C2B—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 29,1980
BY DICK ANGLESTEEN
SCHOENECK - She’s a
big animal, but no bigger
than some of her neighbors.
She has her own box pen to
move around in at will. But
the cows next to her and
across the aisle have the
same accommodations
Above the pen is a sign
listing her impressive
pedigree and production
statistics. But the names and
information on the signs of
adjacent pens would be just
as easily recognized by
Holstein breeders.
After commanding a
record price tag of $116,000 at
auction last week, Lime-
Hollow Elevation Jessie has
settled in among the other
black and white breeding
stock on the Galen Crouse
farm, nestled on the eastern
edge of the rural village of
Schoeneck, Lancaster
County.
•We won’t be treating her
any different than any of the
other cows,” Crouse said.
“She’s fed the same ration
and goes right along with the
other cows up to the bunK at
the other bam to eat.”
But in less than two weeks,
interest and concern in
Jessie will pick up
significantly.
“She will be calving on
April 11,” Crouse said.
“We’ll be keeping a good
eye on her. You can be sure
we don’t want to take any
risks with one of her calves.”
This interest and concern
can be translated into terms
of tens of thousands of
dollars or even more.
If Jessie has a daughter,
she could become numbered
among the seventh
generation classified as
excellent m production That
has been achieved only one
other tune in the history of
the Holstein breed
An earlier daughter of
Jessie previously has sold
for 531,000 in Nevada
Already, interest m a bull
from Jessie has been ex
pressed from overseas
Then in another two
months, Jessie will begin to
be put to the test to deter
mine the scope of the
possible eventual return on
the record investment made
in her
We could do our first
super on her the beginning of
June,” Crouse said
The Holstein breeder is
referring to the super
ovulation process in which
the production of multiple
eggs is induced m a single
cow, fertilized by artificial
insemination and then
flushed for transplanting
into recipient grade heifers
(For a complete ex
planation of the process, see
the story on page D 8 )
In the Crouse bam, Jessie
is stalled next to another
Holstein that is a veteran of
the super ovulation process
Her record so far gives an
indication of the possibilities
that may he ahead for the
newcomer
‘ Kathy iWindy Mont Matt
Kathy ) will have 36 offspring
by the time she’s seven
years old," Crouse ex
plained
Eight offspring are due in
May from a super ovulation
performed on Kath; in
August An additional 11 arc
scheduled to be oorn to
recipient heifers in Julv
from a second super done
last October
From each of the super
ovulations, 16 fertilized eggs
vvere transferred to recipient
heifers While the pregnane»
When is next litter of calves due?
rate was 50 percent from the
first super, it increased to 68
percent from the second.
Combined with two calves
already born from single
transplants, Kathy’s off
spring for this year alone
will total 21.
Crouse admitted that
Kathy has produced an
exceptionally large number
of fertilized eggs in the two
supers and flushes. The
average number of good
eggs from a flush ranges
from about three to six, he
explained.
But if any of this
reproductive capacity rubs
off on Jessie in the neigh
boring pen, the possible
magnitude of the financial
return can be left to the
imagination.
The super ovulation
process already has brought
about quite a few changes m
dairy cattle breeding.
One example is the ter
minology used, and not just
the technical jargon, too.
When Crouse checks his
little pocket notebook fo r
Franklin
CHAMBERSBURG
Approximately 160 4-H dairy
club members, family and
friends gathered for the
annual Franklin County 4-H
Dairy Club’s Covered Dish
Supper and Reorganization
Meeting last Saturday at the
Franklin County Vo-Tech
School in Chambersburg.
Philip Wagner, county
dairy agent, along with
Robert Eckstme presented 4-
H bulletin boards and
scrapbooks to outstanding
junior and senior 4-H dairy
club members These
awards were based on 1979 4-
H project books.
Winning awards from the
six dairy clubs in Franklin
County were from Western
Dairy, juniors Thomas
Eckstme and Steve
Eckstme, seniors
Maryanne Johnson and
Victoria Zimmerman;
Northern dairy, juniors
Rodney Meyers and Beverly
Meyers, seniors Allan
Mummert and Gary Martin,
Eastern Dairy, juniors
Kelly Cordell and John
Mummert, seniors Jesse
Reichard and Dave Mum
mert; Greencastle-Antrun,
juniors Lon Harshman
and Timothy Deshong,
seniors Alan Meyers and
Carolyn Meyers-, Qumcy-
Washmgton Dairy, juniors
Douglas Layman and Susan
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Alan Meyers tries to put the halter on his 4-H
project calf (Ronnie Harshman) during a club skit
Both 4-H’ers are members of the Gfeencastle-
Antnm Dairy Club in Franklin County
calving dates, he talks about
a “Utter of eight” due in May
and a “litter of 11”
scheduled for July.
And blood tests have
become common place.
In a super ovulation,
semen from two or even
three bulls can be used.
“First, this requires that
we check the blood types of
the bulls,” Crouse said.
“We can’t be using two
bulls with the same blood
type at the same tune. Then
after the calves are born, we
must wait until we get the
results of blood tests back to
determine who is the sire.”
But Crouse adds a word of
caution.
“We’ve been in the
program for two years,” he
said, “and Jessie will be our
sixth cow The thing to
remember is that all cows
are different and all eggs
won’t fertilize and result in
good pregnancies. But as far
as we’re concerned we’ve
had real good success so
far”
4-H Dairy Club holds awards banquet
Wilhide, seniors Jeffrey
Benedict and Patricia
Layman; and Hamilton-St.
Thomas Dairy, juniors
Nicholas Myers and Nancy
Myers.
The awards these 4-H
dairy club members
received were sponsored by
the Franklin County 4-H
Dairy Council.
Jesse Reichard and Kelly
Cordell received pins for
their achievements as
county winners in the 1979
National 4-H Awards
Program (blue forms) in the
dairy category This award
is sponsored by the In-'
surance Company of North
America
Carol Mummert received
an award from the Eastern
Milk Producers’ Cooperative
for being the outstanding
first-year 4-H dairy club
member.
The 1980 Frankbn County
4-H Dairy Bowl winners
were presented rosettes
Receiving blue rosettes was
first place senior team
Eastern Dairy Club Team
members were Cindy
Donough, Kelly Cordell and
Jesse Reichard First place
junior team was Green
castle-Antrim Dairy. Team
members were Lon Har
shman, Ronnie Harshman
and Lon Gsell.
Receiving red rosettes was
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Lime-Hollow Elevation Jessie joins breeding stock on Galen Crouse farm a
Schoeneck.
4
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The senior and junior first place teams in the Franklin County 4-H Dairy Bowl
Contest. Front from left: Greencastle-Antrim Dairy Club members, Lori Har
shman, Ronnie Harshman, and Lori Gsell - junior team winners. Back from left:
senior team winners - Eastern Dairy members, Jesse Reichard, Kelly Cordell
and Cindy Donough.
second place senior team
Greencastle-Antrim Dairy.
Team members were Keith
Grove, Alan Meyers and
Douglas Martin. Second
place junior team receiving
rosettes was Northern
Dairy Team members were
Beverly Meyers, Rodney
Meyers and Dale Mummert
Robert Eckstine
reorganized the 4-H Dairy
Club leaders Club leaders
are Eastern Dairy- Edgar
Reichard and Dennis
Crider; Greencastle-Antrim
Dairy- Richard Harshman,
Richard Crider and Garry
Harshman; Hamilton-St.
Thomas Dairy- Mrs Larry
Hartman, Northern Dairy-
Kenneth Mummert, Robert
Helman, Steve Kendig and
John Moore, Western Dairy-
John Stoner and Nina and
James Burdette, Qumcy-
Washington Dairy- Mark
Cayman and Grant
Cayman
During the business
meeting 1980 4-H Dairy
Council officers were
elected They are Kenneth
Meyers, vice-president,
Mrs J Robert Meyers Jr ,
sevretarv -\mos Egolf,
treasurer; and Rhoda
Brake, news reporter.
The 1980 4-H Dairy Council
President is Ted Small
Small served as vice
president in 1979
Roy Cordell gave a Calf
Sale Committee report He
announced that the annual
calf sale is scheduled for
April 3 at the Franklin
County Fairgrounds,
Chambersburg
Sixteen calves are to be
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sold to 4-H members at this
sale.
George Cashed gave a
Franklin County Fair report.
Cashed reported that the fair
parking problems are beinA
worked out and that the fa"
expansion is stid on the go
Eckstine urged members
to attend the district dairy
show meeting since Franklin
County has the largest
district show participation.
Each participating club
presented a skit.
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