbicides that control marestail, it was of little concern for the year.

Though more easily managed, we were still faced significant weed pressure in 2013. In early July, a third application of herbicide was necessary to deal with weeds that had germinated before the corn’s canopy could close and rob them of sunlight.

The Initiative’s corn was harvested on October 19th. The late harvest left us with a limited selection of cover crops that could establish before cold weather set in. Two days after harvest, cereal rye was broadcast at fifty pounds per acre. The fall turned cold early and the rye went dormant while still only a few inches tall. We worried that we might see little benefit from the cover crop.

The cereal rye was still only three or four inches tall the following spring, but a trench dug while installing drainage tile revealed cause for optimism. Though the plant had grown little above

Popcorn sets record

By KEITH ROBINSON Purdue Agricultural Communication Service WEST LAFAYETTE — Indiana farmers last year planted more acres in popcorn than ever before and produced a record crop despite abnormally wet conditions, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Farmers planted 91,000 acres of corn used to make popcorn, up 10,000 acres from 2013, according to a National Agricultural Statistics Service report produced for Purdue University. They harvested 90,000 acres, also up 10,000 acres from the previous year.

ground, roots were clearly visible over two and a half feet deep. The small sprig at the base of the rod is the same species which grew the circled roots.

Though small, the channels opened by the rye’s roots will help subsequent cash crops penetrate layers of compacted soil. It’s exciting to see the cover crops working the way they are supposed to, but it will probably take a few more years of cover cropping and notilling before we see clear benefits.

With a well-established root system, the rye grew quickly through the spring of 2014. While improvements to soil health develop slowly, it seems as though cover cropping is already providing benefits. Cereal rye is well known for its ability to suppress weeds by outcompeting spring annuals for light. It also uses allelopathy, the production of a natural herbicide, to suppress neighboring plants.

This seems to have worked in our favor in 2014.

In preparation for planting, the rye was killed on April 28th.

Weather and scheduling conspired against us and the soybeans were not planted until June 7th. Despite laying bare for over month,

our fields were relatively clean at planting. A second herbicide application of glyphosate, sharpen, and zidua (a residual herbicide) followed two days after planting the beans. Still wary of the aggressive weed growth we had seen over the last couple years, we made plans for a third application that would take place after the beans emerged but before they fully shaded the ground. However, no further application of herbicide was necessary; we had excellent weed control throughout the season.

Obviously, the residual herbicide played a significant role in holding weeds back until the beans were able to close their canopy, but it does not seem as though it was the only factor at work. One of our fields did not receive any residual herbicide and, though some giant ragweed did invade, we did not see a return of 2012’s catastrophic weed pressure.

The third herbicide application we planned in the spring was skipped altogether.

The fact that we saw a significant reduction of weed pressure across the farm appears to be consistent with the observations of

OWNER: MARK GUDORF

other farmers in the county who followed a similar cropping regimen in 2014. These are far from scientific findings and we certainly would have had different results in different years, but I feel that it makes sense to attribute some of the weed suppression we have seen to the rye: The most significant difference in cropping strategy between 2012 and 2014 was the addition of a cover crop

OWNER: MARK GUDORF

(812) 482-1081 (812) 309-0661

Jasper, IN 47546

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between growing seasons.

The VUJC Land Stewardship Initiative is committed to providing our community’s producers an open source of information on the benefits and challenges of practical and environmentally sustainable land management.

To learn more about how conservation cropping can benefit your farm — and wallet — call 812- 4821171, ext. 3.

(812) 482-1081 (812) 309-0661

Jasper, IN 47546

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THE HERALD ■ FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

SPRING AGRICULTURE SALUTE ■ PAGE 7

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PAGE 8 ■ SPRING AGRICULTURE SALUTE

THE HERALD ■ FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

Young biotech firm chases next cash crop

By TIM BARKER St. Louis Post-Dispatch CREVE COEUR, Mo. — A biotech startup here is trying to accomplish something that hasn’t been done since the middle of the last century. Researchers are trying to turn what currently amounts to a weed — in this case, pennycress — into a viable commodity crop for farmers. And they hope to do it before the end of this decade.

“It’s been a long time since a wild strain was domesticated,” said Dennis Plummer, one of the founders of Arvegenix. “Even for some of the recent domestications, it took decades.”

Indeed, the last plant to make a similar jump was the soybean, which originated several thousand years ago in China. Outside of China, the plant spent the vast majority of its life as little more than a novelty. It wasn’t until the 1920s that it began its ascent to its current position as one of the world’s largest grain crops. And even then, it didn’t become a staple of U.S. farms until the 1950s.

It would be asking a lot to expect pennycress to enjoy the same level of success. Still, this member of the mustard seed family does have a lot working in its favor.

The plant’s seeds have the potential to be solid oil producers, while leftover meal can be used to make livestock feed. But its strongest trait may be the fact that it grows in the winter, when most Midwestern fields are empty.

Arvegenix envisions a crop rotation where pennycress fits in between a typical corn/soybean rotation, giving farmers an extra growing season.

“If we can fit into that window when nothing else is growing, that’s the definition of sustainability,” said Jerry Steiner, the new chief executive of the twoyear-old biotech startup, which has 11 employees, with more than half working for equity in the company in lieu of salaries.

The sustainability feature is one of things that helped the company in snagging a $100,000 investment by Yield Lab, an accelerator for agribusinesses. Yield Lab, founded last year, recently named Arvegenix among the five companies in its initial investment program, which includes mentoring and a business development program.

“There aren’t many crops that can grow in the winter,” said Matt Plummer, Yield Lab program manager and son of the Arvegenix founder. “We’re not increasing land acres to grow anything. And we aren’t taking anything away from the food supply.”

This is also why the crop has been pushed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in its quest for new biofuel sources.

All, however, is not perfect

CHRISTIAN GOODEN/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Kristine Menn, greenhouse co-ordinator for Arvegenix, separated the male and female parts of a field pennycress flower crown on Feb. 4 at the Arvegenix laboratory in the Danforth Plant Science Center in Creve Coeur, Mo. Pennycress is a winter-growing weed with seeds that produce a high-quality oil for potential use in industrial and renewable fuels. with this spindly plant and the tiny seeds it produces.

The biggest problem is that farmers can’t make money growing it. At least not yet.

That’s where Arvegenix has its focus at the moment, using advanced breeding technology to nudge the plant toward something better than it is today. A plant needs to be more predictable, more consistent and one that produces a higher oil yield.

Within four years, researchers hope to have a version that could break even. From there, it should have no trouble attracting the attention of farmers, said Dennis Plummer, a former Monsanto executive.

“I’m sure not every farmer will want to plant it,” he said. “But they’re all interested.”

That Arvegenix has taken up the pennycress cause is welcome news to Winthrop Phippen, professor of plant breeding and genetics at Western Illinois University.

Phippen has been working with pennycress since 2009. He’s traveled across the country, collecting samples for a seed collection and cataloging various traits.

He’s found it growing as far south as the Missouri-Arkansas border and as far north as Anchorage,

Alaska.

He’s been doing his own breeding but says traditional breeding — without the aid of molecular technologies — is considerably slower than what Arvegenix should be able to accomplish.

“They’ll be able to speed up the process,” Phippen said.

He sees other obstacles down the line, including the inevitable pest and disease issues faced by all crops. And there’s the fact that some states, including Michigan — a likely hotbed of pennycress farming — still classify the plant as a weed. That would have to change if the plant is going to be grown and sold as a crop, he said.

But having a company dedicate itself to the plant should bode well for its future.

“Every crop needs a champion,” Phippen said.

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THE HERALD ■ FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

SPRING AGRICULTURE SALUTE ■ PAGE 9

Researchers work to decrease impact of disease

By KEITH ROBINSON Purdue Agricultural Communication Service WEST LAFAYETTE — A team composed of a Purdue University researcher and others from several Midwest universities and Canada is studying soybean sudden death syndrome to help farmers better protect their crop from the recurring disease.

Most Indiana soybean fields had some level of the disease last year, the most severe since 2010, noted Kiersten Wise, an associate professor of plant pathology. Even though the disease reduced yields, Indiana soybean farmers still produced a record crop last year, at 307.4 million bushels.

“Yields may have been even greater if it weren’t for SDS,” she said.

Wise and other researchers from Iowa State University, Michigan State University, the University of Illinois and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture have been looking for answers beyond typical production practices, which include crop rotation and planting disease-resistant varieties. That hasn’t been enough to stop the disease.

“We wanted to look at how a combination of various production practices affected SDS to determine a better management strategy,” she said.

Those practices include early to late planting, use of varieties resistant to both SDS and soybean cyst nematode, and fungicide seed treatments. They also examined how weed killer glyphosate and pre-emergence herbicides affected SDS severity.

Sudden death syndrome, first reported in Arkansas in the 1970s, is now in nearly every state where soybeans are grown. Contrary to its name, infected plants do not die suddenly. Plants are typically infected in the early vegetative stages of growth, and symptoms appear in the mid-to-late reproductive stages, usually late August in Indiana.

SDS is an annual problem because the disease-causing fungus — Fusarium viguliforme — survives in the soil over the winter. The fungus also can live on corn debris.

Cool and wet conditions in the spring make the soybean plant susceptible to early infection, and frequent rains in the reproductive stages allow the toxin produced by the fungus to move up the plant and into its leaves.

Although symptoms are usually most severe in soybeans planted in April, Wise said it is important to remember that later-planted soybeans are still at risk for disease development.

“It’s the environment rather than the calendar that determines whether the conditions are conducive to infection,” Wise said.

She said preventive measures before planting are very important, since there are no in-season

KIERSTEN WISE/PURDUE DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY AND PLANT PATHOLOGY PHOTO

The interveinal yellowing and browning on the upper trifoliates, shown in this field of soybean plants, is a characteristic symptom of sudden death syndrome. management options to manage the disease.

Funded by the North Central Soybean Research Program, a farmer-funded checkoff, Wise last year conducted field trials at

the Pinney Purdue Agricultural Center in northwest Indiana. The study included the additional option of seeds treated with a new chemical, fluopyram (floooh-PEYE’-ram), designed to pro-

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tect the root system against the SDS fungus in the seed zone. The chemical is marketed by Bayer, which contributed financial sup-

port for the research.

The Indiana trial results showed that: ■■ The SDS-resistant variety had lower disease levels at all planting dates with and without the fluopyram seed treatment.

■■ The resistant variety produced higher yields with and without fluopyram in all but one planting date.

■■ Fluopyram significantly reduced disease severity and increased the yield in both resistant and SDS-susceptible varieties compared with a standard seed treatment. Greatest disease reductions were noted in soybeans planted before May 15.

Wise said fluopyram is another tool that farmers could consider in managing SDS. This year will be the first year the seed treatment is available for use.

In addition, the researchers recommended that farmers plant soybean varieties resistant to SDS and soybean cyst nematode, avoid compaction and maintain notes on which fields are affected by the disease for future management decisions.

“We’re still learning about new ways to manage SDS,” Wise said.

“There will be more questions to answer this year and beyond.”

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THE HERALD ■ FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

Farmer family finds new life in cheese

By MICHAELLE BOND The Philadelphia Inquirer CHESTER SPRINGS, Pa. — Sue Miller loves hanging out in her cheese cave.

“Sometimes I get attached to certain wheels of cheese,” said Miller, co-owner of Birchrun Hills Farm, a dairy farm about 30 miles outside Philadelphia. “And my husband says, ‘You know, it’s meant to be sold.’”

She knows.

Her love of cheese grew out of necessity. About nine years ago, declining milk prices and rising costs had Miller and her husband, Ken, worried they might lose the small farm they hoped one day to pass on to their two sons.

Like other small dairy operators across the country, the first-generation farmers decided they needed to innovate to survive.

So Sue Miller, 49, turned to community support and the craft of artisanal cheeses, which she makes in a small rental facil-

ity and sells around the region.

Thanks to an online campaign that collected donations from customers, farmers and supporters, the couple now plan to build their own cheese cave.

The Millers are like many small farmers who must increasingly rely on strong community relationships and high-quality products, rather than trying to increase production, which can be costly or impossible in areas with vanishing farmland, said Brian Snyder, president of the Pennsylvania State Council of Farm Organizations.

“Sue represents this whole new approach to the economics of farming,” said Snyder, who is also executive director of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, of which Miller is a board member.

The number of dairy farmers turning to specialty cheese-making has been growing for more than 25 years, alongside the swell of gluten-free and organic products, said Michael Tunick, a re-

search chemist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“If you learn how to make cheese, you can take that milk and turn it into something very valuable,” he said.

The Millers sell milk from their 80 Holstein cows to Wawa and Land O’Lakes. But it was the Millers’ six raw milk cheeses — sold at Philadelphia restaurants, local farmers’ markets, breweries, Whole Foods, and in Pittsburgh and Vermont — that helped save their farm.

Pennsylvania ranks seventh nationwide among cheese producers, with more than 415 million pounds of cheese made last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A number of other farms near the Millers have expanded their operations to offer cheeses.

Sue Miller entered three of hers in the Pennsylvania Farm Show’s inaugural cheese competition in January — “Birchrun

Blue” blue cheese, “Red Cat” mild washed-rind cheese, and “Tomme Mole” creamy cheese aged in a rub of olive oil, coffee, cocoa, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon.

Each won a blue ribbon.

But do not ask Miller to name her favorite cheese.

“That’s like asking someone who their favorite child is,” she said.

With a new cheese cave, Miller said, she will be able to produce new types.

She and her husband took out a loan for a few hundred thousand dollars to pay for the construction of their cheese cave, so called as a nod to the original way of aging cheese.

But they also needed at least $25,000 to buy equipment and to create the cave-like conditions cheeses need: low temperatures and high humidity.

They started raising money last year with $5,000 in donations from a Cheese Ball gala conceived

by Tenaya Darlington, a St. Joseph’s University associate English professor who writes a blog about cheese under the name Madame Fromage.

They also launched an online Kickstarter campaign that drew 235 donations from friends, customers and other cheese makers in 31 days.

To boost donations online, the Millers offered donors the chance to name calves as they are born.

On the list of baby names are Gertrude Holstein, Juniper Moo, Daffodil, and Mikey Geno, in honor of a Philadelphia artist who specializes in paintings of cheese and other foods.

Miller said she had experienced overwhelming support from her customers and the cheese community.

“It’s easy to forget that people support you and want you to survive,” she said. “I feel like this was about lifting up our family and our farm to the next level.”

Translations of ag terms can be useful

By VALERIE CLINGERMAN Purdue Extension Knox County When talking about agriculture there are quite a few terms that are used in each of these fields. When I get calls or talk to people across the county frequently I get questions about translating some of this terminology. Here are some terms commonly used in agriculture that some people may not understand: ■■ Pesticide: This is one of the most misused words that I hear. A pesticide is any substance that kills, prevents, or inhibits a pest. Therefore, an insecticide (kills insects), herbicide (kills plants), fungicide (kills fungus), rodenticide (kills rodents), etc are many types of pesticides.

■■ Growing degree days: Corn and insects require certain temperatures for growth and development. Growth begins at a minimum temperature (often 50 degrees) and rate of development increases as temperatures increase. There is also a maximum temperature where growth rates start declining. Growing degree days represent the amount of heat accumulated over time and they can help us track the development of some crops and insects.

■■ Photoperiod: The amount of

daylight that a plant is exposed to over the course of a day.

■■ Growing season: The time during a year when the climate is right for plants to grow. Generally this time is between the last frost in the spring (generally April) and the first frost in the fall (generally October).

■■ Corn hybrid: Hybrid is a term that means two corn plants with two different desired traits (ex: high yielding and insect resistance) were bred together in attempt to have one plant with both traits. When hybrid seeds are planted similar plants and growth rates will be seen with the desired characteristics. But the seed of those hybrids may or may not have the desired traits which is why growers buy new seed every year.

■■ Soybean maturity group: Soybean maturity groups range from 00 to VIII. In Indiana we primarily use group III and IV. These maturity groups are based off the plants ability to grow during a growing season in a region. These regions run in long belts east and west but only about 100-150 miles north and south. The smaller the maturity group number the faster it can progress through the growth stages and mature.

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SPRING AGRICULTURE SALUTE ■ PAGE 11

Controlling wind and snow around farm

By DON D. JONES and WILLIAM H. FRIDAY Extension Agricultural Engineers Purdue University The cold, strong winds and large snowfalls of recent Midwest winters have caused many farm families to re-evaluate the need for “controlling” these energywasting disturbances.

There are no foolproof methods of wind and snow control, since the amounts of precipitation and the wind speed and direction constantly change. However, a protective system based on prevailing winter winds and average snowfall frequencies can significantly minimize their severity and effects on a farming operation. And the benefits of these improvements may well be realized year round.

This publication discusses briefly the principles of wind and snow control, then examines the types of control systems that might be used around the farmstead. Finally, it provides planning guidelines for minimizing wind and snow problems.

Principles of control The following basic principles of control will help us understand the reasons for taking certain approaches to wind and snow problems: ■■ When high-velocity air blows over a rough surface, it swirls and loses both energy and velocity.

■■ As high-velocity air strikes an obstacle, the air pressure increases on the upwind side, and a slight vacuum is created on the downwind side.

■■ When high-velocity air passes through a constriction, its velocity increases.

■■ High-velocity air can hold more snow in suspension than low-velocity air.

As we discuss the problems of wind and snow control, bear in mind that these principles apply to all objects that will slow the velocity and/or change the direction of the wind. Such objects include windbreaks, snow fences, farm buildings, silos, trees and shrubs, shelter belts, terrain surfaces and configurations, etc. What we can do to control the velocity and direction of wind will usually also control snow, because wind-driven snow causes drifting snow.

Type of breaks There are various systems for changing wind direction and reducing its velocity to control wind and snow. We will consider them individually, pointing out how each works and why, and where it would likely be most effective.

■■ Solid fences. As wind slams into a solid fence, it is either forced up and over the obstacle or around it. Air pressure increases on the upwind (windward) side, and a slight vacuum is created on the downwind (leeward) side. As the wind is forced over the top of this solid barrier, its velocity increases. After crossing the top of the barrier, the vacuum created on the downwind side causes air turbulence which dissipates the wind’s energy. The wind no longer retains enough energy and velocity to carry a snow load; therefore, the snow drops out.

Wind drops the snow in two places: (1) on the upwind side of the fence at a 45-degree angle for a distance of about one-fenceheight, and (2) on the downwind side for a distance equal to about five times the fence height. The distance of snow drop on the downwind side is not directly proportional to fence height, and the effect is somewhat less than five times the height for very high fences. The area of wind and snow

protection for a solid fence, then, extends from about five to fifteen times the fence height downwind.

A solid windbreak is usually built adjacent to the area it is designed to protect, since snow accumulation does not usually extend out far from the fence. It is most commonly used to block or divert wind away from a livestock feedlot.

Windbreak fences require sturdy construction, since they take the wind’s full force. Pressure created by the wind increases rather significantly as fence height increases. For instance, as wind speed increases from 10 to 30 miles per hour (mph), the force on a solid fence increases nine times.

■■ Open fences. Canadian studies have determined that fences with 25 percent to 50 percent open space are more effective in controlling wind than solid fences.

Also, while open fences drop more snow than solid fences, they create shallower drifts on the downwind side. This speeds snow melting in the spring and snow removal after storms.

Open fences are commonly used to protect roadways, openfront buildings and livestock feedlots. The fence should be located far enough upwind to keep the protected area out of the snow drop zone.

Fence openings should be 2 to 21⁄2 inches wide and may run vertically or horizontally. Openings wider than 6 inches are ineffective. Conventional picket snow fence and other fencing which are 25-50 percent porous make excellent windbreaks. Wind speeds up as it passes through the restricted openings, thus preventing snow from plugging the immediate area around the fence.

Open fences should also be mounted off the ground about 12 inches. This allows the wind to keep sweeping the snow downwind from the fence, thus maintaining its effectiveness.

Wind velocity and fence height determine the size of the protected area. For instance, when the wind is blowing at 10 mph, a 6-foot-high porous fence will reduce that velocity to a minimum 10 feet downwind from the fence.

When the wind is 20 mph, the minimum velocity point will be 65 feet from the fence; and at 30 mph, the area protected is about 90 feet downwind.

As a general rule, wind protection is usually adequate for a distance equal to about 20 times the fence height, whereas the major snow drop is in an area downwind equal to about 10 times the fence height.

■■ Shelter belts are trees planted in several rows and act similarly to porous fences in controlling wind and snow. However, they protect a much larger area than do solid or open fences and are often used to protect the entire

farmstead. They are most effective if located about 150 feet upwind from areas to be protected.

The base of the trees should be trimmed out to 10-20 percent of their height, to keep snow from clogging the windbreak and the area immediately downwind.

A shelter belt consisting entirely of deciduous trees (those which drop their leaves in winter) is ineffective for control, because it does not offer enough resistance to air passage. Also, trees planted too densely will have a limited zone of protection, just as any solid windbreak. Some shrub plantings are effective, even without foliage, if branch density is great enough.

From a heat-management standpoint, the best trees to plant around a home or farmstead area are coniferous (evergreen) species on the north and west sides to break the winter wind, and de-

ciduous trees on the south side to provide summer shade and let the winter sun through.

Tree selection and location are important. For example, a building “protected” by pine trees could actually have a higher heating cost than one located in an open area. While the pines can diminish winter winds to reduce cold air infiltration, they could also shade out the benefits of winter solar heat if improperly placed.

Trees should be placed so that they protect buildings from wind and snow, yet not interfere with ventilation, particularly of livestock buildings. This means a 150foot setback for the shelter belt on all sides of naturally-ventilated buildings.

To avoid tree kill, shelter belts used near open livestock lots should not be in the path of lot drainage.

For information on tree selection and placement for your particular soil, climate and topography, contact your county Extension office, the local Soil Conservation Service office, and state or federal Forest Service office.

Saving energy ■■ Since air infiltration is proportional to the force of the wind on the building, windbreaks reduce heat loss by decreasing wind velocity.

■■ A solid row of dense shrubs planted around the base of a structure tends to create a “dead air space” and thus improves the insulation value of the foundation or basement (or pit wall, in the case of a livestock building). This is particularly helpful if the founSee SNOW on Page 12

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PAGE 12 ■ SPRING AGRICULTURE SALUTE

Snow (Concluded from Page 11) dation is not insulated.

■■ In summer, a properly-located shelter belt can “channel” air currents to remove heat by increasing wind velocity around the house and farm buildings.

■■ Also, a dense tree area has a substantial cooling effect. On a hot summer day, there is up to a 10-degree difference in temperature between an open field and a grove of trees. This is more than shade effect. The leaves of one mature tree can evaporate over 200 gallons of water per day, producing evaporative cooling equivalent to an 8-10 room air conditioner!

■■ Energy savings of up to 20 percent can be realized by using windbreaks around heated buildings. This is because they reduce wind velocity, which decreases air infiltration into the buildings.

Cold air will infiltrate all parts of a structure, but is most pronounced around doors and windows.

Aside from wind velocity, the amount of infiltration depends primarily on two factors: (1) quality of building construction, and (2) building orientation or direction faced. New, tightly-constructed buildings allow less infiltration than older, poorly-constructed buildings. Also, wind infiltration is minimized when buildings are oriented so the wind strikes the smallest possible wall projection.

In most of the Midwest, this is when a building faces so its long axis runs east-west.

Protection for feed lots According to U.S. Department of Agriculture studies, windbreak protection for livestock raised in open lots improves feed efficiency for feeder animals and decreases death loss of young animals. Feeding tests with beef cattle in Canada confirm these findings; decreases in weight gain of cattle exposed to winter winds were cut 50 percent with proper wind protection.

A suitable windbreak not only checks strong winds but also protects animals from blowing rain, sleet and snow. The beneficial effect on animal productivity and comfort is created primarily by the decreased windchill factor.

Snow drifting can severely hinder cattle and hog feedlot operations. Animal performance suffers when feeders and waterers are covered with drifting snow, and animals can suffocate when snowdrifts cover low-profile sheds.

Also, farmers cannot transport feed to feedlots easily over snowclogged roads.

Porous windbreak fences are probably the best solution for open feedlots. While solid fences provide better wind protection in the area next to the fence, porous ones protect a much larger area. A solid fence might be built as a section of the lot fence since it has a limited snow drop zone, whereas porous fences with twice as large a snow zone should be constructed some distance upwind from the lot.

Locate windbreaks to provide wind protection for outside feedbunks and to keep snow out of the feed alley and bunk areas. Lots should always be designed with wind protection if cattle must face into the north or west wind while eating.

A major problem with outside feed lots is how to channel wind currents between adjacent upright Silos and buildings, particularly when these structures are located on the north or west side of the lot. Winter winds swirling around a silo can actually increase in velocity. Even so, locating silos and feedbunks on the north, with appropriate wind control (e.g., 10-foot-high porous fences extending at least 30 feet

THE HERALD ■ FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

on each side of the silo), is usually the best solution.

Silos on the east or south side shade the jot, and feedbunks oriented east-west shade the north side of the bunk apron. Both situations increase the potential for ice buildup in the lot during the winter months.

Tall buildings located on the downwind side of a lot can also divert high winds back into the lot and cause snow to be dumped there. While this is usually not too serious, it does merit consideration when planning the lot.

Buildings situated too close together can cause undesirable wind currents through the lot, creating a wind passageway or tunnel. If the situation already exists, the best solution is to block the wind by constructing a windbreak fence or stacking hay bales across the troublesome passageway.

However, if you are still in the building planning stage, try to arrange it so buildings are at least 50 feet apart to prevent high velocity winds between them.

If drafts occur, several modifications are possible, depending on where the wind enters the building. Draft origins can be determined through the use of a smoke generator.

If it is determined that drafts are coming around the endwall on the windward side, the best solution is to use a “swirl chamber.” A

swirl chamber is simply a porous fence located on the upwind side of the building. Ideally, it should be the same height as the building eave on the open-front side. Draft protection can also be accomplished by offsetting the lot fence where it joins the building, thus forming a swirl chamber.

A windbreak fence should nev-

er connect to a corner of the building. Otherwise wind and snow can be funneled into the building itself.

Keep the fence at least 16 feet away from the corner, extending it at least 16 feet out from the building.

If an access gate is needed through the swirl chamber area, construct one the same height and porosity as the rest of the windbreak fence.

Draft control Long, narrow, open-front buildings (length being greater than two and a half times their width) usually create more draft problems than short, wide buildings. This is especially true if the buildings have high eave heights.

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