*32—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 29,1983
AI technician
(Continued from Page A2B)
A technician’s car is his home
and his office for many hours a
day, and it is filled with all the
necessities of his trade. In addition
to the tank and his technician’s kit,
he carries a bucket and brush for
washing boots after each visit, a
scrap bucket, a box for spent rods
and a supply of rods and sleeves
both for himself and for farmers
wishing to purchase them. He also
carries barn charts, and literature
for those who want information on
specific bulls.
McDowell averages about 90
miles a day, with afternoons being
the busiest time for him. He checks
in with headquarters each evening
to get the early morning requests
for service, then again at 8:30 a.m.
and again at 11. By now, he knows
his territory well, and can drive to
almost any farm without checking
the address or location. Once he
gets the names, however, be goes
over them and organizes his
itinerary for the most efficient
route.
When McDowell first arrives on
a farm, he checks to see if the cow
is there and if a certain bull is
requested. He laughingly says the
most important way a farmer can
help a technician is to have the cow
in the bam and marked. If a certan
bull is not requested, Mac talks it
over with the fanner and they
decide which bull to use. At that
oint the semen is taken from the
tank, carefully recorded, and put
into a thaw unit which must be kept
at 95 degrees for optimum con
ception. McDowell says, “There
are not short cuts. What they tell
you is the way to do it.”
A bucket of warm water and his
kit are then taken to the bam
where the semen is inserted in a
rod and Mac prepares the cow.
Once the insemination takes place,
McDowell must keen careful
records, making a receipt for
Atlantic and the fanner and
marking the bam records.
At that point he sanitizes his
boots, makes any notes and takes
off for the next location. He says,
“If you want to remember you
■■ **j>\
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During his 33 years with ABC, breeding cows throughout
Lancaster County, McDowell has sloshed a lot of sanitizer
across his boots. His concern for each farmer and the health
of his cows is reflected in McDowell’s sentiments: “It’s a little
more than just a business relationship.”
better write it down.”
McDowell says he doesn’t worry
about farm dogs or even cows
kicking him, saying, “Before they
kick they send you signals that
they are nervous.” For nervous
cows he appreciates a farmer
being on hand to stand near them.
If it were up to him, McDowell
says there wouldn’t be any bulls on
farms. Of course, he stresses he
can provide service more reliably
and cheaply, but he points out,
“They’re dangerous animals for
one thing. And farmers are losing
money on bulls. The offspring
cannot be like what he’d get from
one of our sires. There is no chance
of them being so good. I’ve been
preaching that for years and
years.”
Spending time with him as he
travels from one farm to another to
inseminate cows, it becomes ob
vious that the dairymen whom he
serves respect this soft-spoken,
genial technician. Amos K. Lantz,
Paradise, put it this way, “He
encourages us when we are
discouraged.’* Several others
express their appreciation for the
service he provides.
At several stops he takes time to
discuss potential breeding
problems, and offers suggestions.
One young farmer wants to talk
about using lutalyse, and the
proper time to call the technician.
To each McDowell replies with
assurance from his years of ex
perience on the job. He says later,
“It always help to have faith in
your work.”
When he has bred all the cows
requested in one day he often
spends time visiting prospective
dairymen, explaining what he can
offer to improve their herd. He
figures a technician and the
selection of bulls is one of the most
important parts of dairying, of
fering a good tool to improve any
herd.
McDowell was raised on a dairy
farm near New Hope, then worked'
with the dairy herd and creamery
at Rutgers, with bried work at
importing Jersey cows and
milking at a commercial dairy on
Long Island. But for the last 33
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I-S. Districts elect officers, honor members
SOUTHAMPTON - Interstate
Milk Producers’ Cooperatives
continued their annual meetings
this week, as District 3 members
met at the Chestnut Level
Presbyterian Church, Chestnut
Level on Tuesday.
District 3 Director and Inter-
State President Robert B. Mo-
Spa rran presented three members
with awards recognizing five
consecutive years of participation
in Inter State’s Cost of Production
Study. Receiving the awards were:
Robert S. Housekeeper, Peach
Bottom: Willis M. Martin, Not
tingham; and Ed W. Zup, Jr.,
Peach Bottom.
Four members received awards
for 25-year memberships. They
were: Elmer Weber, Peach Bot
tom: Lester Wiker, Rawlinsville;
years he has been serving the
dairymen of Lancaster County,
helping make improvements In the
dairy industry.
As he says, breeding the
100,000 th cow is just a milestone.
He will continue driving the roads
of the county, visiting with the
farm families he has come to know
and care for, and providing a'
valuable service to dairy farmers.
5.8.8.
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Interstate’s District 12, which
met last Friday in Quarryville,
announces the following election
results:
Christiana Local - Charles L.
Groff, Kinzer, president; Gilberts.
Martin, Paradise, vice president;.
Allan lsr Rohrer, Paradise,
secretary-treasurer; Delegates -
Joseph L. Fisher, Ronks; C. Nevin
Hershey, Ronks; and J. Ray Rank,
Paradise; Alternate Delegates -
Calvin D. Seller, Paradise; Christ
F. Beiler, Ronks; Ivan Bowman,
Jr., Ronks; Roy C. Neff, Paradise.
Quarryville Local - Willis B.
Krantz, Quarryville, president; P.
Robert Wenger, Quarryville, vice
president; Robert H. Kreider,
Quarryville, secretary-tresurer;
Delegates - David E. DeLong,
Quarryville; Herbert H. Graybill,
New Providence; Robert C. Groff,
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Quarryville; Karl W. Herr,
Kirkwood; Richard P. Maule,
Quarryville; John H. Myer,
Quarryville; and Steven C. Neff,
Quarryville: Alternate Delegates -
Kenneth W. DeLong, Quarryville;
R. Edwin Harnish, Christiana;
Robert G. Hershberger,
Quarryville; A. Dale Herr,
Kirkwood; Donald G. Herr,
Quarryville; Willis B. Krantz,
Quarryville; and James G.
Kreider, Quarryville. ■
The following members were
elected for hauling committees:
Edgar M. Herr committee •
Robert C. Groff,-Lloyd C. Welk,
and Charles H. Rohrer.
Cantey committee - Levi Esh,
Christiana; Kenneth R. Murphey,
Quarryville.
Dale Grahm committee - Amos
B. Beiler and Melvin K. Zook,
Christiana; John S. Kauffman, J.
Robert Metzler, and Amos E.
Stoltzfus, Quarryville.