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On January 20, 2018

The Penn State Extension Lancaster County Annual Meeting and Social Event which will be held on Thursday, February 1, 2018 is rapidly approaching.   Bring the whole family to enjoy lots of delicious food which will be available in the food court provided by various local commodity groups and vendors during the social hour.

Entertainment will feature an educator from ZooAmerica who will present a program designed for all ages entitled, “Paws, Claws, Scales & Tails.” Learn about the adaptations animals use for survival in the wild — including defense, foraging, eating, swimming, and escaping predators. Several live animals will be included in the program. The evening will also include an update on the Spotted Lanternfly by Tim Elkner, Horticulture Educator

Tickets are $5.00 per person for adults, $2.00 for children 6-12 and children under 6 are free. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Lancaster Office at 717-394-6851<tel:717-394-6851>. The food court opens at 5:30. Dinner music will be provided by the Banjo Duo Barley and Steele.

We hope you can be with us to enjoy the excellent program, the fellowship, and an opportunity to sample a variety of the county’s commodities.

To Improve Energy Efficiency In Greenhouses

There are a number of steps that can be taken to conserve energy in greenhouses. Extension Specialist Daniel Ciolkosz shares these thoughts. Greenhouse coverings are clear in order to allow sunlight into the house.  Unfortunately, clear panels are also poor insulators.  You can minimize your nighttime heat loss in the winter by using a movable thermal screen, that can be drawn across the roof and walls of the greenhouse.  Often these thermal screens can serve double duty – providing shade from excessive sunlight in midsummer, and providing thermal insulation during winter nights.  The reduction in heating costs will vary depending on your situation, but can be as high as 30 or 40%.

Sealing the fans is another step that can yield a good return in energy savings. When ventilation fans are turned off, the fan’s louver will automatically close the fan opening.  At least that’s how it’s supposed to work.  Unfortunately, bent or malfunctioning louvers are all too common in greenhouses, as well as drilled holes or gaps around the fan housing.  This leads to air leakage during the winter, which translates into higher heating bills.  Malfunctioning louvers need to be repaired, and any holes or cracks should be covered over.

One should also insulate the perimeter of the greenhouse. This is one of the spots where heat is lost in the winter through the ground and through the bottom part of the sidewall.  You can reduce energy losses by installing an insulated board that extends from the height of the greenhouse’s benches down into the soil along the greenhouse’s perimeter.  Typical savings will vary, but are on the order of 5% for Pennsylvania conditions.

The north wall of a greenhouse lets in surprisingly little light – especially in the winter when the sun is low in the southern sky.  You may find that it’s cost effective to cover the north wall of the greenhouse with insulating board to reduce heat losses.  If the insulation is painted white, it can even enhance light levels inside the greenhouse by “reflecting back” winter sunlight that would have otherwise passed out through the north wall.

Not all greenhouses use electrical lighting, but those that do should look into the possibility of upgrading their system to a more efficient variety.  The relatively high cost of lighting in a greenhouse makes this an important measure, especially if the lighting system is kept on for long periods of time.

Greenhouse growers usually care a lot more about their plants than about their fans – that’s one of the things that makes them good growers.  However, it pays to look over the fans from time to time to see if they are in good operating order or if they need a cleaning.  Accumulated dust on a fan’s blades and safety screen can increase ventilation energy use by as much as 20%!  All that is needed to correct this problem is a rag and some elbow grease.   Be sure to de-activate the electrical circuit for the fan before starting, just to be safe.

To Learn About The 2017 Crop Production Statistics

The USDA National Ag Statistics Service recently released data which gives a good snapshot of our crop production in 2017. In Pennsylvania, corn for grain production is estimated at 148.1 million bushels, up 21 percent from the 2016 estimate. The average yield in Pennsylvania is estimated at a record high 161.0 bushels per acre, 32.0 bushels above the 2016 average yield of 129.0 bushels per acre.  Area harvested for grain is estimated at 920 thousand acres, down 3 percent from 2016.

Silage production is estimated at 9.0 million tons, up 17 percent from 2016.  Silage yield is estimated at 21.5 tons per acre, 4.0 bushels above the previous year.  Area harvested for silage is estimated at 420 thousand acres, down 5 percent from the previous year.

Pennsylvania soybean production for 2017 is estimated at 28.1 million bushels, up 11 percent from last year.  Yield is estimated at 48.0 bushels per acre, up 4.0 bushels from 2016.  Area harvested at 585 thousand acres, is up 2 percent from the previous year.

Wheat production is estimated at 10.8 million bushels, up 6 percent from 2016. Yield is estimated at a record high 72.0 bushels per acre, up 4.0 bushels from the previous year. Harvested area, at 150 thousand acres, is unchanged from the previous year.

Oat production is estimated at 2.32 million bushels, down 31 percent from 2016.  Yield is estimated at 58.0 bushels per acre, down 9.0 bushels from the previous year. Record low harvested area, at 40 thousand acres, is 20 percent below the previous year. Lower harvested acres in New York and Pennsylvania led to a production decrease of over 2 million bushels in these two States combined.

Barley production is estimated at 3.15 million bushels, up 11 percent from 2016. Yield is estimated at 70 bushels per acre, down 5.0 bushels from the previous year. Harvested area, at 45 thousand acres, is 18 percent above the previous year.

All hay production in Pennsylvania is estimated at 3.87 million tons, up 23 percent from 2016. Yield is estimated at 2.63 tons per acre, up 0.30 bushel from the previous year. Harvested area, at 1.47 million acres, is 9 percent above the previous year.

Alfalfa production is estimated at 1.38 million tons, up 31 percent from 2016. Yield is estimated at 3.20 tons per acre, up 0.20 ton from the previous year. Harvested area, at 430 thousand acres, is up 23 percent from the previous year.

Tobacco production is estimated at 19.0 million pounds, down 7 percent from 2016. Yield is estimated at 2,344 pounds per acre, down 151 pounds per acre from the previous year. Harvested area, at 8.1 thousand acres, is 1 percent below the previous year.

Maple syrup is estimated at 139,000 gallons, down 3 percent from the previous year.  The number of taps is estimated at 660,000 taps, unchanged from the 2016 total.  Yield per tap is estimated to be 0.211 gallon, down 3 percent from the previous season’s yield.

Quote Of The Week: “”The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But…the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” Martin Luther King Jr