APR 2
VOL. 16 NO. 22
Dairymen Reminded of Proper Cow-Grass Management
By Max Smith
County Ag Agent
Dairymen planning to turn
the herd to lush forage in the
next few weeks should give par
ticular attention to the handling
of the milking cows
Clyde Martin, center, discusses his
herd in the Martin dairy barn Wednesday
night to several area vo-ag teachers. Look
ing on are Steve Leiser, Solanco, FFA
Area Ag Teachers Study Dairying
“ .About: :f rom
-four Vcolinties "-this r 'Week ■s,com
pleted a JPenn State" University
course on dairying.
Under the direction of Dr.
Glenn Stevens, Penn State pro
fessor of agricultural education,
the course is a model planned
for use throughout the state
It is hoped the course will bet
ter prepare the vo-ag teacheis
to assist dairy farmers, Dr.
explained
4-H Calendar
Saturday, April 24
7 a.m -2pm Flapjack Day,
Farm and Home Center.
Monday, April 26
7.30 p.m Conestoga Valley
Junior and Senior 4-H Club
reorganization meeting,
Witmer Fire Hall
8 p.m. 4-H Dairy Club Lead
ers meeting, conference
room,. Farm and Home Cen
ter.
Tuesday, April 27
1 p.m Variety Pack discus
sion on 4-H projects, Farm
and Home Center
Wednesday, April 28
1 pm Food Projects and
Judging of Foods, Faim
and Home Center
7.30 pm 4-H Wildlife Club
reorganization meeting,
Farm and Home Center.
New members welcome
Thursday, April 29
7.30 pm. Kirkwood 4-H Com
munity Club reorgamza
tional meeting, Union Pres
byterian Church south of
Kirkwood.
Lancaster County 4-H Holstein
Dairy Club meeting.
Grass-flavored milk is not of
top quality and may cause a
problem with your milk dealer
With modem milk cooling and
storage on the farm utilizing the
many advantages of the bulk
tank, considerable money is at
,g^pr?;Steven^ : saiditHe -.purpose
■ of 'the icourse is to ’give vo-ag
' teachers"' better insight "into the
factors which go into breeding
and managing quality dairy an
imals and superior dairy herds
The 15 members of the course,
mostly agriculture teachers,
weie from York, Lancaster,
Chester and-Beiks counties
During the sixth and final
class meeting Wednesday night,
the group visited the herd of
Clyde Martin, East Earl EDI
Martin’s activities include mem
bership in the adult education
class at the Gaiden Spot High
School, director of Atlantic
Breeders Coop, secretary of the
Lancaster County Holstein
Breeders Association, and form
er recognition as an outstanding
member of the Pennsylvania
Young Farmeis Association
The -work included observing
the off-spring of selected AI
bulls to compare the character
istics of offspring of different
sires.
Farmers often ask lor assis
tance m selecting sues for par
ticular cows, Dr Stevens noted
in explaining the importance to
ag teachers of this type of
knowledge
He noted that farmers can
bleed lor increased pioduction,
and foi collecting any weakness
es in type The breeder can
breed for qualities such as vigor
and taller animals, animals with
stronger feet, legs and udder,
better udder shape and attach
ment
In reviewing his animals, Mar
tin explained the bleeding back
giound, the pioducuon perfor
mance of the animal, and point
ed out what he considers to be
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 24,1971
stake if a tank of milk rs re
jected
Dairymen are urged to turn
fherr cows to pasture for short
periods of time at first (15 to
30 minutes) and then gradually
extend the grazing period This
teacher, left, and "Donald Robinson, teach
er at Garden Spot High School, New Hol
land.
“some' of .the..strengths ’arid weak
nesses of "the animals.
Dr. Stevens* noted that while
good management and hard work
are important in dairying part
of the results do stem from the
breeding program
The graduates of the adult
education class received a one
hour credit from Penn State
Among those participating in the Penn
State course on dairying which was com
pleted this week are: left to right, Charles
Ackley, Ephrata High School; Robert
Herr, and Don Robinson, Garden Spot
High School, New Holland. While the
course is designed to further improve the
practice will reduce the dangei
of bloating and scouring of the
cows
Also, it is strongly advised
that the herd be fed some foim
of diy matter such as silage, 1
hay, or straw hefoie going to
pastuie This practice should
be continued into the grazing ;
season
In oi del to prevent off-flavor- 1
ed milk, the cows should be le
moved hom the pastuie at least
four hours puoi to the next
milking period If they are kept
mdoois during this period, the
barn should be well ventilated
The digestive piocess of the
cows in a poorly ventilated bam
may also present bam odois
that will flavoi the milk
If the pastuie is inlested with
wild garlic, the milking held
should not be allowed to giaze
until the plants have been con
sumed by either young stock oi
diy covs The garlic plants aie
veiy stiong flavored and will le
duce the quality of the entne
milk supply
Before turning the herd to
pasture, dairymen should inspect
the pasture carefully foi bottles,
cans, and other solid waste that
may have been deposited there
dm mg the winter months by
some thoughtless htter-bug.
Losses fiom poisoning-may: he.
if"this"material is re
moved from the area before the
cows are turned to pasture.
We realize that some dairy
men have planted their peima
nent pasture land to silage coin
foi greater yields of feed nutri
ents, however, theie is some
land in the county suitable only
for peimanent pasture and good !
management on this land is
timelv
quality of advice available to local farm
ers from vo-ag teachers, Dr. Glenn Ste
vens, Penn State professor of agricultural
education, who conducted the course, cited
the three as among those who already are
doing good work with dairy farmers.
?2.00 Per Year
In addition, some dairymen
plant winter giains such as lye,
or cover crops such as brome
grass oi orchard glass and plan
to giaze them earty in the spring
before plowing
Caieful pastuie management
will make it possible for the
herd to utilize these nourishing
foiage ciops and reduce feed
costs j
Farm Calendar
Saturday, April 24
7 a m -2 p m —4-H Flapjack Day,
Farm and Home Center
Sam —s4th Little International
Livestock Exposition, Uni
veisity Ice Pavilion
930 am Tri-County Relief
Sale, Morgantown
I 45 pm —Youth Committee of
Fulton Grange hike
Tuesday', April 27
II 45 am -3 p m Women’s
Committee of the Lancaster
Faimeis Association Ladies’
Day Out, Farm and Home
i Center
; 7.30 pm Area FFA Parlia
, mentary Procedure, Public
; Speaking contests, Solance
: High School.
r 7.30 pm Ephrata Young
Farmers Recreation night,
i- Ephrata Recreation Lanes.
Thursday, April 29
730 pm. Lancaster County
Swire Producers Association
board of directors meeting,
Faim and Home Center.
FFA Ornamental Horticulture"
Contest, Mount Joy.
Saturday, May 1
Lanehester Pony Club Horse
Show, John Gibson farm,
Drumore