Al6—Lancaster Famine, Saturday, May 10,1980
Who’s
away the
MILLERSVILLE -
Remember chicken catching
with the FFA? Well there's
something new in chicken
catching, chickens in carts.
According to Henry
Barley, whose pullets were
moved recently with the new
equipment, local groups
have been great for moving
the birds, but scheduling was
often a problem and getting
enough manpower was
sometimes troublesome.
With the new cages on
wheels, more birds can be
moved m less tune with far
less manpower, according to
Barley. In addition, less
stress is involved.
Using the carts, the carts
are wheeled down the
narrow corridors of the
houses. Then the birds are
removed from their cages
and placed m a similar cage
on the cart. The carts are
moved along the rows of the
house until they are filled,
then they are pushed to the
end of the house.
When all the carts are
filled, they are loaded by
means of a hydraulic lift
onto the waiting tractor
trailer and are hauled to
their layer houses, wheeled
down the aisles and placed in
the new cages. This is quite a
change from being earned 5
at a time and packed into
wooden crates. And Barley
said that the end result will
be healthier birds that will
lay sooner and better.
According to Barley and a
spokesman for Hershey
Equipment, no adaptations
must be made to the houses
to use the cart system.
However, Barley has side
rails on his aisles which
facilitate the movement of
the carts.
Barley noted that the only
drawback he saw m the new
system was the soil that
collected m the aisles He
said though that the labor
saving factor amounted to a
savings of possibly two
thirds in labor, and that
smce the pullet house is
cleaned after each batch of
birds, the problem is a minor
one and would only be m the
layer houses.
When the truck amves
carting
chickens?
empty, all the cages are
unloaded and the carts are
wheeled into one of the long
aisles of the house. And from
there the job is as easy as
loading a shopping cart.
Jake Ober from Hershey
Equipment said he expects
the carts to gain in
popularity due to the large
Jake Ober from Hershey Equipment is shown
pushing one of the new carts onto the hydraulic
lift. The lift is then lowered and the carts are
pushed onto the truck.
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*2l
iSt
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Henry Barley was surprised when they arrived
to load the pullets out of his house in carts. Here
he maneuvers one of the carts to the door.
(Continued from Page Al)
farm legislators and they
may not follow their
leadership which is
recommending the bill as
written,” he noted.
PFU policy calls for a two
cents per hundredweight
payment by dealers into a
savings in labor. He said that
as far as he knew, this was
the first time they have been
used in Lancaster County.
*5
Security fund, PMMB
nomination was approved
unanimously by the 49
senators voting.
Gasohol continues to gain
attention in Harrisburg.
Representative Paul
Yahner has introduced HB
2428 with backing from a
number of his fellow house
security fund. But Zemaitis
said PFU would support the
one cent contribution
provided by the present bill.
“We’ve never been so
close to a solution as we are
now,” he said. “We don’t
want to see anything happen
to this bill.”
Zemaitis also pointed out
the bill will be administered
by the Pennsylvania Milk
Marketing Board and said he
thought a rate change, if
needed, could be obtained
through PMMB channels
rather than by weaving
through the legislative
process.
PMMB itself was on the
calendar as the Senate acted
Wednesday, the last possible
day, to confirm the
nomination of George
Brumbaugh, James Creek,
Huntingdon County, to the
board.
Under Commonwealth
law, the Senate had until
Wednesday to confirm or
deny Brumbaugh’s
nomination to PMMB. If the
legislators fail to act on such
an appointment, the
nominee’s appointment
automatically becomes
effective after a 25 day
waiting period.
Obviously the problem
was scheduling, not
Brumbaugh himself, as his
members.
The bill would ease sale of
ethyl alcohol produced on
farms by reducing the
license fee.
Currently the license to
sell alcohol is $2500.
Yahner’s bill will provide a
sliding scale for lower fees
on lower production and
sales.
This bill is distinct from
HB 1011, passed earlier m
the year, which reduced the
fee for production on alcohol
on the farm. Legislators
agreed to move immediately
on the production question
and said they would work out
a bill for selling the product
later. HB 2428 is that
measure.
The bill is supported by
Pennsylvania Farmers
Union, Pennsylvania Far
mers’ Association, and the
Grange.
Another issue floundering
around on the Hill is a
Noxious Weed Bill.
Legislation on noxious weeds
last session ran into a
territorial battle between tw
House and Senate. >1
Both chambers are looking
at legislation which would
set up a board of farmers
and other informed people in
agriculture to decide on
which weeds should be
declared noxious.
Most people seem to feel
the ag community knows
better than an urban
dommated legislature what
weeds are pesty.
Such a measure would
take noxious weeds out of the
arena of special interests.
Multiflora rose is one
example.
The Pennsylvania Game
Commission, which has
great influence politically,
has been promoting
Multiflora rose as a game
cover. To farmers it is one of
the most undesirable of
plants.
The Commission can use
its powers to block *
legislative moves to have it ■-
declared noxious. But if the
power were in an in
dependent committee, such
interference would be less
likely.
If the m-fightmg is
resolved, look for John
songrass to join Multiflora
as the first weeds to be
declared noxious m Penn
sylvania.