—Lancaster Farming, Saturday. June 12,1971
20
Holsteins Meaty Beef Animal
Recently we suggested that there
should be potential in Southeastern Penn
sylvania for farmers who raise dairy ani
mals for beef
Availability of large numbers of dairy
calves could help make the idea practical,
particularly since obtaining feeder stock
has become a problem for beef producers
when beef prices are favorable.
The following article in the May 10 is
sue of Hoard’s Dairyman show's that Hol
steins, which account for the overwhelming
majority of dairy animals locally, gam fast
and are meaty. The Hoard’s article is as
follows
Facing formidable competition from
beef and other dairy breeds, Holstein
steers were first for rate of gam in
USDA agricultural research service
feeding trials. Holstein, Jersey, Milking
Shorthorn, Angus, and Hereford steer
calves were included in the compari
sons.
Half the cattle from each breed
were on a high plane of nutrition from
birth to 180 days, and half were on a low
plane. The high plane diet included
large quantities of whole milk. The low
plane ration was typical for rearing
dairy heifers and included milk replac
er, gram, and hay.
At 181 days, the calves were divided
Sell Milk Through Beef?
We note that other countries have re
ported highly successful beef operations
using two or more calves on one dairy cow.
Since Holsteins, which account for the
majority of local dairy animals, are noted
ior their high milk production and other
dairy breeds are reporting good records
locally , such a program would seem to be
feasible here.
One report we received recently in
dicated, for instance, that a cow in England
which produced about 6,500 pounds of milk
fed two calves through nine months and the
two were sold at 1,000 pounds each at 12
months That’s a ton of beef per cow.
Note that most local dairymen consider
a 6.500 pound cow as cull material, that 10,-
000 pounds is a modest goal and 12,000 to
15,000 average is achieved by many year
after year.
It would appear that local dairy ani
mals could support three to four beef ani
mals, at least in the beginning of the lacta
tion, possibly with the number being taper
ed off toward the end of the lactation.
While the possibilities are interesting,
we would caution local farmers to move into
such a program with extreme caution. The
management factors are many and com
plex.
In addition to many of the problems of
Cut the Linguistic Lariat
The poultry industry along -with the
livestock and dairy industries is putting
increasing emphasis on solving its waste
LANCASTER FARMING
Lancaster County’s Own Farm Weekly
P. O Box 266 - Lititz, Pa. 17543
Office 22 E Main St., Lititz, Pa 17543
Phone; Lancaster 394-3047 or Lititz 626-2191
Robert G Campbell, Advertising Director
Zane Wilson, Managing Editor
Subscription price- $2 per year in Lancaster
County. $3 elsewhere
Established November 4,1955
Published eve v y Satuidaj by Lancaster
Farming, Lititz, Pa.
Second Class Postage naicl at Lititz, Pa.
17543
Member of Newspaper Farm Editors Assn
Pa. Newspaper Publishcis Association, and
National Newspaper Association
by breed and previous treatment into
three groups and fed, free-choice, finish
ing ration, chopped hay mixture, or
chopped hay until 83 per cent of market
weight, and then finishing ration to
slaughter weight.
Holsteins gained fastest in both
phases of the trials. They also had the
largest rib eye area and highest per
centage of lean meat and bone of any
breed in the study.
Beef breeds produced the most fat,
Holsteins the least.
Jerseys and Angus were most ten
der by taste panel scores.
At equal slaughter weights, Holstein
steers will not grade as high as the beef
breeds because they lack fat.
While Holstein steers can reach live
weights of 1,000 pounds in about a year,
they mqy need to hit 1,400 pounds to add
extra fat for higher grade. However,
that extra fat might be too expensive to
make it pay.
The fact that Holsteins didn’t finish out
efficiently for high grade may or may not
be a serious drawback to use of the dairy
animals for beef. The high percentage of
lean meat may help to offset this drawback.
Or maybe feeding techniques which are
both efficient and effective can be develop
ed to increase quality at a reasonable cost.
both a dairy and a beef operation, such a
program offers some challenges all its
own.
Basically, such a program would in
volve marketing milk in the form of beef,
just as farmers now market their crops in
the form of milk or beef. Before moving in
this direction, the farmer would have to be
sure he could make more money by market
ing milk through beef than by marketing
milk directly.
There could possibly be some cost ad
vantages in marketing through beef, since
milking systems could be bypassed and
much of the labor involved in milking eli
minated
Most local beef producers indicate that
the return per animal is relatively low and
that, for most beef producers, the beef ani
mal is a means of efficiently marketing
local crops. Probably the competition from
the huge feedlots in the west will keep beef
margins low.
Therefore, the key to the success of a
beef program centered around dairy cows
would probably be in controlling costs
Despite the obvious problems, we think
a merger of the county’s crop, dairy and
beef programs deserves consideration. Mar
keting a combination of crops and milk in
the form of beef may offer another alterna
tive for our diverse farm economy.
and environment problems. But material
across our desk and comments by local
poultrymen indicate many industry people
are deeply concerned about restrictions un
der which they have to work.
This concern is reflected in the follow
ing excerpts from an article in The Poultry
Times April 28 issue on “FDA’s Linguistic
Lariat Ensnares Litter Study” by John F
Yarbrough, publisher;
Much research on the use of litter
as a feed ingredient source is now in
progress, but reports we get indicate in
dustrymen and researchers are getting
a big run around from the Food and
Drug Administration as they attempt to
get clearances for their programs.
So it is at this point the poultry in
dustry must begin dodging missiles. On
the one hand there are the environment-
(Continued on Page 21)
To Pasture Heifers With Care
Heifers turned out to pasture
for the summer should not be
forgotten; if they are under a
year of age, they should get
grain and hay just as though
they weie in the barn, the
digestive tiact of the young
heifer is not large enough to
hold enough of the green forage,
which is high in moisture, with-
out access to hay and grain, their
growth will be reduced Plenty
oi shade, fiesh water, salt, and
mineials should be pi'ovided at
al l times in addition to the
pastiue Don’t neglect your
future held
To Recognize Proper Stage
of Maturity
Most of the major hay crops
such as aifilfa, clover, and
timothy have been cut or aie in
the process of being harvested
However, temporary forage
crops such as sudan grass or
the sudan-sorghum hybrids are
just staitmg to grow Proper
time of glazing or harvesting of
these eiops is important to pre
vent danger of poisoning from
prussic acid Sudan grass
THE WAR WITHIN
Lesson for June 13,1971
Background Scripture* Isaiah 2 2 A. 9 2-
7 lino
Devotional Reading Isaiah 11 1-10.
World peace is as much a prob
lem today as at any tune in the
history of mankind. It is probably
an even gi eater pioblem today
because of man’s gi eater capacity
for rendeimg destruction and
ire people, faster
| than e\er befoie.
“If shall come to
pass”
It is easy to im
derstand men’s
dreams of peace.
The people of Is
rael looked for
the great day
t, when King-
Rev. Althouse dom of God would
finally be established in the world.
The prophet Isaiah, spoke poet
ically of Israel’s dreams of peace:
. . . and they shall beat their
swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruning hooks; nation
shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn
war any more. (Isaiah 2:4)
The wolf shall also dwell with the
lamb, and the leopard shall he
down with the kid; and the calf
and the young lion and the fal
ling together; and a child shall
lead them. (Isaiah 11:6)
But more than two thousand
years have passed and that dream
has still not been fulfilled. After
centuries of waifare and billions
of victims, it is not hard to un
derstand the dispair that many
people feel. When shall the lion
“eat straw,” the wolf “dwell with
the lamb,” and swords be beaten
“into plowshares”?
Part of the Iceberg
One of our difficulties is that
fte tend to think of peace as
Which is primarily a
NOW IS
THE TIME...
By Max Smith
Lancaster County, Agent
should not be used until 1,8
inches to 20 inches in length.
The sudan-sorghum hybrids
should not be used until 24 to
30 inches of growth Plants con
sumed lacking this growth could
be too high in prussic acid con
tent The same stage of growth
is recommended for aftermath
growth on both of these forage
crops
To Recognize The Merits
of Mulching
Hot weather is hard on all
vegetation, as well as man and
heast The use of a mulch on
the ground around trees, shrubs,
and plants is one good way to
prevent weed giowth, keep down
temperatures, and conserve
moisture This is especially
helpful on newly planted tress
and shrubs, where sufficient
moisture must be maintained
the first summer in order to
keep the plant alive. Many gar
den vegetables such as tomatoes
Vvill respond well from mulch
ing, any type of organic matter
such as peat moss, ground corn
cobs, wood chips, or plastic
covers will get the job done.
latter of the external relations
ict ween nations and people.
Yom our point of view, it is a
latter of the Soviet Union giving
ip its aggressive intentions in
ie world, of Red China learning
> live in peace with other na-.
tons, of the Israeli and Arab
taming to settle their disputes
the Middle East, and the North '
etnamese agreeing to leave “in
peace” the people of South Viet
Nam.
This, however, is only part of
the problem. It is comparable to
that part of the iceberg that is
visible above the water. Peace be
tween nations is simply another
perspective to the problem of in
ner peace within the lives of in
dividuals Wars between nations .
are leally large scale manifesta
tions of the wars that take place
within men.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel,
DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE,
is a fascinating description of the
human war that rages within all
men. Tw'o personalities were at
work within Dr. Jekyll. Modern
psychiatry sees this inner conflict
as the seat of many of our emo
tional and physical disturbances.
Freud, the father of modern psy
chiatry, wiote at length of this
inner war, ascribing sexual con
flicts as the cause. Adler, one of
Freud’s disciples, saw it primar
ily in terms of a ruthless dnve
for power and supremacy. Karl
Menmnger, a prominent analyst
today, sees it as a struggle be
tween a “life instinct” and a
“death instinct ”
Christianity believes that the
means to find inner peace has
come to us m the person of Jesus
Christ. It is his peace alone—
“not as the world giveth (peace)”
—that is able to bring harmony
within the soul of man, and since
man cannot achieve harmony with
others so long as he is at war
within himself, the peace of Jesus
Christ is the key to world peace.
(Based on outlines copyrighted by the
Division of Christian Education/ National
Council of the Churches of Christ in the U S.A*
Released by Community Press Service)
ATTEND THE
CHURCH OF YOUR
CHOICE SUNDAY