DB—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 11,1984 Purina buys out Farmtronix ST. LOUIS, MO. - Ralston Purina Company has announced it has acquired the remaining 50% interest in Farmtronix, a joint venture company which manufactures and markets computerized, automated animal feed systems. W.M. Jones, President of Ralston’s Agri Products Group, said Farmtronix, established in 1981, was 50% owned by Ralston Purina and Electro Dynamics, Inc., a Sheridan, Wyoming based firm. Terms were not disclosed. Jones indicated that the acquisition of Farmtronix “is consistent with our planning to become more deeply involved in all aspects of American animal agriculture. We believe,” Jones said, “that computerized feeding systems are essential tools which American farmers must utilize to PennAg plans meetings EPHRATA Members and non members of PennAg Industries Association are cordially invited to attend the 1984 PennAg regional meetings. These meetings serve as an update to current members and as an informative introduction to PennAg for non-members. Con sisting of an outline of the many and varied services and benefits that PennAg provides, the regional meetings will be held in each quadrant of Pa. The meeting format includes Agricultural/Legislative Issues discussed by David R. Brubaker, Executive Vice President of PennAg; Association Services presented by Samuel C. Sherk, Director of Services of PennAg; and Insurance programs discussed It takes a tough machine to do this year after year The Valley Geardnve Electric is one tough machine It s been field-proven in hundreds of millions of operating hours On every kind of terrain And it just keeps coming back for more The rough-ground reliability is built in at the factory and See us now for prices you II find hard to beat ValUy dominates llw fiald. see us Valuev FOR ALL YOUR IRRIGATION NEEDS >4quo-rt.c PG Box 454 320 Basin Rd Hammonion NJO0OJ? Phon* (Mtl Ml 1777 achieve improved efficiency and productivity gains.” Farmtronix is the nation’s leading producer of computerized animal feeding equipment and systems. Farmtronix’s principal feeding system, which is designed for dairy cows, consists of feeders, identifiers, cow identification tags and a central computer control unit. This unit can be located in the dairyman’s house, office or dairy bam. The system enables a dairyman to feed individual cows specific amounts of several different feeds at selected times during a 24-hour period. The system also records how much feed was consumed by each animal. The system also permits the animals to be fed according to their production potential for greater feed ef ficiency. by Judith L. Whitehouse, Field Representative for Penn Ag In dustries Insurance Trust. A PennAg Association perspective and review will be presented by Jack H. Dreibelbis, of the Board of Directors of Penn Ag. Locations and dates: Feb. 21, Sheraton Lancater Resort, Lan caster; Feb. 28, Sheraton Altoona, Altoona; March 20, David Meade Inn, Meadville; April 3, Fireplace Restaurant, Tunkhannock. The evening meetings will be proceeded by a sit-down dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. Any questions about the meetings should be directed to: PennAg Industries Association, P.O. Box 329, Ephrata, PA 17522 (Phone: 717-733-2238). backed in the field Nobody makes a tougher gearbox or a stronger structure Galvaniz ing insures long system life And we get repair parts to you fast Our professional service people are factory-trained All reasons why the Valley Elec tric just keeps you going, year after year \— 1 Please send info, for: VALLEY Center Pivot n Reel irrigation i Alum. PipeA Fittings n Diesel Powered Irrig. Pumps □ PVC Pipe A Fittings □ I I Oldest working Gleaner combine The Oldest Working Gleaner Combine found in a recent contest sponsored by Allis- Chalmers Corporation is a machine manufactured before 1927 and now owned by Joe Samson Jr., a wheat farmer from Oberlin, Kan. Samson is shown, second from the left, in photo. Second and third-place winners in the contest are Albert Schmidt, New England, N.O. and Joe Heidrick, Woodland, Cal. They are shown with Tom Stadtmueller, left, marketing manager for Gleaner combines. “TWist-Lock” cups: newest innovation from the new leader ...another reason SWISH saves you more labor, more birds, and more money The newest twist m cage watering makes cup cleaning and maintenance a real snap it s SWISH s Twist-Lock cups for cage layers and brood-grow watering systems Saves labor. No more contortions with hand tools inside a cage - one simple twist of the wrist unlocks and removes the unitized cup and valve It s that easy to maintain when necessary But with SWISH, it's hardly ever necessary That s because our cup is self-cleaning Our patented valve keeps the cup clean by flushing any feed particles out so birds can consume them with the water Installation is a snap too with SWISH s new cups they simply snap into the desired location and the hose attaches to the water line outlet These are some PATENTED VALVE IS KEY TO OUR PERFORMANCE Ha -TT- Orifice (A) force* water onto Ci Mj rJ deflector (B| tip (C) divert* it down to suipend teed (D| W The NEW SWISI >H total commitment to quality & service SMSH NORTHEAST AGRI SYSTEMS, INC PO Box 187 Fitchville, CT 06334 Phone (203)642-75*29 of the ways SWISH s new cup saves you labor - easy installation, low maintenance, and labor savings between flocks because our cup constantly cleans itself Helps save more birds. Because our cup is self-cleaning, algae and bacteria growth is not a problem as with cups that don t flush out feed particles Clean cups mean less chance of disease and less mortality And our big cup means good access to water, for a good level of bird health SWISH saves you money. That s the bottom line with a system that cutslabor and keeps birds alive and productive Get all the facts about our new cup and other SWISH innovations See your SWISH distributor or contact us Local Representative DAVID NEWMAN (717)299-9905 uafenng systems now a division of CTB I