A2B—Lancaster Famine, Saturday, January 29,1983
NICKEL MINES - When
Robert McDowell told a farmer
last week that he had bred his
100,000 th cow, the farmer said,
“That’s a lot of cows.” McDowell
smiles as he relates the story and
says, “I had to agree.”
McDowell is a technician -for
Atlantic Breeders Cooperative and
is the first employee to reach the
100,000 th first service mark in the
Cooperative’s 38-year history.
While McDowell is modest about
the accomplishment, he does
acknowledge, “It is a milestone in
a technician’s career.”
McDowell has been with Atlantic
Breeders for 33 years and is a man
who is comfortable with his job. He
says, “I like the job. It’s been good
to me.” What he likes best about it
is meeting people throughout the
day. “They are my friends,” he
says, “It is a little more than just a
business relationship. ”
Being an AI technician means
Thirty-three years ago when McDowell joined ABC, he
recalls, 'we used to run around with four thermos bottles”
full.of fresh semen, a one-day supply. Today his car is
equipped with a nitrogen tank containing a two-month supply
of frozen semen.
In talking about McDowell, dairyman Amos K. Lantzof Paradise says, “He encourages
us when we are discouraged." McDowell counsels the farmers on bulls to'•■boost
production, better heat detection, feeding and handling.
AX technician breeds lOO,OOOth cow
more than just breeding cows. The
technician is also a salesman, an
accountant, an educator, an ad
visor, a sire expert and perhaps
most important to the dairy
producer, a trusted friend.
McDowell says, “It’s all sales.
What you do and what you say,
even when you’re not inseminating
cattle, is important.”
Farmers have come not only to
trust his ability but also to rely on
his judgement. In the eastern part
of the county where mcDowell’s
unit operates, fanners often ask
his suggestions on which bull to use
on their cows.
This is when McDowell the
educator and advisor goes to work.
He doesn’t hesitate. “I ask first
what the creamery test.” Test is
important to the dairy farmer, he
explains, because they foresee
protein testing in the future. “Then
I ask how she stands in the herd - if
she is in the high, middle or low
Atlantic Breeders' Cooperative Al technician Robert McDowell receives a
congratulatory handshake from dairyman Delmar Neff, R 1 Christiana. The occasion was
McDowell’s marking of a company record breeding his 100,000 th first-service cow.
Seemingly unsure of her part in this picture-snapping session was Neffs Holstein cow, a
Harrisburg Gay Ideal daughter who was bred to Kingway Elevation Very.
part of the herd.” He says he then
considers the cow’s conformation,
her dairyness and strength, and
selects a sire accordingly. “You
must know bulls,” he states.
McDowell says price is
sometimes a consideration for
farmers, and they may say to him,
“Don’t use an expensive bull.” He
says he also considers if they are
planning to raise the calf. He
points out that the dairyman is
investing in a heifer calf. “Jf the
animal is in the top half of the herd,
you can move up in price. I say,
‘You want her to have the best
heifer possible.’ ”
Working on heat detection is
another part of McDowell’s work.
He points out that Atlantic does not
give free repeat services, so it is to
the dairyman’s advantage to be
sure the cow is in heat the first
time he calls. “When a cow
repeats, a farmer loses three
week’s worth of milk.” Me Dowell
notes. t
One positive change McDowell
has observed in his 33 years of
breeding is that farmers today do a
better job of having cows in good
condition. “We have made great
adyances. There are better cattle
now and better feed, and they are
handled more kindly,” he says.
Being an Ai technician means more than just breeding
cows. The technician is a salesman,' an accountant, an
educator, an advisor, a sire expert, and perhaps most im
portantly to the dairy producer, a trusted friend. McDowell is
a firm believer in keeping written records on each cow, farm,
etc.
McDowell tells dairymen the
best time to observe heat is at 7:00
a.m. He also advises them to ob
serve the cattle before that first
bucket is rattled in the barn in the
morning. “If one is standing and
the rest are lying down, chances
are she’s in heat,” he says. He also
thinks dairymen should turn their
cows out in the evening and ob
serve them, but realizes that is not
always possible. The next best
thing, he says, is observation in the
bam.
Another change in the AI in
dustry over the last 33 years is the
heavy competition which exists
today, something unknown in the
early days when the technique was
first introduced. McDowell
remembers that he was the tenth
employee hired by what was then
Southeastern Pennsylvania Ar
tificial Breeders Cooperative. ■
He recalls, “We didn’t have to be
concerned about the competition.
We were even a little independent.
They had to call in by a certain
time or we didn’t breed their cows
that day.
“We used to run around with four
thermos bottles.” In those days of
fresh semen, what wasn’t used in a
day was discarded. Today Me-
Dowell’s car holds a liquid
nitrogen tank which allows him to
carry a two-month supply of
semen.
(Turn to Page A 32)