lift—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 29,1978 Michigan dairymen visited on farm tour Editor’s Note: The following article is a feature story about two of five farms visited recently on a tour organized by Penn-Jersey and Pennsylvania Har vestore. By JOANNE SPAHR YALE, Mich.—Jim Nabonzny might not be the oldest dairyman m the business, and he might not have the largest herd in the world, but through meticulous care, feeding, and breeding of his 28 head of Holsteins, he has won a reputation for excellence in his home state of Michigan. And, he’s only been at it for seven years. In his mid-twenties, Jim had the third highest classified herd in Michigan - if ' i? Jim Nabonzny looks over his herd of registered Holsteins classified third in the state of Michigan VACUUM SUPPLIERS The De Laval Vacuum Pump is the heart of your milker and it’s built to last • No gears, pistons, valves • No metal to metal tact Low maintenance running • Metered, visible fresh oil supply for precision lub rication • Instant vacuum recovery constant vacuum DE LAVAL VACUUM SUPPLIERS - DUR ABLE, ECONOMIC AL, EFFICIENT J.B. ZIMMERMAN & SONS last year and this year he is “shooting for the top,” he says. Adding to his success, his herd is averaging 20,350 pounds of milk and 731 pounds of fat. How does he do it 7 By following the philosophy that with only a few head of cattle a dairyman has to choose quality. For instance, he uses a lot of Round Oak Rag Apple Elevation and Fond Matt semen m breeding, and although he admits it is more expensive to breed this way, he thinks it is worth it, because of the progeny it produces “I like the offspring,” he says, “and, it’s definitely the route I want to go. With just a few you have to choose quality.” Although he raises most of con- cool West of Blue Ball, PA on Route 23 717-354-4955 cxB3!H33 his young cattle, he did purchase one animal he is extremely proud of He bought her as a 2- year-old and last year she won her class at district competition. This year she was first m her class out of 25 or 30 3-year olds and was also awarded best udder recognition. “In 212 days she gave just over 19,700 pounds- of milk and a little more than 700 pounds of fat On high moisture corn and haylage she gave 124 pounds a day for three months,” he says. “Now that’s some cow ” Nabonzny adds that as a 2- year-old she was classified 87 and this September she will be scored again. At that tune, he has hopes that she will be an Excellent cow. Jim began farming seven Jr f years ago, and at that tune he had only 14 cows on an 80 acre farm. Presently, he farms 200 acres, rentmg the extra land Knowing that he had to enlarge the operation in order to buy it from his parents, Jim decided to invest in a blue silo for haylage and one for high moisture corn. Then two years ago he doubled his herd to 28 cows “They’re an all registered herd,” he notes. “I’m not after volume-I have a few real typey cows.” Nabonzny’s feeding program consists of haylage and high moisture com. He says he overfeeds on the high moisture corn because he believes that “you have to feed for them to produce ” He never feeds com silage for he has found that it tests lower in protein than haylage, so he feeds all the haylage they can eat. iIV.- His mineral company balances the rations, and he has found that before he fed haylage he was using twice (Turn to Page 127)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers