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		Steel In The Field: A Farmer's Guide to Weed Management Tools New Guidebook Answers Farmer Questions About Weed Control Tools Farmer wisdom and experience are at the heart of "Steel in the Field," a new book about weed control tools from the Sustainable Agriculture Network. "Steel in the Field" contains major sections for agronomic row, horticultural and dryland cropping systems. Illustrated technical pages explain the design, recommended uses and cautions for more than 50 implements. Farmer narratives enhance each section with descriptions of the parallel "tools" of crop rotation, cover crops, residue management and other crop management techniques. "Now you don't have to embarrass yourself at the coffee shop asking questions you feel you shouldn't have to ask about the basics of mechanical weed control," New Hampshire dairyman John Merrill, says of the book. "The field equipment sections are the most descriptive I have ever seen," adds Joe Johnson, an agronomist at Mississippi State University. "This book addresses the four main concerns that farmers have about mechanical weed control: cost, effectiveness, dependability and soil impact." "Steel in the Field" provides drawings and detailed descriptions of more than 50 tools and accessories ranging from high-residue cultivators to flex-tine weeders, from in-row fingers to wide-blade sweep plows. Each product has one or more suppliers from the list of 104 North American agribusinesses. The book highlights 22 farms from Vermont to Arizona to Georgia to Oregon. Farmers tell how they've learned to manage weeds more efficiently while caring for their soil. One farmer grows 40 acres of vegetables in California, and one manages 11,000 acres of what and safflower in Utah. One has an inventory of steel components to address a range of field conditions, and other uses a single combination tool in many configurations. "The grower interviews are excellent, the graphics are great and the technical information on tools is well done. This book will be a great resource for both large- and small-scale farmers, for experienced growers and those just beginning," says Jim Leap, of the University of California's Center for Agroecology. "Steel in the Field" was edited by Greg Bowman. Funding for the project was provided by SAN, the national outreach arm of the USDA-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program. To order, send a check or purchase order for $18 to: Sustainable Agriculture Publications Hills Building University of Vermont Burlington VT 05405-0082. Phone: 802-656-0471. Email: msimpson@zoo.uvm.edu

Contact:   Jack Watson  or  Shirley Gryczuk

Sustaining Pennsylvania Agriculture
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 863-7235 FAX: (814) 863-7217
E-mail requests for information to susag@psu.edu

Last Updated: February 21, 2001