M2—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, August 15,1981 PRODUCE OR REPRODUCE? stretches beyond the unlucky Let’s just say it's the nature of number (13) that real losses can the beast! In order to produce mount up. And these losses don’t (milk, that is) a cow must showupontheDHlA report—they reproduce (calves of course), must be computed from some of Actually, reproduction comes first, your own local date, with milk as a by-product. August The benchmark in figuring is a good time to take a look at the breeding effiency is call number one priority in the dairy “days open” the number business, since it begins the season of which a cow is not preg of establishing a “Base” for next nant. If the average “days years pricing system. open” exceeds 90 for the herd, the Just getting cows bred can be of calving interval shoots beyond the some concern, let alone the hassle year and things will never be the or pleasure of selecting the correct same again. In addition to fouling mates, but that’s a subject for up your production base, there will another tune. Getting them safe be losses of actual production, as with calf on time is our prime well as added costs for Artificial object now, because timing can Insemination (AI), Veterinary have a profound influence on next fees, calf losses, replacement years profits. Your profits will be losses and excess culls, affected by the time of freshening Just how great are these losses? as well as the interval between Using the formula developed by calving dates. Dexter Putnam, Penn State Dairy How much does calving interval Specialist, for the annual DHIA actually influence profits? Each workshops, here are some quick year at our workshops for DHIA eye-openers. members, we go through an exercise to determine the potential loss of income when the herd calving interval exceeds 12 months. It’s when the interval (2) 6" dia * 5/8” wheels 1/2 hp bb 115 vac motor OSHA shields, push button on/off switch We pay shipping & Costs Send check or we can shipUPS-COD 39 lbs WILKE MACHINERY CO. 1519 Mt. Rose Dept. LF, York, Pa. 17403 iHSS) Telephone 717-843-4924 Visit our showroom in York and see the many wood & metalworking machines and power tools on display. We are located ‘/i mile West of Exit 7.1-83 York. Our machinery sales catalog listing many items on sale is yours for 50* Order by mail refundable on first order Tlje Oair^ Business By Newton Bair For example, a 100 cow herd with a 13 month calving interval (120 days open) requiring 2.1 (AI) services per conception will ac cumulate a production loss of over *59,95 WEST CHESTER - “Penn sylvania Farmer’s Association has requested the current tarriff on mushroom imports be continued to allow the mushroom industry to adjust to increasing imports”, reported Harold Kulp, president of 500 lb. of milk per cow. With a profit above feed cost of $6 a hundred lbs., or $3O per cow $3,000 for the herd. Add to this loss these figures; Added AI cost per day open .15; Added Veterinary cost per day open - .15; Calf loss per cow per day (assuming a calf value of $125) .32; Adding cost of replacements per cow per day (if replacements cost $1,600 and culls are worth $500) .91. To added losses per cow, per day open, amount to $5,156. Plus the above milk loss, the total is a staggering $8,156 per year! Some of this is of course theoretical, but the exercise points up some often overlooked aspects of what happens to income when you run into breeding problems on a herd basis. In discussing the economics of reproduction, I haven’t attempted to tell how to avoid the problem. Suffice it to say that you now have your hand on your pocketbook and are fully aware that reproduction is the first step m production. As Drew Lewis says, “If the income is less than the outgo, the upshot can be your downfall." The formula used in the above calculations are available from the Penn State DHIA. I’ve programmed them for the Apple 11, which increases their usefulness tremendously. Here's What You Get For Less Than 15* A Week! \ 1 THURSO**.'*^***. ; l ->*■***££ ARTICLES OF INTEREST on the latest trends in farming and feature stories about your farming friends and neighbors! WHOLE SECTION OF HOME NEWS and features, recipes and columns written just for our readers! REPORTS ON OUR YOUTH.. .photos and articles about the next generation of farmers...our farming youth! Our total farm coverage also gives you NEWS (including Dairy & DHIA Reports)... MARKET REPORTS...BEST BUYS ON PRODUCTS AND EOUIP MENT...FREE MAILBOX MARKET...and much, much more! Chester PFA reviews gas leases, mushroom imports * y» -*•*> .-L the Chester County Farmer’s Association during the Board of Directors’ monthly meeting held last week at Highland Orchards. The reported testimony was presented at a hearing held by the International Trade Commission in Washington on July 30,1981. Chester County PFA members also heard from fellow member Richard Steele who reported on a recent energy meeting held in Carlisle. Both he and Norman Aamodt attended the session. “If drilling for gas in a new field in West Virginia is productive, expect to see buyers of gas/oil leases in Chester County,” Steele told the group. He explained the geologic formation extends from West Virginia through this county. If gas/oil is found in West Virginia, it is likely that similar pockets could be found here. Steele advised farmers to form energy groups and to supervise the writing of new leases. Groups of farmers would have more power in negotiating favorable terms with lease purchasers. Steele recom mended any farmer contacted by a gas/oil lease buyer, should contact any Farmers’ Association director to secure information and guidance for protection. Ed Taczanowsky, regional field director for PFA suggested “farmers should not accept, nor should they cash any checks for leases without first renegotiating the lease. Only sign a one year lease and be sure that it includes a clause that it will be renegotiated each succeeding year.” Steele advised farmers to make sure the lease contains provisions for disposal of discarded equip ment, for roads to be put where farmers want them, for handling At LANCASTER FARMING, we think we oo a good job of keeping you in formed...and we have over 39,000 paid subscribers who think so too! waste water, for the royalty to be paid even though the well is a producer and is then capped. “Be sure that everything is covered in writing in the lease,” Steele cautioned. Kulp announced that the regional legislative up-date meeting will be held on August 27, at 7 p.m. at Denver, Pa. He asked members of the legislative com mittee to attend. He also said that District 3 (which includes Chester County) will be electing a new director at the State Annual Meeting. Nominations for a can didate from this County should be submitted to Harold Kulp within the next two weeks. Policy Development meetings will be held: September 8 at David Hodge’s, Marshallton; September 10 at Robert Mast’s, Christiana; Richard Breckbill’s residence, Oxford and Arthur Yocom’s, Elverson; and Harold Kulp’s on September 24. All Farmer's Association members are urged to attend one of these meetings to express their opinions on Farmer’s Association policy. County policy positions will be voted on by all county members at the fall banquet to be held on October 1 at the-Brandywine Club in Chadds Ford. Chairmen of that event are David Hodge and A 1 Bartels. Farm-city weekend is scheduled for November 21-22. Byron Hawthorne, chairman for the event, asked that farmers who would make their farms available for city visitors on those dates to contact him at 215/383-5494. He stressed the importance of having farms named early so that brochures could be printed up. P.o. Box 366, Lititz, PA 17543 Phone 717-626-1164 or 394-3047
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers