Dairy cow of the future will be Super Cow BY SHEILA MILLER HERSHEY Dairymen were introduced to the future dairy cow during the 29th Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Farmers’ Association on Tuesday. Veterinarian James Evans ,of the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, looked into his crystal ball and told the dairymen’s fortunes. He stated that the cow of the future will be bred with the emphasis on efficiency... not necessarily the biggest .and the best. Evans pointed out that the future dairy farmer will lie Poles In Stock 25 30 35 £45 NEW PROFILES OF PERFORMANCE Tight spots? The short-coupled 145 Loader helps solve prob lems of big jobs in small spaces. It's built to fit John Deere 40- to 70-hp Tractors* and has a lift capacity of 2100 pounds Lift height is 9 feet 3 inches. See us for details ■* lo2o, 1520, 1530, 2020, 2030, 2040, 2240, 2440, 2630, 2640,(920 1030 1120 1630 1830 2120 2130 in Canada) lANDIS BROS. INC. NEUHAUS'ES, INC. ROBERT E. LITTLE INC. M.S. YEARSLEY & SONS Lancaster PA RD2, York, PA Zieglemlle, PA West Chester. PA 717-291-1046 1-83 Loganvtlle Ext 3 215-287-9643 215-696-2990 ADAMSTOWN EQUIPMENT 717 £fS? ° r INC «..«»/. AGWAY,INC. MohntonßD2 PA 19540 SHOT2BER6ERS STANLEY A. KLOPP INC. Chapman Equipment (nearAdamstown) , EQUIPMENT rh Center ß4 215-484-4391 EIm .P A 215-488-1510 215* 3^2553 PIKEVILLE . 717-665-2141 EQUIPMENT INC. A.B.C. GROFF INC. KERMIT K. KISTLER, INC. I.G. s A 6 SALES Oyster Dal* Road New Holland, PA Lynnport, PA Silverdale, PA 18962 Oley RD2, PA- 717-354-4191 215-298-3270 215-257-5136 515-987-6277:', ’ Vx i better able to manage the smaller-sized herds. The cost of maintaining the herd for peak production will be less for the smaller framed animals x than for the now popular large framed cow. There was some nervous laughter from the group when Evans stated that the cow of the future will be black and white, with possibly some red and white cows. He cited statistics to back up his theory. “Nine out of ten times, the Holstein breed is chosen by dairymen. It’s popularity has risen from 20 per cent in 1920 to 60 per cent in 1975.” Box 175 RD2 Myerstown, PA 17067 Phone 717 866 7544 No problem with this He added that with the acceptance of Red Holstems in the purebred registery, there would be some added color in the 21st century herds. Evans pointed out that the cow, rather than sheep or goats, would be the ruminant of the future because of its dual production. “The dairy cow can supply both meat and milk. In today’s low-fat society, the dairy animals lean meat is more'desireable than beef. And, so far, we don’t eat goats or milk sheep.” The doctor also described the futuristic cow as producing more milk. He said that today farmers are selectively breeding in that direction, and mentioned the Indiana cow who’s average was 54,000 lbs. “On a national average, milk production has in creased 220 pounds per cow per year through farmers stressing and pushing their herds for the desired, selected traits.” Not only will the fortunate future farmer have a high producing cow, he will also have a high fat and protein producer. Since milk is mostly water, this is needed More traction, more puli power with new front wheel drive on John Deere 40-, 50- and 80-hp Tractors Now John Deere 2040, 2240 and 2940 Tractors offer mechanical front-wheel drive to boost pulling performance m slick conditions. You get excellent front axle clearance, fingertip control of on the-go engagement and disengage ment, and a limited-slip front differen tial. Optional front-wheel drive is packaged with a new synchronized 8- speed transmission on 40- and 50-hp models On the 80-hp 2940 you get the snychromzed transmission plus hy draulic Hi-Lo for 16 speeds, standard; front-wheel drive is optional. 300-bushel capacity ler It’s here! One of the biggest spreaders John Deere has ever built. The 300-bushel 660 Spreader And what a list of standard features 1 Lifetime-warranted all-steel sides, tandem walking-beam wheels, hydraulic shift control, fully hinged shielding, and worm gear drive. There’s more. So come on by the store and take a look at one today. to maintain the nutrient value of the product. Evans stressed that fat is the most concentrated form of energy available to people. The 21st century cow will be able to produce the desired fat because per cent fat is a highly heritable trait. In today’s market, Evans noted, the international buyers of dairy cattle put their mam emphasis on the milkfat production of their prospective purchases. Milk in the future will be drug-free, according to the veterinarian. Breeding will select for those cows that are disease resistant. These cattle will not be troubled by mastitis or cystic ovarian follicles. And, the cows will be able to produce the large volume of milk with high butterfat with a diet of “non competitive feeds”, such as corncobs, recycled manures, paper, and pine needles. “In the future, grain prices will not allow the farmer to feed com to' cows. He will have to rely on the cows ability to ruminate.” Evans informed the dairymen that there is a direct correlation between PDM and feed efficiency in Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 17,1979 daughters. He cited a recent study published in the Holstein Friesian World which dealt with the effects of a low gram ration on a milk cows production ef ficiency. The efficiency average in the study was 25 per cent, with a range from 17-35 per cent. According to the study, North American cattle could maintain their efficiency on either a high or low gram diet. Evans touched on the breeding processes of the future. By the next century, he said artificial in semination will have progressed to the point where semen of a selected sex will be possible. The head of the Penn sylvania Embryo Transfer Service said that embryo transplants and transfers fer bobcat '* “Ife some kind of animal!” RIDE ’EM COWBOY! WELL SET UP . DEMONSTRATION Take time off from that hard sweaty hand labor and see how the compact Bobcat loader can do it easier and save you money Six model senes from 500 to 3700 pound rated operating capaci ty 4-wheel dnve for full-circle maneuverability Variety of attachment options Exclusive Bob- Tach system for fast attachment change Its some kind of animal l Give a Bobcat a ride, just name the time and place WE ALSO HAVE SOME GOOD USED BOBCATS SALES SERVICE & RENTALS 3608 Nazareth Pike Bethlehem, PA 18017 w 100 Macungie, PA Phone 215-691-3070 Phone 215-966-5353 will allow the best cows to produce many offspring in one year. Evans also told the far mers about the possibilities of gamete fusion, or causing two ova to unite without the usual sperm; par thenogenesis, where an egg divides without the sperm, producing individuals with the exact same genetic material; in vitro fer tilization, which allows a cow, who’s reproductive organs may prevent gestation, to have her eggs collected and fertilized outside of her body; and cloning, the ultimate method of reproduction where tissue taken from a cow can be biologically grown into another identical individual. With these ideas that sounded like the script of a bovine Star Wars, Evans’ cprstal ball clouded over giving the dairy farmers a lot to ruminate on. 107
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