A2B—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 10,1982
State
(Continued from Page Al)
key punching and increased turn
around time by more than five
percent. Barn sheets that took
longer than a week to arrive to
producers, now reach their
destination in about six days.
The tight economy has caused
many programs to lean away from
government grants and loans,
resulting in more of the private
sector searching their own pockets
for funds. According to Pruss, the
new $290,000 facility is no ex
ception. Producers on test will be
paying for the budding at a rate of
one penny per cow for the next 15
years hiking the average testing
cost to $l.ll per cow.
Pruss also reported that a
butterfat test rate increase from 14
cents to 21 cents is expected in the
near future to help defray costs of
equipment purchase, new field
personnel and maintenance.
Another major change
producers can expect, said Fruss,
is the expansion of protein testing.
The lab tests about 12,000 samples
for protein content and Pruss said
he expects to go to all protein
testing by October 1982.
Following the nbbon cutting
ceremony, which enlisted the help
of Smith, Butler and Robert
Patterson, senior vice president of
Penn State, guests and visitors
This small piece of film contains more than 200 monthly
herd reports. When entered into the machine, below, each
report is magnified for easy observation. Dixie Burris, a DHIA
staff member, explains that the small film, known as micro
fishe can also store USDA Cow Index, 6-month lactations,
herd summaries, reproduction management reports and lab
data.
DHIA
were treated to a walking tour.
First stop featured an overview
of the laboratory, hosted by lab
manager Dean Amick. Guests
watched as 20 samples were hand
loaded on a tray and then
automatically stirred and
measured by machines. Milk
components and amounts ap
peared on computer screens
throughout the lab.
The majority of the milk testing
equipment, said Amick, was
designed in England. The com
bination of an efficient staff and
automated equipment processess
more than 1,250 fat tests per hour.
Amide explained that 52 percent of
all samples undergo Somatic Cell
Count tests, whde just four percent
are protein tested.
In a small room adjacent to the
expansive laboratory, Ray Pruss
explained the Senes One com
puter, an efficient data tran
smitter, not found in any other
DHIA lab in the country. The
system stores all the information
produced by the lab and transmits,
via telephone line, to Peim State’s
computer center on campus where
the barn sheets are printed.
The direct transmission, said
Pruss eliminated the need for key
punching, thus reducing the
number of people involved by
three. With minimal chance for
human error, the system is 99.99
percent error free, Pruss noted.
A 5 inch by 7 inch piece of film, or
micro fishe, is all that is needed to
contain 250 monthly herd reports.
Dixie Burns demonstrated the use
of micro fishe when used under a
viewing screen. The small film can
be called up oh a screen and a
vanety of reports ranging from
monthly reports to cow indexes
can be read.
Owen Etter introduced the group
to the receiving area, where more
than 15,000 samples arnve every
day. Etter explained that less than
one percent of all samples shipped
are actually damaged. The huge
quamtity of samples arrive
through United Parcel Service, but
Etter recalled a strike by UPS
years ago that left supervisors no
choice but to either mail the
samples or personally deliver.
The tour ended in the facility’s
meter testing room, which was
previously located in one of Penn
State’s dairy barns. Special
equipment in the room test
supervisors’ milk meters for
broken or worn parts and balance,
said fleldman John Kline. Last
year, Kline said he tested more
than 1,900 meters.
The state DHIA recommends
that supervisors with more than 25
herds per month have equipment
tested twice a year, said Kline. He
also noted that all new meters
must be tested before first use.
Currently, four different meter
types are used in Pennsylvania
herds.
The state DHIA board, headed
by Butler and staffed by 18 other
producers around the state, in
clude: Vice President J. Robert
Kmdig, Lancaster Co.; Treasurer
—Ellis Denlmger, Lancaster Co.;
Secretary Jay Howes, Centre
Co.; Directors Milan Pavkov,
(Turn to Page A3O)
Shirley Houser of Bellefonte, one of 27 they can be stirred and analyzed for butterfat
employees that helps operate the new facility, an d somatic cell count,
loads milk samples into a sectioned tray before
■an Amick, left, surveys a roomful of
sophisticated milk testing equipment in the
laboratory. Amick, lab manager, stands before
DHIA staffer Owen Etter displays one of hundreds of milk
sample packages that arrive in the center every day. Etter
estimated more than 15,000 milk samples pass through the
receiving doors, daily. He noted that less than one percent of.
the samples arrive damaged.
a mac ie that automatically stirs samples and
records butterfat and somatic cell content.
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