HARRISBURG, Pa. – The PA No-Till Alliance Soil Health Field Days are set for July 21 and 23, respectively at Ernst Conservation Seeds Farm near Meadville and Flinchbaugh Farm and Orchard near Hellam.
• At Ernst Conservation Seeds, what started with five acres and $1000 worth of crownvetch foundation seed in 1963 has grown to 10,000-acres in production and over 80 employees. When the demand for crownvetch dwindled in the early 1970s the farm expanded by approximately 500 acres and began growing grain crops no-tilled into the vetch, which as a legume provided a ready source of nitrogen.
In the mid-1980s, they introduced native deertongue as the first native species crop. This part of the operation grew rapidly, leading to the name change to Ernst Conservation Seeds. Then in 2005 an additional 5000-acres of marginal land was leased to grow switchgrass as a source of biomass for energy.
Today, Ernst grows hundreds of diverse crops of conservation, ecological restoration, beautification, energy feedstock, and wildlife habitat, all in rotation with traditional row crops.
• Flinchbaugh Farm and Orchard, a fourth-generation family farm which was purchased in 1951, has grown from primarily fruit trees to include row crops that dominate the 2000 acres currently farmed by the family. Conservation has always been at the forefront of the Flinchbaughs’ mission with cover crops, grass buffers and waterways. No-till practices have been embraced since the 1980s. More recently, precision agriculture technology has become central to how their crop fields and orchards are managed. This led to the farm receiving the Leopold Award for Conservation Excellence in 2022.
What sets Flinchbaugh apart from many other farms? They have an on-farm retail farm market which is supplied by 52 acres of specialty crops. Included in these acres is the innovative high density growing of apples on wire, improving fruit quality and labor efficiency.
What to expect
Each day, the program will include two presentations by the internationally known keynote speaker Egon Zunckel. Zunckel used no-till and cover cropping programs to revive what he describes as a “tired, worn-out farm.” He and his son now farm approximately 12,355-acres of highly productive ground.
Other highlights will include a presentation on genomic DNA soil testing, breakout sessions including in-field equipment demonstrations, a rainfall stimulator, a deep soil pit to show what is happening underground, and an extensive cover crop plot showcasing the attributes of various mixed species cover crops.
Both days will also include plenty of food, numerous vendor and agency displays and the opportunity to network with other like-minded farmers.
Registration information
Those wishing to attend should contact Jay Howes at jhowes@pennag.com. Provide your name, which event and how many will be attending. Registration information can also be found at www.panotill.org/news-and-events/
