n Brockets Ag Advice Hto iM By John E. Brockett {■ Farm Management Agent Lewistown Extension Office I Cheese are ‘spring tonic 9 Late last week I got my usual thrill in the spring. I was diligently working in my office at home when I heard a noise. It took me a few moments to sort it out in my mind. I When I finally realized that it was indeed geese “squonking”, I ran outside to try to spotthem. Lo and behold, they were flying directly over our house. It was a sizable flock for this area with nearly 100 birds in one big “V” and two small “Vs” inside of the big “V”. For some reason geese flying north is like spring tonic to me because they, rather than robins or crocus, are my sign that spring is here. So cheer up, spring is here and as usual spring brings with it a renewal of spirit and hope. Yon Can Succeed The next five years will not be easy. It will make no difference what type of enterprise you as a farmer operate, things will b 6 Tlfehave the alfalfa, seed DEKALB 120 Superior yields, year after year Outstanding winterhardiness Fine stemmed and leafy high in protein Resistance to Phytophthora root rot 1984 and 1985 Forage Analysis Superbowl winner DKI3S and Advantai DKI3S • Excellent yields. • Verticillium wilt, anthracnose and Phytophthora root rot resistance • Lush, leafy forage • Bred for long rotations Advantage • Outstanding yield performance in state trials • Recovers quickly after cutting • Healthy for long stand life • Resistance to anthracnose and Phytophthora root rot JOE PISKOROWSKI Princeton, N. J. Wins Ist place in North East Forage Quality Contest hay division with Dekalb Alfalfa FOR TOP YIELDING ALFALFAS CONTACT YOUR DEKALB PFIZER GENETICS DEALER “DEKALB" It • ftgftttrtd bund name Numbtft dttlQflttt varftliM At • condition olttlt.pltttt nott tUltmtnl ol llmfttd warranty and ramady on OEKALB-FFIZER GENETICS ordtrt. tags and bt«t tight. Those who really want 10 succeed will have a good chance, to not only weather the next five years, they will be able to enter the 1990 s in a good position to be quite I profitable through the 90’s. Notice I said “succeed,” because a survival mentality will not do the trick. Success will not be easy to obtain. It will take some sacrifices. As a farm manager, you will have to buckle down and be a manager first. You will have to allocate the time to do some of the necessary management jobs. In the past few weeks I have talked to several groups of dairymen and to individual farmers. In these discussions, I have emphasized the importance of < knowing where you are so you can decide how to get to where.you want to be. One tool that can be used as a map is a good farm analysis. DEKALB-PFIZER GENETICS <o^ DEKALB-PFIZER alfalfa wins for more growers. 120 Wins 1985 World Forage Superbowl. :e Results In The World Forai you need. DEKALB Brand 120 swept the Forage Analysis Superbowl held during the World Dairy Expo in 1985. Orland and Dan Reimer took top honors. It was their DEKALB Brand 120 that captured a first and second in the hay and haylage divisions. Paul Sprecher, Sauk City, Wisconsin Dairy and Diversified Cropping DKI3S 3rd Place- Ist Cutting Hay -1985 “We had a little bit of everything this year, from drought to VerttcflUmn wilt and our 135 stood np excellent This was our first year for seeding. Onr first cutting stood over 30 inches high with leaves right down to the bottom of the plant And only 25 days after our second cutting we came back through for our third.” Forrest Strieker, Wernersville, Pennsylvania Dairyman Advantage 3rd Place- Ist Cutting Haylage -1965 “we made five cuttings this season. Advantage showed good tonnage and quick regrowth. My average was 1.4 tons dry bay equivalent Alfalfa is the key to our operation and DEKALB has the best alfalfa lineup. My cows have convinced me of that” It does take time and effort to compile the type of information that makes up a useable analysis. This time and effort must come from the 24 hours that make up a day. Yes, many farmers will succeed without doing or using an analysis. However, an analysis will give a farm manager a little edge. Make a parallel with a person on a highway. If that person wants to get from Lewistown to Harrisburg but does not know where he is now, he must do one of the following things: use a map with a red dot that says you are here; start out with the sun over his left shoulder and hope it is morning time; ask directions as he proceeds; or wait until dark and use the stars as a guide. Studying the map may take longer initially, but die chances of reaching Harrisburg may be in creased. A good analysis is that map. It is frustrating to have people agree with me on the value of an analysis then add “but Some of these buts are; • I do not have time. •My records are not good enough. • Even if I had an analysis I would probably not use it. • The last time I looked at my analysis, I thought the results were stupid so did not use them. irbowl. :eSui • Even if the analysis showed that what I was doing was wrong, I probably would not change, or • I am doing O.K. now, so why should I do an analysis? Unfortunately, many farmers feel that the only way they can overcome a financial problem is to expand. Expansion may mean more gross income, but it also means more expenses and probably more borrowed money. The “expansion without analyzing syndrome” often compounds the original problem and may add some additional problems. The Dairy Business The dairy business is potentially the most profitable type of farm enterprise today for most of Pennsylvania. First it is difficult for large corporatre dairy farms to compete with efficiently run family dairy farms. If you are serious about con tinuing in the dairy business, then you should decide that records are the most important part of your business. The main way those records will be valuable is if you use them for decision making, analysis, and High-quality alfalfa like 120 is important to the Eeimers’ 92-cow Holstein operation in Loganville, Wisconsin. “Our crude protein levels have been as high as 26.8 percent. The fourth and fifth crops ran over 24 percent,” says Dan, who farms 435 acres with his father, Orland. DK 135 PRODUCES 9.52 TONS P.A. for Joe Hartle, Belleforvte, PA, to win the Alfalfa Growers Program in the Alfalfa Grass Division. Lancaster Fanning Saturday, March 22,1986-05 projection purposes. If you do not have time to keep and use good records, then you are really saying “I am looking for an excuse to get out of farming’ ’. Second, until recently, the dairy business has been insulated from many of the “supply-demand” problems other farm businesses have faced for a number of years. Until recently the regular guaranteed milk check was taken as a “given”. The milk check may be less guaranteed now but, for the most part, it is still fairly regular. In stead of complaining about the present economic situation, dairymen should lode at the even more severe problems other farm enterprises have. Once they have done this, the next step would be to move ahead using their management ability to become more profitable. If one dairyman can produce milk with a cash outlay (not including interest or principal on debt payments) of less than 60% of cadi income, then others should be able to do the same. Most dairymen who could operate on that level would be profitable. A LESSON WELL LEARNED... LANCASTER FARMING'S CLASSIFIED ADS GET RESULTS! -Phone: 717-394-3047 or >717-626-1164 41 STRIKE IT RICH! SELL IT MOTH A LANCASTER FARMING CLASSIFIED gu
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers