020—Lancaster Famine, Saturday, May 2,1981 Delaware offers A.I. NEWARK, Del. - Artificial insemination is a standard practice on dairy farms today. And it could become equally effective for swine production, suggests University of Delaware Extension livestock specialist Richard Fowler. “It’s an opportunity to close herds to incoming stock thus reducing the danger of disease,” Housing takes toll on rural land HARRISBURG More than 40 percent of the Nation’s housing constructed in the 1970’s was built on rural land, some of it highly productive farmland, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official reported. Norman A. Berg, Chief of the USDA, Soil Conservation Service, said information gathered for the recently completed National Agricultural Land Study and m recent agency inventories reveals rural housing, as well as ex panding cities, is a competitor for farmland. “Lots for new residence for nonfarming families ranging up to 10 acres are common in rural areas where central sewer and water services are not available,” said Berg. “These residential farmetts are taking an increasing amount of agricultural land out of production.” The Nation’s agricultural land is converted to nonagricultural uses at the rafe'of more than 2 million acres a year, according to the agency head. About one-third of the converted acres is cropland. Graham T. Munkittrick, State Conservationist for the Soil Con servation Service, added Penn sylvania is one of the states where Schoessow’s Vei ’■* 'Ws~- ' * ' - - . - Ja l Full Sized Bunk Schoessow’s SLANT Bar Feeder Panels Pick a feeder pane! to fit your needs OR Squart Round: Bale Feeder ★ CORNELL BARN CLEANER ★ VAN DALE SILO UN LOADER & CATTLE FEEDERS HERMAN J. BASHORE R.D.2, Annviile, PA 17003 717-865-4053 he notes. ‘Tt permits producers to mate top sows to outstanding boars at stud in other parts of the country. It also permits a group of local producers to share the cost of a boar they couldn’t otherwise afford and collect semen from him to mate sows on their own farms.” Presently there is only one boar stud, in Eldora, lowa, that supplies frozen semen to swine producers. farmland loss is a problem. Ac cording to Munkittrick, 45 percent of the good farmland is located in the southeast, the most rapidly urbanizing part of the State. Counties such as Lancaster are losing up to 8000 acres annually, nearly all top quality farmland. Munkittrick emphasized the Soil Conservation Service will assist local governments desiring to preserve good farmland by providing information on soils and land productivity. “However, land use is a right and responsibility of local government, concluded Munkit trick. When you need a quick and easy appetizer, try Snappy Cheese Nachos. Place 36 round tortilla chips on an unbuttered baking sheet. Combine one and one-half cups (16 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese, three tablespoons each picante sauce and chopped green onion; mix well. Place about one tablespoon cheese mixture atop each tortilla chip. Bake in a moderate (350°F.) oven about ten minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from baking sheet and serve at once. Floorless Bunk SPECIAL 20% OFF 24" 1 32" Models Utility Wheels t Highway Wheels, 3 Point '5 Tractor Hitch, Ruffed Built <' mount feeder panels as a fence line feeder Hfgh Sfde short course for swine producers Litter size and conception rate aren’t as good vath frozen semen as with fresh, but as AI technology improves, this may become less of a problem. But a grower doesn’t have to rely on frozen semen to use AI on his herd. Researchers at the swine facility at the University’s Georgetown Substation have trained a boar for AI use and are now successfully mating as many as five or sue females from a single ejaculate. With the fresh semen, there’s no reduction in litter size or conception rate. The practice makes it possible to extend the use POURED SOLID CONCRETE STORAGE SYSTEMS <n Increase Your Volume By In-Ground Storage CONCRETE WORK, INC. 410 Main St. • Akron, PA 1 7501 • (717) 859-2074 or 733-9196 of better boars. An Extension short course on swine AI for Wednesday, May 13, at the Georgetown Substation. Sessions will start at 9:30 a.m. in the substation meeting room and will later move to the swine bam. Subjects to be covered during the day-long course include: boar training and collection, heat detection (when to breed), breeding procedures, handling fresh and frozen semen, laboratory procedures and equipment. Program participants include Dr. Vem G. Pursel and Dr. Larry Johnson, USDA, Beltsville,- Md.; Any Size Delaware and Maryland Extension livestock specialists Richard Fowler and Tom Haitsock; and Substation swine manager and assistant swine manager, Ralph Lowe and Jennings Foskey. The course is limited to 15 people. Registration costs $2O "per person. This fee covers AI equipment that will be used during the course and will belong to each participant after it is completed. Deadline for registration is May 6. For further information or to register, call Extension livestock specialist Richard Fowler, 302/738- 2523. ilage Pit Walls lanure Pit Walls etaining Walls
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