4 Winners will be those who make fewest
BY ROBIN PHILLIPS
Staff Correspondents
LEESPORT - Dairy Day in
Berks County attracted a large
audience to the Berks County
Agricultural Center on February
25th, as farmers focused their
attention on continuing education.
In addition to updates on the 1986
Farm Bill, the Wheat and Grain
Reserve, the Conservation
Reserve, and the Dairy Herd
Buyout program, dairymen also
reviewed dairy trends of the past,
present, and future, and discussed
increasing the genetic progress of
a dairy herd.
Featured speakers for the day
were Joe Hlubik, Penn State
Extension dairy scientist, and
Larry Specht, Penn State Ex
tension dairy scientist. Costs of
production, water quality, and a
panel discussion of breeding
program goals rounded out the
meeting.
Regarding current dairy in
dustry trends, Hlubik stated,
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“more emphasis is being placed on
where the lowest cost milk is
produced.” He went on to say that
farms are gradually increasing in
size; production per cow per year
is increasing; and dramatic in
creases are expected by 1988 due to
biotechnology. Hlubik listed
several industry advances
currently under research.
Receiving much interest, ac
cording to Hlubik, are
somatotropins, or growth hor
mones. Researched throughout the
1950’s to 80’s, they have been
shown to promote growth in young
animals and to increase milk
production in lactating animals.
With the help of biotechnology,
stated Hlubik, these very ex
pensive hormones could be
produced cheap enough to be made
available to farmers. Although
seemingly optimistic about
current research, Hlubik
cautioned dairymen about the new
advances with “questions must be
answered,” regarding the impact
on the market, residues in milk,
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and herd health.
Other areas being researched
are protein regulation, NPN in
take, amino acid balance, car
bohydrate regulation, and
isoacids. Hlubik explained each
item to dairymen and discussed
future possibilities of use on the
dairy herds.
He concluded, “the important,
thing is to prioritize where we need
to focus our attention now.”
“Quality control in regards to
feeds is very important,” he stated
referring to the previously men
tioned advances in technology
currently under research.
The trends point to improved
management, Hlubik continued.
More computerization, quicker
problem solving, the use of con
sultants, sharper business prac
tices, and better disease controls
will be a “must” in the future,
according to Hlubik.
Genetic progress in dairy herds
was discussed by Larry Specht,
Penn State dairy scientist. “The
team that’s going to win this game
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is the team that makes the fewest
mistakes.” Specht coined a phrase
to refer to the dairy business. He
listed several genetic mistakes to
avoid in a dairy herd.
The dairy scientist began by
explaining the importance of
proper identification of each
animal. “This is very, very
critical,” he stated. Animals need
to be identified for bull studs to use
in their sire evaluations and also to
evaluate their future potential in
your herd.
He also cautioned dairymen not
to “plunge on hot shot bulls.”
‘ ‘Avoid rushing to use hot new bulls
with only a few daughters,” he
repeated. Look at the pedigree
indication to begin, Specht ad
vised. “See if it is reasonable to
expect that this bull is going to
have that summary,” he ex
plained.
Specht also advised dairymen to
determine if the new bull was
randomly mated; has a sufficient
numbers of daughters in a wide
number of herds; and a realistic
mistakes 9
proof in regards to his pedigree. “I
am a very strong advocate of the
young sire progeny test
programs,” he concluded.
Specht advised breeders to use
better bulls and improve the
genetic base in their herds. Ac
cording to Specht, the average PD
of sires in a herd is improving in
Pennsylvania and should be im
proving in each individual herd.
“If you are looking to get the best
possible breeding for the lowest
amount of dollars, use the young
sire breeding program,” Specht
advised dairymen. “The young
bull crop of today is a better crop of
bulls,” he concluded.
In ending his discussion, Specht
also cautioned breeders to
“beware of the Canadian proofs.”
Canadian data uses breed class
averages. The formulas to use to
convert Canadian data to United
States terms were given by Specht
as follows:
To estimate the PD -Milk = BCA
(breed class average) for milk
multiplied by 117 and then subtract
727.
To estimate the PD -Fat = BCA
(fat) x 4.32)-17.
A BCA should be in the range of
+l4 to +2O to be competitive.
A panel discussion with Clyde
Plushanski, Kutztown, and Nelson
Troutman, Richland, concerning
breeding goals m their herds,
continued in the afternoon. Clyde
Myers, Berks County agent also
discussed the recent well water
survey and water quality.
Throughout the day dairymen
could ask questions and visit the
many exhibits to complete the 1986
Dairy Day educational program.
NE Maple
Producers
meet
PLEASANT VALLEY - The
Northeastern Pennsylvania Maple
Producer’s Association held its
Annual Meeting and Dinner
recently at the Pleasant Valley
Grange Hall, with over 80 maple
producers and friends in at
tendance.
Edward Curtis, President of the
Northeastern Pennsylvania Maple
Producer’s Association, conducted
a short business meeting and also
reported on the recent Penn
sylvania Farm Show maple ac
tivities and the North American
Maple Syrup Council Annual
Meeting which was held at
Wellsboro, Pa.
Featured speakers were Lloyd
Sipple, publisher and editor of
“The Maple Syrup Digest”,
Bainbridge, New York and Bob
Lamb, Lamb Naturalflow, Inc.,
Bernhards Bay, New York,
manufacturer of plastic tubing and
plastic fittings for the maple syrup
industry.
Lloyd shared with the producers
some of the techniques he has used
to produce top-quality maple syrup
products, especially maple cream.
He also described how plastic
tubing was introduced as a means
of transporting maple sap to a
collecting barrel or a holding tank.
He and Bob Lamb displayed some
of the different types of fittings and
tubing manufactured for maple
syrup production.
The group reelected Spencer
Callender, Thompson to the board
of directors, and chose Quentin
Mead, Moscow to replace Floyd
Thomas, also of Moscow, whose
term had expired.
Ed Curtis presented plaque
awards to Bob Lamb and Lloyd
Sipple for their many years of
work and support on behalf of the
maple industry here in Nor
theastern Pennsylvania.