AM-PM test requires monitor
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
During the past decade, there has
been a need to streamline the DHI
Testing Program. As dairy herds
have become larger, it becomes
more difficult on some farms to
have milk samples taken at both
evening and morning milkings,
says University of Maryland dairy
professor, J. Lee Majeskie.
DHI supervisors have been able
to supplement their income by
enrolling herds on the unofficial
owner-sampler program. With this
program, the dairyman is
responsible for weighing milk,
obtaining samples and recording
the information. There is less cost
to the dairyman and less time
involved for the DHI supervisor.
Although owner-sampler records
provide the same production and
management information for a
dairyman, the records are unof
ficial and can be used for only
management purposes.
In an attempt to increase the
number of official DHI herds
tested by a supervisor and reduce
cost to thp dairyman, the DHI AM
PM program was developed.
This testing program requires a
monitoring device for herds
enrolled in this official testing
program. The electronic device is
attached to the vacuum pump or
bulk tank to record the milking
time, and determines the milking
intervals so correct factors may be
used to estimate production for the
24-hour period.
An unofficial AM-PM program is
available to herds without a
monitoring device. Some people
are concerned that a considerable
amount of production information
for genetic evaluation is being lost
to herds on the unofficial AM-PM
program and have pushed to make
it an official program.
However, at the recent national
DHI meeting in Fresno, California,
FARMER BOY AG
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Given By Dekalb Swine Breeders, inc.
JOHN DAVID HOOVER
RD #l, Reinholds, Pa.
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the voting delegate body strongly
defeated a proposal to make the
AM-PM program without a
monitoring device an official
program.
When a dairyman enrolls his
herd in a DHI program, many
factors, including costs, are
considered. A less costly unofficial
program may be satisfactory to a
dairyman who has a commercial
herd of unregistered cattle and
only wants to use the records to
help him more effectively manage
his herd. Once this decision is
made, these records cannot be
used for genetic evaluation of
males or females.
_The loss of genetic information
from cows on unofficial programs
causes some concern to the A.I.
Industry. If considerable in
formation is being lost unofficial
records are not being used for sire
evaluation, a revision of the
present policy could include some
of these records in sire proofs.
With the ‘ method presently
being used, unofficial records
could be included without altering
the accuracy of the sire proof.
One reason that the dairy cow
has improved genetically during
the past few decades has been the
unbias collection of data by -DHI
supervisors. If a dairyman wants
official records, the DHI, DHIR
and DHI AM-PM (with monitor)
programs are available.
It is extremely important not to
change a tremendously successful
DHI program in order to make
more data available for genetic
evaluation of sires. The additional
production information would
serve little purpose if the
reliability of the information was
reduced.
Before the Industry considers
accepting records from the
unofficial AM-PM program, there
must be some very strict and
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definite guidelines established to
give a degree of integrity and
authenticity to the records.
First, a scheduled milking time
must be recorded with the State
DHI Manager or Extension
Dairyman in charge of the DHI
program and the DHI supervisor.
Secondly, the surprise element
must be put back into DHI testing
so that die dairyman, would not
know when the supervisor would
beatthefarm.
Thirdly, a refusal to test would
automatically eliminte the herd
from being tested for that month,
and in most cases, two refusals
would jeopardize the official status
of the DHI records.
The strength of the DHI program
w6uld be weakened if the Industry
recognizes AM-PM records as
official without a monitoring
device at the present time. Only
when all states are able to enforce
the requirements necessary to
verify the data from the unofficial
AM-PM program should it be
considered official.
Until that time, let the AM-PM
program without a monitoring
device serve the purpose for which
it was designed-to help dairymen
manage their dairy herds more 1
effectively, conclues Majeskie.
Jean B. Massey, of Elmer, New
Jersey, who wrote the letter in the
July 3,1981 issue of Lancaster Far
ming, page Al 2, entitled “N.J. has
dump problems too” requested a
correction be made to the
paragraph concerning farming the
land.
She pointed out “no root crops
can be raised on the treated land
for three years. And soybeans are
not to be grown on seepage ground
according to a representative of
theD.E.P.”
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Thanks, We Treasure Your Good Will.
Farmer Boy Ag
Larry Yarger
RO»2,
Middleburg, Pa.
Robert Sebert
RD #l,
Weatherly, Pa.
Correction
Erich Schmitt
RD #3,
r Bemville, Pa.
Brett P. Lutz
719 Fritztown Rd.,
Sinking Spring, Pa.
Collins to head
Ag Engineers
NEWARK, Del. - Norman E.
Collins has assumed leadership of
the University of Delaware’s
department of agricultural
engineering.
A member of the department
since 1965, Collins is a specialist in
energy conservation. A native
Delawarean, he grew up on a farm
near Middletown. He holds a B.S.
in agriculture from the University
of Delaware, an M.S. in
agricultural engineering from the
University of Maryland, and a
Ph.D in civil engineering from the
University of Pennsylvania..
Collins is best known in the state
for his studies of the energy
requirements of poultry produc
tion an ongoing project which
involves him as a researcher for
the University of Delaware’s
Agricultural Experiment Station,
together with Extension
agricultural engineer Ernest
Fire damages co-op plant
LAUREL, Md. An early mor
ning fire on Thursday damaged a
butter and dried milk manufac
turing plant owned by Maryland
and Virginia Milk Producers
Association, said
co-op.spokesman Robert Rawlins.
Ten fire companies battled die
blaze which was confined to the
Alan C. Lutz
821 Fritztown Rd.,
Sinking Spring, Pa.
Groig J. Lutz
713 Fritztown Rd.,
Sinking Spring, Pa.
Lancaster farming, Saturday, July 11,1981—A37
of Del.
U.
Walpole, and members of the
Delmarva broiler industry. With
Extension agricultural engineer,
Tom Williams, he has also studied
the energy used in producing crops
on local soils.
He is currently, working on a
pilot project designed to use solar
energy as a heat source during the
early stages of poultry growout,
and is collaborating with another
colleague, Kenneth M. Lomax, on
a study of energy use in mushroom
production.
He was named Young Engineer
of the Year in 1979 for the North
Atlantic Region of the American
Society of Agricultural Engineers,
and an Outstanding Educator in
1975.
Collins replaces Ernest N.
Scarborough, who has stepped
down after 13 years as department
head in order to devote more time
to teaching.
bag room in one of two dryers as
well as the roof at the Laurel plant.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Although necessary repairs may
take up to three months, the fire
will not drastically hinder plant
operations, Rawlins explained.
“The second dryer will be able to
handle all the surplus milk.”
David Petroski
49 Bradford Dr.
Leola. Pa.
Larry Mullen, Sr Peter Borden
RDM, RD #2,
Bainbridge, Pa. Hampton, N.J.
Eli Hoover
R.D. #l.
Reinholds, Pa.
• '5? *