Early Weaning Is Found To Boost Young Cows ’ Reproduction Efficiency Weaning fall beef calves early • at about 2 months of age instead of the usual G'*j Parade of the Profit-Makers These Plus-Proven Sires Are Available Daily - 15H171 Mmnechaug Glenafton HERCULES Very Good |BB| & Gold Medal, PQIII/74] & TQIS/74) USDA (Nov /74) - 36 Daus in 7 Herds Ave 19 593 M Predicted Difference (45“<> rpl) +729M 29 Pr Classified Daus Ave 80 9 (act) +BO PDT Sire Glenafton Rag Apple Charmer EX&GM Dam Mmnechaug Vee Tony EX 2E &GM 135 DAIRY SIRES ARE NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR PROFESSIONAL TECHNICIAN SERVICE! -Atlantic BREEDERS COOPERATIVE LIVESTOCK SERVICES months increases efficiency of reproductive young cows. Member NAL Affiliated Breeders In studies at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebr., early weaning increased the percentage of cows coming into heat in a 42-day breeding season. Pregnancy rates, as a result, increased 26 per cent in 2-year-old cows, 16 percent in 3-year-olds, and 8 percent in mature cows, when compared with pregnancy rates of similar cows whose calves were weaned at the conventional time. The Center is a unit of USDA's Agricultural Research Service. Whether or not early weaning would be an ef ficient practice depends upon the management and feed production situation, ARS physiologist Danny B. points out. He says early weaning may be an effective management tool with young or late-calving cows in colder regions, particularly when crop residues or pastures would support fall grazing by the cows but are inadequate for cow-calf pairs. Early weaning might be similarly useful in emergency drouth situations. Other possible applications include cow herds managed for fall calving or in semicon finement. Dr. Laster evaluated early weanmg with 308 Hereford, Angus, Charolais-cross, Red Poll, and Brown Swiss cows ranging in age from two to 11 years. The calving period 3 53" 692 F + $46 +BF extended from Aug. 7 to Oct. 12, and the 42-day breeding period began 28 days after the last cow had calved. Eight days before the start of the breeding period, calves were weaned from 98 of the cows. Calves from the remaining 210 cows were weaned at the conventional time. The early-weaned calves ranged in age from 34 to 76 days, with an average of 55 days. All cows were maintained on pasture and were bred by artificial in semination Early weaning increased the percentage of cows coming into heat from calving through the breeding period by 29 percent in 2- year-olds, 27 percent in 3- year-olds, and 16 percent in cows 4 years of age and older. In the first 21 days of breeding, early weaning increased the percentage of 2- and 3-year-old cows ready to breed by 39 and 24 percent, respectively, but did not similarly affect mature cows. Laster says the calving date also influenced the interval from calving to first breeding in cows of all ages. Cows calving earlier in the season were ready for breeding in a shorter time. The intervals from calving to coming into heat, and from calving to first breeding, were longer in Brown Swiss cows 4 years of age and older than in cows of other breeds. The number of in seminations required per conception was not in fluenced by early weaning. Likewise, it had no effect on calf gain up to one year of age. BLIND PEOPLE There are six million blind per sons in the United States Fifty percent of them are over sixty vears old * $ *■»£♦. “ il 15H161 Kanawaka EDUCATOR Very Good 1871 & Gold Medal, PQIII/74) S TQII/74) USDA (Nov /74) - 24 Daus in 5 Herds Ave 17 683 M Predicted Difference (39°0 rpl) +526M Type 17 Pr Classified Daus Ave 83 8 +1 55 PDT Sire Quin Lynn Triune Prince VG &GM Dam Kanawaka Burkgov Lucky Mandy EX 273 6763 367 3923 566 2569 384 2741 857 5545 932 9361 469 9238 CLEONA* Elizabethtown Hummelstown COATESViLLE' Parkesburg Oxford Pughtown 1 scatter Farming, Saturday, March 1.1975—1 TRY A CLASSIFIED Action" disks are a level better at making level seedbeds— n John Deere looked at old-style disks and came up with a new design—as if no disk ever existed before Level-Action disks proved their reliability during more than 25,000 acres of testing. Prove the disking results on your land —a level surface, a level disk floor, and uniform mixing in between Choose from nine different models in three weight classes A.B.C. Groff, Inc. Landis Bros. Inc. New Holland 717-354 4191 Lancaster 717-393 3906 Adomstown . ArTf"*£?£*?; *■ Mohnton, RD2, Pa 19540 717 235-1306 InearAdamstownl 215 484 4391 Pikeville Equipment Inc: Oyster Dale Road Oley RD#2, PA 215-987-6277 For Your Dairy Herd: W* \ >■»*» 4 , ,* . ** . Call for service and information LANCASTER 1, Akron East Earl Gap* Mount Joy Quarryville 569 0411 859 2552 445 4131 442 4471 653 1451 786 7381 *24 hour answering service or recorder old tyle isk pares 3 71' + $34 656 F +7F 376 8297 273 6763 792 0941 927 6210 382 4805 428 2266 523 4426 READING* Lebanon* YORK* Broguaville Fawn Grove Seven Valley York Springs