UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Two heads are always better than one, and two groups seem to work well, too, when it comes to showcasing programs related to crops, soils and natural resources at Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, set for Aug. 14-16.

For the second year, Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences will collaborate with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on a comprehensive area that includes multiple tents, displays and research plots. The area will house exhibits and specialists from Penn State’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, the NRCS, the USDA’s Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and other agencies.

The key to the successful partnership, according to Douglas Beegle, professor of agronomy, is that everything is about Pennsylvania soils and crops.

“It is an outstanding showcase of the work of our crops and soils programs,” Beegle says. “We will again have many of the features from last year: the corn maze, special plant and equipment exhibits, commodity groups and related associations in the tent, along with ‘Ask the Specialists’ and the hay competition.”

Combining the conservation-related exhibits with the Crops and Soils Tent will highlight the interaction and scientific exchange between Penn State faculty and state experts in the same fields, says Beegle.

Among the special exhibits is a plot of Pennsylvania wildflowers, demonstrating ways that the flowers can be useful in conservation planning. A separate wildlife-food plot will address the growing demand for information on establishing and maintaining undeveloped tracts that can provide food and shelter for wildlife.

No-till equipment also will be on display in partnership with the Pennsylvania No-Till Alliance, whose members will be available to answer questions about no-till crop production techniques. The Pennsylvania Corn Growers Association, the Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council and the Pennsylvania Crop Management Association will also offer separate displays.

Beegle explains that Penn State Cooperative Extension specialists will be on hand to talk to agricultural producers about possible responses to a year of special problems, including drought conditions in areas of the state.

The common weeds exhibit and weed-identification display will offer fact sheets and examples of common weeds from around the state, with specialists on hand to help visitors formulate weed-management strategies. Teens can also get information on Penn State’s academic degree opportunities in crop and soil sciences.

The ever-popular “A-Maze-N Corn” corn maze returns, as participants solve the two-acre puzzle by answering general questions about Pennsylvania agriculture. The region's finest hay also will be selected at the annual Ag Progress Days hay show. Visitors can submit entries to compete for prizes in 25 classes, with winning entries going to the Pennsylvania Farm Show in January.

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 Aug. 14; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 15; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 16. Admission and parking are free. For more information, visit the Ag Progress Days Web site at http://apd.cas.psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Douglas Beegle at 814-863-1016 or dbb@psu.edu (e-mail).

Gary Abdullah Writer-Editor 814-863-2708 gxa2@psu.edu