VOL. 26 No. 33 Vir'gil, the world’s first test tube calf, lies beside mother Penny after x his birth, Tuesday, at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton World’s first test tube calf bom BY DEBBIEKOONTZ KENNETT SQUARE The world’s first test tube calf was bom Tuesday at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, here, near Philadelphia. “Virgil,” as the 95-pound Holstein calf was christened, caused quite a stir among veterinarians and research scientists Wednesday. At a press conference held by the Center, Dr. Benjamin G. Brackett, professor of animal production, said, “We are very, very pleased and excited to have been the first to accomplish this.” Virgil is the product-of an “in vitro” fertilization with semen from one of Atlantic Breeders Cooperative’s bulls, Tri-Town Shadow Wave, 15H212, bred by J.Z. Nolt of Leola, according to Alan Bair, director of member services. Brackett said the semen was treated and used for the “in vitro” insemination of an egg obtained from “the ovary of a hormonally treated donor cow” whose, name and identification were not available according to Brackett. The egg exhibited evidence of fertilization 24 hours later and after 47 hours had developed into the four-cell stage. At this time, September 5 of last year, the embryo was placed into the recipient cow, identified only as “Penny.” According to Brackett, this process will add to the “efficiency Center in Kennelt Square. Photo by Lynne, Klunder, New Bolton Center. in food animal production,” adding it to the procedures of artificial insemination, and more recently, embryo transfer. “The most practical potential application Is. through food production,” he explained. He further added that such animal experimentation has been done in the past with only litter bearing animals with short gestation periods such as the mouse, rat and rabbit. Brackett listed the following as being significant factors resulting from the birth:. —To enable an infertile cow to have a Calf provided eggs can still be obtained. / Holly plant, milk producers choking on surplus milk BY JOYCE BUPP MT. HOLLY SPRINGS - Holly Milk manufacturing plant is alive and well, but threatened with strangulation from the un precedented flood of milk being poured into its maze of stainless piping. Hie butter-powder processing facility at Mt. Holly Springs is a joint, venture of Inter-State Milk Fanning, Saturday. Ana 13,1951 —To maximize the utilization of . semen from a valuable bull and of eggs from a valuable cow. —To obtain a rapid, direct way to assess Sperm fertilization ability. “A bull may be able to sire as many as 50,000 calves a year from embryo transfer. But with ‘in vitro’, the potential is here for one bull to sire millions of calves a year. And now it’s also possible to fertilize each egg from a grade cow, thus greatly enhancing reproduction potential,” Brackett added. \ Virgil, due to be born June 13, ( (Turn to Page A 34) Producers Cooperative, Southampton, and Maryland Cooperative' Milk Producers, Baltimore, Maryland. A line-up of tank trucks waiting for turns at the docks is common during this spring flush of milk production, up a reported ten percent throughout the Federal Order 4 area. Some area dairy producers involved in the Holly plant have Does dump site make any sense? BYDICK ANGLESTEIN LANCASTER Does it make sense to have a hazardous waste dump in the heart' of a prime farmland area in which the Federal Government is planning to spend nearly $2 million in an ex perimental project to help clean up agricultural pollution? This is a question that a growing number of residents of Eastern Lancaster' County -are asking themselves. And it’s a question that the Lancaster Conservation District will be considering airits upcoming July 1 meeting. “No, it doesn’t make much sense,’’ Thomas Johnston, District Administrator, said this week. “It would seem that one would defeat the purpose of the other. We have it on the agenda for our July 1 meeting.” The area in question comprises the Conestoga headwaters in „ eastern Lancaster-Cqunty. - Just a tire DLS. Department of Agriculture an nounced final approval of $1.93 Inside This Week’s... Conestoga River Headwaters receives almost $2 million in federal funds to clean up nonpoint pollution in the Lancaster watershed...A2o. i Ruralelectric co-ops are in a financial fight with the Federal Government, which could mean an increase in power 1 rates...A3o. v Prices fall below previous averages at last week's Tested Ram Sale. Staver family donates sale proceeds to Ag Arena... A 37. Many endeavors spur an artist’s creativity; one of these is dairy farming. See June Adam? prize-winning work on page...C2. VPI heifer barn meets with Lebanon dairyman’s approval. John Oberhoftzer talks about his latest building ad- dition...D4. grumbled that the facility isn’t operating properly, while others see it as a timely assist to an almost unmanageable glut of milk. “Another Holly plant, and then some, wouldn’t absorb all the available milk,” confirms Ralph Strock, manager of Maryland Cooperative. “And we don’t an ticipate that will change quickly.” Strock says Holly is working, but {Turn to Page A 34) $7.50 Per Year million to help fanners in a 110,000- acre area improve practices to reduce pollution of surface water with animal wastes, nutrients, pesticides and sediment. Also within tbd past two weeks, plans have surfaced for ~ the proposed location of a hazardous waste dump at the site xst the Narvon Mine, which is smack in the heart of the USDA pollution project area, which has been earmarked for the federal funds. Amos H. Funk, farmland preservation leader and vice chairman of the Lancaster Con servation District, pointed out that due to the initimate proximity of the two a very close look will be taken, not only by local officials and groups, but by state and federal officials. “To receive this experimental federal grant, a high priority had to be assigned to this area by various state groups, such as DER, ASGS anASCS,” Funk said. ' “Federalofficialsalso-came and lohkefta&tbe area and decided it (Turn to Page A 34) COLUMNS Editorials, A 10; Now is the time, A 10; Ida’s Notebook, C 9; Joyce Bupp’s column, C 18; ladies have you heard, C2O; That’s a good question, C3l; Ask the VMD, D 2; Farm talk, D 7. HOMEAND YOUTH Homestead Notes, C 2; Home on the Range, C 6; Kid’s Koraer, Cl 2; 4-H news, Cl 4; Home is where the heart is, CIS; Farm Women Societies, Cl 9. wury Dairy dollars, A 32; Montgomery Holsteins, A3B; Casein recom mendations, D 4; Cool cows, B 5; Dairy" princesses, 015,211,23; Ar thmsKrall, Dll; Bradford DHIA, Dl5; Milking hygiene, D2O.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers