Classification discussed at Ranck farm I BY SUSAN KAUFFMAN Staff Correspondent WAKEFIELD “Since January of this year, every area has increased from fifteen to thirty-tiro per cent in numbers of animals being classified,” said Holstein Association classifier William Hill, Jr. at the second of two bam meetings held this last week in Lan- ATTENTION Carpenters and Remodelers [inS BUILDING \ PRODUCTS Proudly Announces The Grand Opening Of Our Lancaster County Location To Better Serve You in Lancaster, Berks And Chester Counties. Reynolds Aluminum VINYL SIDING • Reynolds Aluminum Products • Superior Vydel Vinyl Siding • Vinyl & Aluminum Windows • Insulation Come Visit Us and Tour Our New Facility Located At: 1813 C Colonial Village Lane Greenfield Industrial Park Lancaster Wholesale Only Largest Selection in Central Penna. Call Collect 717-397-2426 For Keith Hoke or Tom Shutt When you care enough to install the very best. Many sizes have been designed with your farm in mind. Please call for more information ... today! caster County. The local bam meetings were planned by the county association to occur during the first week of the classifying schedule for herds at Eastern Penn sylvania. In all a total of twenty-nine classifiers .will be working in the area for the next few weeks 'analyzing over 45,000 LY AUTOMATIC! The SUPER-B is-more au tomatic than other auto , matics. It’s “man-free" I operation saves hun / dreds of man-hours each year. Commercial and farm installations lave proven it is highly icient, has excellent drying icity and offers many cost features. THOMAS FARM SYSTEMS, INC. 2025 Horseshoe Rood, Lancaster. Pa. Phone (717) 299-1706 animals in some 900 herds. Classifying, for those fanners who elect to par ticipate, occurs every fifteen months at present. Classifier Hill- explained the classification categories to the group which gathered at Jay Ranch's farm near Wakefield last Wednesday evening. Hill, who has had a long history of working with cattle judging and showing, has been classifying one year with the Holstein Association. Immediately at the outset of his presentation Hill said classification to him was not the “Show ring” kind of thing. “I look for type and dairyness and longevity. Above all 1 look for func tional udders which will hold up for many years. Teat placement and udder at tachment paired with desirable legs and feet are what dairymen should be working for, be added. Both Hill and state field representative Clarence Stauffer emphasized the use of classification as .a tool to be used by the individual dairyman to upgrade his herd by chosiug bulls to improve feet, legs, rump and udder. Classifying can also help the dairyman market his animals with more favorable', economic or pricing criteria^ To assist better pricing or valuing of animals, Stauffer advised getting the pedigree packet from the Association as well. “This is the biggest bargain the Association has to offer,” Stauffer said. For three dollars a cow, the dairyman can - order the* printed pedigree at classification time and then use it to evaluate a Classifier William Hill, left, talked with Jay Ranck at his farm last Wednesday during the Lancaster County Holstein Association’s barn meeting. Hill explained classification procedures to the group. marketing price for bis animals on a highly com petitivebasis. Another program the Association offers is- the Herd Builder service which helps in picking out bulls to help improve the existing hen! by using data from recent classification results. The dairyman makes the final decisions on what bulls to use. Several comments during the evening meeting cen tered around sire sum maries, their data, prices to pay for semen and better selection on the part of the individual dairyman. A possible nine-month classification schedule rather than the longer fifteen month interval now in effect could effect bull proofs in the future. “Stauffer said too many two year olds who do not stay in a herd because of low test or other culling qualities never get classified so bull proofs are missing these animals in the data. Stauffer posed the question, “What is too ex pensive when you talk about choosing - a bull?” He suggested that a rule of thumb might be the price the fanner receives for a veal calf at market. He said two units of semen per cow is the average to get a calf. Therefore, with present market rates what they are, forty dollars per semen unit is not too expensive, Stauffer said. He added that animals with better pedigrees con- Reliable Extras. 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Classifier Hill said the recent increase in classification of herds is a direct result of the economic advantage of working with and marketing animals with the paperwork from classification and pedigree. Call us We'll bring you in formation on gram storage systems you can rely on Completely Irffij) H-9/20 ]
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