—Lancaster ff arming, ti 8 “Be Sharp in ’73” “In 1972, the dairy farmer got caught between a rock and a hard place,’’ Herman Stebbins told the annual dinner meeting of the Red Rose Dairy Herd Improvement Association on Tuesday at the Farm and Home Center. Stebbins is manager of York County’s Sinking Springs Farm. The Holstein herd under his care has a rolling herd average of over 19,000 pounds of milk and 736 pounds of butterfat annually. For the past 30 years, he has also been a farm radio commentator over radio station WSBA Because ’72 was a bad year, Stebbins said, dairymen should try to be extra sharp managers this year Drawing on his ex tensive experience with cows, he spoke about techniques to keep milk production up in a time of rising costs “This is the winter to cull,” he emphasized “No matter how much you like a cow, or how well she’s done for you, it’s just not going to pay keeping her, you just won’t be able to keep her for sentimental reasons, or to get just one more calf, if she’s not a profitable milker Especially this winter ” Time is the most plentiful commodity dairymen have this winter, Stebbins asserted “That time can be put to good use, doing little things that will help fatten your milk checks. With today’s milk prices, if you can get an extra two pounds of milk a day from a cow, she’s going to earn One more reason for buying a new New Idea Spreader. Single Beater with optional upper cylinder. Farmers buy more New Idea spreaders than any other for a lot of good reasons The solid wood boxes. Structural steel supports Heavy-weight gears, transmissions, A-frame hitches maybe even the new Warranty on Wood. But here’s another good reason for buying New Idea. Every new Single Beater spreader can be equipped with an optional upper cylinder whether it’s the new 116- bushel or the huge 318-bushel .. or any of the other 3 sizes. This option levels out heaped loads, and lets you spread a wide, uniform pattern that does more for the soil. And the optional hydraulic endgate can be used with the op tional upper cylinder! Right now we’re trading big. A.L.HERR&BRO. Quarryville KINZER EQUIP. CO. Kinzer LANDIS BROS., INC. Lancaster N. G. HERSHEY & SON Manheim ROY H. BUCK. INC. Ephrata, R.D. 2 27.' 1973 Herman Stebbins, manager of York County's Sinking Springs Farm, was the guest speaker at Tuesday’s annual Red Rose OHIA banquet. you an extra $4 a month In a 50- cow herd, that’s an extra $2OO a month You can do a lot of things for $2OO a month.” Stebbins talked about the three most important aspects of dairy management - cows, heifers and calves “If you try to skimp on caring for calves this year, you’ll hurt yourself in years to come,” he asserted “You’ve got to give your calves the best possible care you can afford.” LONGENECKER FARM SUPPLY Rheems CHAS. J. McCOMSEY &SONS Hickory Hill, Pa. STOLTZFUS FARM SERVICE Cochranville, Pa. A. B. C. GROFF. INC. New Holland Dairy Expert Says Stebbins recommended that calves be taken from the mothers the day they’re borp, and put into individual stalls or pens till they’re off milk. Well-bedded, dry pens are a necessity, he pointed out, but calves don’t need heat unless the barn is damp. Calves should be watched carefully for any signs of trouble, and treated immediately. Worming at weaning is im portant. A good starter feed or a coarse dairy ration should be used, and calves should get at least some of the very best hay available Stebbins noted that at his farm, they’ve observed that calves of just about any age thrive in the winter weather. “You should resist the temp tation to save money on heifers, too,” Stebbins warned. They need grain if you want them to grow into good-sized, profitable cows.” Clean water and well-bedded pens are also important. Stebbins likened a heifer drinking from a dirty waterer to a person drinking a glass of water through shredded wheat. He said heifers should be wormed and checked periodically for mange and lice. They should be penned according to size They should be bred at the proper size and to the best bulls available. “At our farm, we try to bring a bred heifer back to the milking barn about two weeks before she’s due to calve. We like to get her used to people, the bam and other cows before she freshens ” Stebbins emphasized getting all the milk from heifers, and recommended stripping for at least the first few weeks. On cow management, Stebbins first mentioned feeding a balanced coarse-textured ration that the cows like to eat, and putting the feed in something clean “If you’ve got a manger, you should get all the old feed out of it at least once a day.” In his operation, Stebbins figures on one pound of feed to every 2>/ 2 to 3 pounds of milk, plus lots of roughage. “Milking is the single most important thing we do,” he said “You should try to milk at the same time every day of the year, and you should follow the same routine every day. Your milking About all you Purina Calf Growing Program is... it leaves you all your milk to sell it grows heifers fast it gets them ready to breed early But then, that says a lot. Purina's six-month Calf Growing Pro gram combines fortified and medicated Purina Nursing Chow®, high-energy Calf Startena®and Purina Calf Growena® into a program geared strictly to fast, efficient growth. Heifers grow faster and reach breeding weight earlier. In fact, you can have your John J. Hess, 11, Inc. Ph: 442-4632 Paradise West Willow Formers Assn., Inc. Ph: 464-3431 West Willow routine shouldn’t be interrupted for visiting, making hay or anything else.” In stall barns, Stebbins feels easy milkers should be put at the head of the line. “You can’t sell ONCE ACROSS THE FIELD DOES IT Smoketown, Pa. s ORTHO CHEVRON DESIGN UNIREL REG US PAT OFT can say about the heifers in the milking barn—producing— months ahead of many other heifers. And that means you can sell all your milk. Want the details? Stop by our Checker board store. Let us show you what the Purina Calf Program can do for you— and your heifers. Ira B. Landis Ph: 665-3248 Box 276, Manheim RD3 John B. Kurtz Ph: 354-9251 R. D. 3, Ephrata •••«••» U«Mk W * >•••« M on the floor,” he said. Co should be milked dry at ev milking. "Very few cows milk at the same time in all fo< quarters. As soon as one quart is finished, take the milker oi Then, when the last quarter milked out, put all the teat cu] back on, and you’ll get anoth< pound of milk.” (Continued on Page 9) 397-3539 James High & Sons Ph: &54-0301 Gordonville Wenger's Feed Mill Inc. Ph: 367-1195 Rheems »W 1 'ery 01
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