A34—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 14,1984 Low path depopulation leered their flocks being depopulated first. The Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee recom mended this action in late December. Several factors led to the recommendation, including the inability to diagnose lethal forms of the virus in flocks showing mild clinical signs of the disease. Thus, LPAI flocks could be reservoirs of the lethal form of the virus. The committee also expressed a concern that the lethal virus had evolved from the mild form, and feared that if LPAI flocks remained in the area, a recurrence of the outbreak was possible. Hallowed said the action would create "additional economic problems for poultry farmers with LPAI flocks,” but noted that in- FFA executive-secretary (Continued f'om Page Al) Pennsylvania members as they Enkson said," but better coor move on to regional and national dination and perhaps a fresh ap contests. proach to some of them. Another area of coordination he “After 24 years of FFA in sees need for improvement is vo lvement, I hope that I can offer communication from the state somethlng to keep FFA moving association back to each individual ahead m Pennsylvania.” FFA member at the chapter level. His background includes six We need to take a good look at years in FFA as a student and 18 ways of keeping the individual years as a vo-ag teacher and ad members informed of and in- V isor. A former New York State terested in state activities, FFA officer, Enkson taught in the Enkson explained. Lisbon, N.Y. area before coming to "Members must feel that they Elizabethtown are not only just a chapter He came t 0 Elizabethtown in member, but part of the overall July, 1979, and has built up both the state group, too. vocational agriculture program One area of investigation, ac- anc j ppA participation over the cording to Enkson, might be the past five years Keystone Farmer magazine, In the previous 20 years, the which is issued quarterly and only Elizabethtown Chapter had seven a limited number go to the chapter Ke y stone Farmers and in the past ev , . , five years 10 more have been We may need to look at a more added frequent type of publication with The'chapter has also had two fresher news that can be directed recent Keystone Stars - Steve to more individual members,” he Kauffman in production salc * agriculture and Arlen Keener in As the new post becomes in- agribusiness. Both also received volved in statewide events, such as their Amer ican Degree. Activities Week and the Mid- The chapter has recorded a state Winter Convention, Enkson would and regional proficiency winner in hke. to see better promotion and placement in ag production, state publicity of participation by dairy proficiency and various members from throughout the judging honors in such areas as s „ e- . dairy products, meats and wildlife. By attempting to involve more Last year, the chapter also media in such statewide events, received the Eastern Region Enkson hopes to broaden the scope BOAC Award for lts contl numg of the positive image of FFA that work at the Elizabethtown can be presented throughout the Fairgrounds. The Fair, under Commonwealth. Enkson’s direction, has been We re not looking at drastic largely transformed back into an changes in anything that is done,” agricultural event. THE BETTER BALER M&W Baler makes m a chamber reduce and retain valu able The chamber problems to a to-replace belts. The M&W Baler forms bales with a soft to medium core for faster curing and firm outer layers for protection from the weather. Additional weather protection is available with the optional plastic wrap system. Outer layers are protected by a specially designed plastic while the open center allows air to circulate through the bale. Come in today for a closer look at the M&W Round Balers. For Your Nearest Dealer, Please Contact Hamilton Equipment, Inc. P.O. Box 478 567 South Reading Road Ephrata. PA 17522 Phone: 717/733-7951 (Continued from Page Al) creased federal indemnities ap proved last week should help in recovery. "This is recognized as an essential step in the total elimination of avian influenza from Pennsylvania and should enable us to recover lost interstate and international markets in much less time,” he said. Federal indemnity payments for LPAI birds will be retroactive to November 9, 1983, when USDA declared an "extraordinary emergency” in Pennsylvania. Hallowell said the State Agriculture Department will reimburse farmers whose LPAI flocks are depopulated. Under the state’s existing $2 million financial assistance program, farmers are reimbursed for their costs of cleaning and disinfection. Pa. ram lamb test (Continued from Page Al) not about to give hun away.” Dottie says, adding that she has seen rams go for $5O at the sale. “The rams are simply not cared for well enough, and that’s the reason a lot of breeders aren’t putting their better rams on test,” Alackness charges. “That’s ashame because there are a lot of good animals in Pennsylvania.” Tim Fleener is another shepherd who refuses to consign any more of his rams until health conditions are improved. The state president of the Hampshire Sheep Association, Tim and his wife, Sarah, raise about 90 head of purebred Hampshires and Shropshires at their Lancaster farm. “A couple of years ago we had a lamb on test that didn’t make it,” Tim says, “and when we brought him home we noticed he had developed a bad cough. He died of pneumonia three weeks later. During the sale we noticed that quite a few of the rams had a similar cough, and we felt that the animals shouldn’t have gone out to the public in that condition.” The Fleeners also assert that crowding is a problem at the test station, especially in light of the hot weather that coincides with test time. But not everyone agrees that the PDA’s Ram Lamb Test needs overhauling, and York County Extension Agent, Tony Dobrosky, is one man who feels that many of the problems with the test he with the participating breeders, themselves. “My concern is that too many breeders seem to be looking at the test as a sales tool rather than a breeding tool,” Dobrosky com ments. “Those who have accepted the concept of performance testmg have benefitted from the test, while those who see it as a way to promote their breed have come away disappointed.” Dobrosky does agree, however, that the test’s sale receipts have been disappointing. “Certainly test animals with verifiable records ramfl CHLORINATED CIRCULATION CLEANER CIP LIQUID CLEANER SPECIAL! For Every 5 Gallons Of Heavy Duty Liquid Cleaner Purchased RECEIVE 1 GAL. T7TIT7T7 OF ACID RINSE JT JTVIj/JC/ FISHER AND THOMPSON ASSOC. Milking Equipment Sales & Service 21 E. Woods Dr., Lititz, PA 24 Hour Service should be worth more than other animals, but so far I haven’t been able to convince breeders to go to the sale and pay a justifiable price.” But the extension agent takes issue with claims of poor health care and inadequate promotion. “Some people seem to view this test as a sales gimmick, and when their animals don’t bring enough money, then it’s the test center’s fault. Any time you bring young animals together from different areas and expose them to organisms for which they have no immunity, you’re going to have some health problems, but the University vets are walking those pens once a day, and sometimes more in an effort to keep disease to a minimum.” Robert Kimble, who stepped aside last year as director of the test, agrees that some respiratory problems have been encountered, but emphasizes that steps have been taken to help minimize the problem. Most recent health measures include tests conducted by the National Animal Disease Laboratory in Aimes, lowa, and the installation of two large fans in the test center to keep air moving. Kimble discounts charges of crowding by pointing out that, for the past three or four years, the test has been conducted in the large bull test wing, providing more than enough room for the ram iambs. “During the past 17 years, it’s been my experience that the combination of warm weather, young animals from different areas, and a high-energy ration unlike what the animals received at home, will lead to some health problems in all livestock, not only sheep,” Kimble countered. “Concerning the price issue,” Kimble continued, “I think you’ll find that prices were low elsewhere last year, and that in cludes the Keystone Stud Ram and Ewe sale, as well as the sale at Mercer that proceeded ours. ’ ’ Penn State veterinarian, Dr. Lester Gnel, admits that the test CONCENTRATED LIQUID Mtiwtuni HEAVY DUTY CIR - CLEAN FOR DAIRY FARMS & DAIRY PLANT PIPELINES AND BULK TANKS Offer Ends April 30th See Your Local Routeman Or Call Your Order in (717) 627-1530 has had a tew more coughing lambs than he would like to see, but he reports no bad outbreaks of acute pneumonia. “Last year we did have some work done out in Aimes on the coughing problem,” Dr. Gnel reports, “but the results of those studies aren’t in yet.” In defense of sale prices, the vet pointed out that the majority of purchasers thus far have been commercial sheep people who typically are not willing to pay as high a price as the purebred breeders. One such commercial operator who has been pleased with the ram lamb test is Bill Free, of East Berlin. Along with his wife, Jean, Bill raises a flock of 200 ewes, including the Rambouillet, Finnish and Dorset breeds. The Frees have been using their six-year-old Dorset ram, acquired through the test sale, with good results. Last spring the Dorset ram, along with two Suffolk rams, (a breed that prefers fall breeding) were placed with the ewes, and the resulting fall lamb crop was 95 percent white-faced animals from the Dorset. “We feel the test is worthwhile,” Mrs. Free stressed, “and we wouldn’t hesitate to buy at the ram lamb test sale again.” But if enough breeders can’t be found to enter their lambs, there won’t be any performance tested rams for buyers such as the Frees, come sale time in September. The Sheep Technical Committee, made up of breeders and University personnel, will decide the fate of this year’s test next week. 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