E34'Lancasttr Farming, Saturday, August 16,1986
Two University of Delaware
extension specialists and a
marketing specialist with the
Delaware Agricultural Ex
periment Station have received a
$9OOO grant from the Delaware
Department of Agriculture to
study grain sorghum production
and market development op
portunities in the state.
Veterinary Assn. Issues Recommendations
In the aftermath of the assault
and vandalizing of a layer
operation in Delaware last month
by animal welfare activists, the
American Veterinary Medical
Association (AVMA) has published
its official position on layer
husbandry.
AVMA’s position is that the
current use of cages to house layer
chickens will continue. Present
knowledge is not sufficient to
support a radical change or ban of
this system. Cages now house
approximately 95% of the 250
million laying birds in the United
States. The productivity and health
of these birds has improved in
many respects, indicating that
confinement housing in cages can
enhance the welfare of birds when
coupled with proper management.
Research to develop and
evaluate model test systems to
more fully understand the
physical, behavorial and medical
Grant Awarded To Study Grain Sorghum
The marketing part of the two
pronged project will be conducted
by Carl L. German, extension
crops marketing specialist, and
Ulrich C. Toensmeyer, professor of
agricultural marketing. With the
aid of this grant, the hope to:
• determine the per acre cost of
growing grain sorghum.
• determine the economic
well-being of laying birds in
confinement systems is en
couraged by AVMA.
AVMA recommends that un
wanted chicks, poults, and pipped
eggs be killed by an acceptable
humane method, such as carbon
dioxide euthanasia. Smothering
unwanted chicks or poults in bags
or containers is not acceptable.
Pips, unwanted chicks, or poults
must be killed prior to disposal.
AVMA recognizes that, when
necessary, beak trimming to
remove the sharp tip should be
performed in a rapid manner on
young chickens and turkeys to
prevent or reduce the natural
habits of cannibalism, fighting,
and feather picking. The
procedure should be done only by
properly trained personnel, and
alternative methods for the control
of cannibalism should be sought.
It is AVMA’s position that in-
feasibility of substituting sorghum
for com in poultry and livestock
rations.
• analyze the impact on the
state’s agricultural economy of
growing more sorghum and less
com and soybeans.
Extension soil fertility and crop
production specialist Dr. Richard
duced moulting of layer birds,
which is designed to bring the
entire flock into a resting period at
the same time, is an acceptable
management practice, when done
under careful supervision, using
reduced light and low
sodium/calcium diets. The star
vation/water deprivation method
of induced moulting is not ac
ceptable.
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W. Taylor will evaluate com
mercially available grain sorghum
varieties for agronomic and
chemical traits and the production
practices necessary for market
development and crop acceptance
on Delmarva. He will also publish
a list of characteristics of grain
sorghum varieties tested to help
farmers assess their market ap
peal.
Sorghum, also known as milo,
can be substituted for com in
poultry, swine or beef cattle
rations, but some varieties are
more palatable than others,
depending on their tannin content.
The purpose of the one-year
project is to determine the
feasibility of growing sorghum in
rotation with soybeans on
nonirrigated sandy soils in Sussex
and lower Kent Counties.
Many dryland farmers now grow
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continuous soybeans on these
droughty soils because com yields
are so uncertain. The practice has
led to a drastic decline in yields in
recent years, due to the buildup of
diseases' and soybean cyst
nematode infestations. Planting
sorghum, which tolerates drought
better than com, could be on way
to break out of this unprofitable
monoculture.
However, before sorghum can be
considered a viable alternative
crop for Delaware, farmers must
have an assured market. Broiler
industry demand for milo on
Delmarva will depend on the price
of this grain compared to the price
of com. Demand will also be af
fected by the amount and con
sistency of supply. A cost-effective
production system tailored to
Delmarva growing conditions
must also be developed.
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