iter Faming, Saturday, March 8,1980
Dairy Day program cites stray voltage problem n "
LANCASTER - Stray
voltage may be found on as
many as 20 percent of the
farms in Pennsylvania and
may be more of a problem
than first realized, accor
ding to Steve Spencer, Penn
State dairy specialist.
“This stray or transient
voltage causes uneasiness in
herds,” Spencer said, “and
can even be related to
mastitis.”
The problem usually is
caused by poor grounding
conditions in the milking
parlors, Spencer explained.
Levels of voltage as low as
a half-volt can be detected
by cows and cause a pro
blem, he said.
Spencer has recorded
voltage levels as high as
volts and has heard of even
higher measurements of
stray voltage in milking
parlors.
The dairy specialist
recommended the use of a
digital volt meter to check
for the problem. Among
areas of possible grounding
problems he listed were the
bulk tank to the drain and
the stalls or feeders to the
grates.
Some cows are more
susceptible than others and
can result in uneven milkout,
he said.
The problem can also
originate off the farm, he ex-
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plained. Spencer dted the
example of a high electrical
transmission line in
Franklin County that caused
a problem on a farm more
than a mile away.
Turning to the subject of
milk cooling systems,
Spencer said that increasing
attention is being directed at
heat reclaimers to help
reduce energy costs.
“In the production of milk
there are essentially two
processes,” he said, “the
cooling of the milk and the
heating of water.”
If there can be an ex
change of beat between
them, he said, a savings in
energy costs can result.
Heat from the condenser
of the cooling unit can be put
through a reclaimer and be
used to heat water for such
uses as washup.
Payback times can range
from one year to five years
or more depending on the
volume of use.
Spencer said that pre
coolers have their place if
sufficient amounts of water
are available on the farm.
Water needs can be as much
as two to three times the
amount of milk produced.
A pre-cooler with a direct
expansion tank is the most
efficient in terms of energy
consumption, according to
Spencer, and ice building
FARMSTED® I
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State.
systems cool milk more
rapidly but are more costly
to operate.
Another of the program
topics dealt with managing
alfalfa as a key crop to pro
duce milk.
The most important factor
in growing alfalfa is getting
the plants off to a good start,
according to Donald Robin
son, Garden .Spot High
School vo-ag adult teacher.
Robinson said that plann
ing roust begin with the
selection of well drained
fields which are manageable
and fit the amount of labor
and type of machinery
available.
He urged the use of starter
fertilizer for alfalfa in much
the same manner it is used
for com.
Robinson discouraged the
use of manure on established
alfalfa since it just promotes
weed and grass growth.
“In the planting of alfalfa
the seed needs good soil con
tact,” Robinson stressed.
The grain drill should be
set up and operated proper
ly, he said. Use of a packer
wheel is important, too.
Concerning the right time
to harvest, a bud check can
be used for the first cutting.
“On later cuttings look at
the bottom of the plants for
regrowth,” Robinson said.
“If half of the crowns show
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three-quarters of an inch of
regrowth, it is time to cut.”
He also explained why it is
recommended that no cut
ting be made in early
September. If alfalfa is cut
then, the plants’ rhizome
development is affected and
the yield of the first cutting
in spring is reduced.
Larry Hutchinson, Penn
State veterinarian, discuss
ed the dangers of nitrate
buildup in animals and tips
for raising healthy calves
and heifers.
“Dairymen must be con
cerned with the total amount
of nitrates getting into cat
tle,” he said.
Ruminant animals convert
nitrates into nitrites, which
are even more toxic, he ex
plained.
The veterinary specialist
cited a number of high risk
conditions which could lead
to nitrate problems.
Plants accumulate
nitrates during drought con
ditions and higher levels
result. Heavily fertilized
small grains, such as oats or
rye, used as green chop can
contain high nitrate levels.
Certain weeds, such as
chickweed and lambs
quarter, can be high nitrate
sources. A problem can
result when animals on non
green feed are turned out in-
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to pasture containing these
weeds,
Hutchinson also urged
care in the feeding of stacks
or large round bales. During
the curing process, heating
inside the bale can result in a
nitrate buildup.
Discussing the raising of
calves and heifers, Hutchin-
son said that two goals
should be a low death rate of
about five percent and a
good growth rate that the
animals reach the breeding
stage at the proper age and
weight.
During the first two days,
a major concern should be
Lancaster Conservation
District to hold banquet
LANCASTER - Graham
T. Munkittrick, the state
conservationist for the Soil
Conservation Service in
Pennsylvania will be the
guest speaker at this year’s
Lancaster County Con-
servation District annual
banquet.
Munkittrick, a native of
Orange, New Jersey, has
been in the top position* in
SCS in the state since 1976.
Before coming to Penn
sylvania, he was in the same
position in both Maryland
and Rhode Island.
Munkittrick’s career with
the prevention of coliform
scours. Calving pens should
be kept as clean as possible
with a good level of bedding.
Nutrition is important for
the first two months, he said,
and sufficient energy in the
diet gets the young stock off
to a good start.
Hutchinson defined wean
ing as a time of real stress.
Don’t increase this stress, he
added, by moving the
animals at this time.
The veterinary specialist
also urged that heifers be
taped to determine when
they are ready for breeding.
SCS began in 1957 in New
Jersey where he started on
his road to state con
servationist by serving as a
soil conservation technician,
soil conservationist and
district conservationist.
The annual banquet will be
held at 6:30 p.m. on March
20, at the Good’n Plenty
Restaurant in Smoketown.
Tickets for the occasion
can be purchased at the
District office or from any
director or staff member for
$6 per person. Advance
reservations must be made
by March 17.
Ag-Master
Furthei
may pref
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on protei
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said.
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