Local beef producers own proven Angus bull

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — McKean Bros., Mercer, owns a bull listed in the 2008 Fall Sire Evaluation Report published by the American Angus Association of St. Joseph, Mo. The semi-annual report features the latest performance information available on 6,670 sires, and is accessible at www.angussiresearch.com.  

“This report provides both Angus breeders and commercial cattle producers using Angus genetics with accurate, predictable selection tools for improving their herd,” said Bill Bowman, director of performance programs for the association. Listings are based on information submitted by nearly 9,800 breeders this past year through the association’s Beef Improvement Records program.

The association provides programs and services for more than 34,000 members nationwide and thousands of commercial producers who use Angus genetics. Info: www.angus.org

Prairie flowers in bloom at Jennings Center

SLIPPERY ROCK — Now is the time to visit the prairie at Jennings Environmental Education Center and see the spectacular blazing star and the many other prairie wildflowers.

Peak bloom time for the prairie is usually around the last week in July and the first week in August and from the looks of it, the prairie is right on schedule.

Brilliant sunflowers, rosinweed, oxeye, coreopsis, Culver’s root and blazing star are beginning to dominate the prairie landscape.

Guided Prairie Tours reveal why there’s a prairie in western Pennsylvania, how it is preserveed, what flowers are blooming and which animals call this unique ecosystem home.

The tours will be conducted at 2 p.m. Sunday and Aug. 3, departing from the Prairie Parking Lot. A bottle of water and sturdy shoes are recommended.

Armyworm has been spotted in Mercer County

MERCER COUNTY — Area forage producers are encouraged to scout grass hayfields, small grain, and cornfields for evidence of armyworm activity. The pest has been reported in Mercer and neighboring counties and is capable of inflicting extensive damage to grass and cereal 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. The final instar — 1 1/2 inches long — is noted for voracious feeding accounting for more than 80 percent of all foliage eaten throughout the larval period. Pyrethroid insecticides appear to be effective in controlling this pest.

Suggestions on controlling armyworm appear in Penn State’s Field Crop News available online at http://fcn.agronomy.psu.edu/2008/fcn0816.cfm#c

REAP information available online

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania farmers may apply for a tax credit program that rewards them for conservation practices that reduce erosion and sedimentation.

Guidelines and applications for the 2008-09 Resource Enhancement and Protection tax credit program, or REAP, are available at www.agriculture.state.pa.us/REAP For those without Internet access, the commission can mail an application.

Applications will be accepted beginning Aug. 4 on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications postmarked July 30 or earlier will be returned.

Farmers can receive tax credits of up to $150,000 per agricultural operation for 50 percent or 75 percent of the total cost of a conservation project, depending on the best management practice implemented. Farmers may also qualify for a 50 percent tax credit to buy no-till planting equipment.

Info: Mary Bender, 717-787-8821, or e-mail: mabender@state.pa.us

Part-time teachers needed for science lab

CAMP HILL — Part-time teachers are needed in the area for the new mobile ag science lab.

Pennsylvania Friends of Ag Foundation is looking for teachers to staff Mobile Ag Ed Science Labs. Successful candidates must be Pennsylvania certified teachers with bachelor’s degrees in education and five years’ experience, elementary preferred. An agricultural background is a plus. Send letter of interest, letters of reference and resume to: Human Resources, Ag Lab Teaching Position, Box 8736, Camp Hill, PA 17001-8736.

Dairy farms may receive grants for improvements

HARRISBURG — Twenty dairy farms will be able to implement changes recommended by their Center for Dairy Excellence profit or target teams with the help of “Grow Dairy” grants.

Each farm will receive $2,000 to supplement total project costs that address bottlenecks that limit on-farm profitability. The 20 projects supported by the grants will stimulate a $442,000 total investment in dairy facility and equipment improvements across Pennsylvania.

For more information about the profit and target team programs or the Grow Dairy grants, contact Heather Hostetter, program manager, at the Center for Dairy Excellence at 717-346-0849, or visit www.centerfordairyexcellence.org Click on “Business Management,” then on “Profit Teams.