06—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 24,1982 Farm Rn«inM< JL CtJ. UUL li UijJLliVij ij News DeKalb, Pfizer merge seed units DEKALB, 11. AgEesearch, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. announced today they hatre formed a joint venture, DeKalb-Pfizer Genetics, for the conduct of their combines seed businesses. The joint-venture company, owned 70% by DeKalb and 30% by Pfizer, will be headquartered in DeKalb, IL, and will offer an ex tensive line of agricultural seeds, including hybrids of corn, sorghum and sunflower seeds -and proprietary soybean and alfalfa seeds. DeKalb-Pfizer Genetics will combine the seed research, marketing and other operations of the two companies. The joint venture will also have access to all seed applications from the molecular-biological research conducted at Pfizer’s Groton, Ct., Central Research facilities. The new partnership takes effect Mcßae receives appraiser post CHESTER SPRINGS - Robert F. Mcßae has been elected to professional membership in the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, an organization involved in the management of rural lands and the appraisal of rural properties. Mcßae is vice president of Sentry Appraisal Services, Inc., R 1 Chester Springs. He specializes in rural and agricultural appraising and consulting. Mcßae is also a member of the American Association of Certified Appraisers. He resides with his family near Marshalton, Chester County. Martin builds economical methane BY DICK ANGLESTEIN lONA A Lebanon County firm has brought on-farm production of electricity -with methane gas from manure much closer within the economical grasp of average-sized farming operations. The Leonard Martin Co., manufacturers of Maxi-Power generating systems, has com pleted a 15KW generator ter a dairy operation in New York Shite, which is approximately one-fifth the normal cost of a unit of that size. -, We feel the generating portion of a methane system is now more economical and cost-effective tor interested farmers,” Martin ex plained. ‘This is a motor-type generator and the 15KW unit, including the control panel, costs $12,000, which is about one-fifth of the price of a standard generator and parallel system.” The 15KW system would be sized tor approximately a 50-cow dairy operation. It would also be suitable tor a 200-sow hog operation or a 50,000-bird poultry operation. The parallel system, which ties the generator into the electrical grid of a utility, is a lot less ex pensive, according to Martin. immediately, with former dealers for both DeKalb and Pfizer Genetics now able to offer the full seed product lines to their customers. No other changes have been made or are being contemplated for the parent company, DeKalb Agßesearch, Inc. ' Mike Holmes, general manager of DeKalb’s poultry marketing and operations, said, “Our fiscal year closing on August 31, will be a very successful one for DeKalb’s Poultry Division. This continued success reinforces DeKalb's commitment to Us poultry breeding business.” DeKalb Agßesearch, Inc. has been actively involved in egg-type layer breeding since 1944 and is the only primary breeder in the United States that continues in the hands of its originators. Robert F. Mcßae generator The cost-reduction is due to the design of the generator. The unit is equipped with a squirrel cage-type motor, which acts as the generator. "The motor teatures power factor correction, which corrects the efficiency of the generator so that it blends better with the power company,” Martin said. Another feature of the unit is its low KPM engine, a Waukesha, which operates at about 1,000 RPM. This should provide about three times the lifetime ot a standard automotive gasoline engine. The unit also contains an elec tronic governor tor very close speed tolerance and a step-up gear box to gel the generator up to speed. "This is the first generator ot this type trom this area and the tirsl we feel is cost-effective,” Martin said. "There have been motor-type generators operating off wind mills, but this is the first Tve seen oft an engine.” The unit is equipped to operate off methane or LP gas and will automatically switch between the (Turn to Page D 8) ... Codatron installation on Chester Weaver printer, which provides daily feeding farm, Newville, by Westfalia Systemat includes formation, central control center with keyboard and Westfalia reports area dairy installations and open house EDINBOKO increasing in stallation of the latest develop ments in dairy management systems, including an open house near Edinboro on Thursday, are reported by area respresentatives of Westfalia Systemat. The varied Westfalia in stallations reported by sales engineers Bob Turner and Tom Moore include new milking parlors with automatic take-offs, com puterized (Jodatron feeding systems and the backf lush system. The open house is planned from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Burton apd Richard Warnshuis farm, located one mile north of- Edinboro. A new milk house and pump room, built by the owners, includes a tngon parlor with 18 Westfalia automatic take-offs and Clay air-operated stalls. The milking equipment was installed by Albert Brenner, ot Spartansburg. The Warnshuis operation in cludes a herd ot 240, with 140 milking. Also available tor viewing during the open house are a new manure handling system with s two million gallon storage capacity and a heifer barn. A Codatron feeding system has been in operation since spring on the Chester Weaver farm, near Newville, Cumberland County. The recent renovation also features a new tngon parlor and milk house. The Weaver Codatron system includes three feeding stalls in the tree stall barn. The Weaver herd numbers some 6'o milkers, half registered and half grade. The facilities were installed by Cumberland Farm and Dairy Supply, Inc., Chambersburg. Other Codatron installations recently were made on the farms of George and Keith Bancroft, ot Centerville, Crawford County; and Dave Jarrett, of Jersey Shore. The Jarrett installation includes four feeding stalls, two tor high production group and two tor the low production group. The first Westfaha backflush system in the East was installed on the Norman Laftey farm, Cochranville, by Hobert L. Janney Farm Construction and Equip ment, Cochranville. The Laffey operation totals some 600 head, with a milking string of 340. The backtlush system was in stalled to combat a mastitis problem that was affecting a dozen or so cows a day during the past winter, according to Janney. “The family reports there is no current problem with mastitis,” Janney said. Cows are automatically fed precise ration based on stage ot~x production in Westfalia feeding stalls. ” "The somatic cell count has dropped from 65,000 to about 15,000 - the lowest it has ever been." Another backflush system has been installed on the Tn-D Farms, of Arnold Dailey, Inwood, W. Va., by the Equipment Division ot Dairymen, Inc., Sykesville, Md. The Codatron computerized system features the automatic feeding based on nutrition requirements during the four basic phases ot production during the *f —■ NEED % MORE ROOM? f) Read The Classified C#M “ o** vm-euy*. , Mbvs 6vs«7 Real Estate Ads » , Ji‘ I lactation cycle. The system will also be equipped to accomodate other computerized programs, such as breeding and milk management. The backflush system provides tor fully automated sanitizing to reduce bacterial concentrations in the milking cluster and inflation. The system with its eight-phase cleansing cycle can be adapted to both automatic take-offs and regular pipeline milkers.