UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Corn, soybeans, hay and other crops -- including weeds -- will be growing all around the Crops and Soils Tent at Penn State's Ag Progress Days, Aug. 19-21 at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center. Organizers say the plots will help farmers and others to understand the differences between the plants they want and the ones they don't.

New for this year is the Field Crops Garden -- 20 field and forage crops, including sorghum, various corns and small grains. Sjoerd Duiker, assistant professor of soil management, says the garden will show the great variety of crops grown in Pennsylvania.

"A lot of people who visit Ag Progress Days don't know what soybeans look like, for instance," Duiker says. "People may drive by crops near the highway and not know what they're looking at. Or they may know it's a soybean field but they've never seen one up close."

"Farmers who see the crops might be prompted to think of questions about production," says Ronald Hoover, senior project associate in crop and soil sciences. "The new addition should encourage some one-on-one discussions between producers and specialists.

"Our faculty and staff enjoy talking about potential production problems with producers. The exchanges often are beneficial to all concerned. I enjoy it when they come in, point to something we are displaying and say, 'This looks like what I'm seeing at home. What's going on?'"

Along with grain and forage crops, Penn State crop and soil sciences faculty will be growing common weeds of Pennsylvania, including some invasive weed species.

The area again will present the latest developments in forage, corn and soybean production. In addition to demonstrations of new tillage practices and displays of crop research, Penn State specialists will be on hand to talk to producers about crop-related production issues. This year's tillage demonstration will focus on conservation of residue, with daily one-hour demonstrations of equipment from up to eight manufacturers. Duiker says the popular demonstrations give exhibitors a chance to show their equipment in motion.

"Growers appreciate seeing what happens when equipment goes to the field," he says. "They get to see how several pieces of equipment they may be considering perform 'head-to-head,' and they can ask questions of company representatives."

The tilled area created by the demonstration also will be shared by the Natural Resource Conservation Service to show no-till and reduced tillage techniques of manure incorporation. Duiker says the techniques help control erosion, reduce odor and conserve surface residues. "Plowing manure under requires plowing the whole field," he says, "but new equipment allows farmers to inject manure into the soil, protecting against soil erosion while conserving surface residue."

Children again will flock to the ever-popular "A-Maze-N Corn" exhibit, which features an all-new corn maze design. Within the maze, they're asked a question at each station. The correct answer sends them in the right direction through the maze.

"It's extremely popular -- tons of kids come through," Hoover says. "We ask general questions about agriculture, so that as the kids wander around and have fun, they're also learning more about crop production. Children can spend time in the maze while the adults can get advice on weed control, forages, corn, soils, soybeans and small grains."

The region's finest hay also will be selected at the exposition's annual Hay Show. Visitors wishing to compete for prizes in the Hay Show can submit their entries at the drop-off points near the Ag Progress Days parking areas. Hay samples in 25 classes of variety and cutting will be judged on nutritional and visual quality by a forage specialist. Entries will go to the Pennsylvania Farm Show in January.

Also new this year is the "Mystery Crop Contest," which challenges visitors to identify a crop grown in the United States but not in Pennsylvania. "We want to make people aware that crops have requirements," Duiker says. "You can't grow everything everywhere; before you plant something, you should know if the climate is suitable. It makes people think about agronomy."

Penn State's Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday. Admission and parking are free.

For more information, call (800) PSU-1010 toll-free until August 21 or visit the Ag Progress Days Web site at http://apd.cas.psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Sjoerd Duiker at 814-863-7637or swd10@psu.edu (e-mail). Contact Ronald Hoover at 814-865-6672 or rjh7@psu.edu.

Contact:

Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu 814-863-2708 814-863-9877 fax #196