Fl6-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 16,1986
DHIA Computer Program Begins Field Trial
BY JOYCE BUPP
York County Correspondent
YORK Marty Grey claims
that a couple of weeks ago, he was
a total “computer illiterate.”
“And most times I feel like I still
am,” he chuckles, punching keys
on the IBM terminal in his office at
Sinking Springs Farm.
Grey, who manages the 70-head
registered Holstein herd and the
farm just north of York, is one of 11
dairy producers across the state
testing ARIS, a pilot computer
records setup for the state’s Dairy
Herd Improvement Association.
ARIS, or Agriculture Records
Information Service, will be on
display this week at Penn State’s
Ag Progress Days at Rock Springs.
Originally projected to be on line to
interested members about
November, the high-tech records
system is currently still in the de
bugging stage, as far as trouble
free operation of the farm-to
mainframe linkup and workability
of the program.
“We’re anticipating having the
program ready to offer now early
in 1987,” says Jay Wilson, manager
of technical development and
special service for Pennsylvania’s
DHIA program. Wilson, who with
a staff of two programmers and a
systems analyst, is developing
ARIS and will be on hand all three
days at the Ag Progress DHIA
computer display. If all the
“kinks” are worked out, Wilson
will demonstrate the system for
interested DHIA members by
accessing their records already
stored on the University’s main
frame data base.
Sinking Springs Farm’s linkup to
the ARIS program at Penn State’s
new IBM mainframe computer
first goes by phone modem hookup
through the York Extension office,
which in turn is linked to Penn
State’s statewide extension
computer mailing and message
service. Running the ARIS system
through the extension computer
network will save users on
telephone time charges.
Initially, Grey experienced
difficulties making those phone
connections. But Wilson and his
computer team then developed a
special program disk, which
enables the computer to do it’s own
dialing and has eliminated some of
the linkup difficulties.
Once logged into the mainframe
at the University, Grey and only
Grey will be able to access
Sinking Springs herd records. Both
the herd number, and a con
fidential password, known only to
the farm user and never even
appearing on the computer’s video
display or screen, protects a user’s
records privacy. And, even if a
“snooper” punched in another
user’s herd number and the
password, a herd record cannot be
altered from an outside terminal.
“At this point, it’s strictly a
retrieval system,” says Grey, a
member of the DHIA state board.
“No records can be added in from
the farm; records can only be
called up.”
When fully on-line, DHIA
computer users can look forward
to daily access to their cow
records.
“And, from that, a dairyman
could sort the herd for all types of
listings, like production, breeding
dates, dry-off times. Other
programs will eventually offer
such options as heifer
management, least cost rations,
herd health, and reproductive
records,” Grey projects.
“Ultimately, a user will have his
own data base stored right on his
own disks, and only log into the
mainframe for help with a
program.”
An ARIS user will probably
download records from the
mainframe about twice a month,
speculates Wilson, and then
calculate and sort using the on
farm PC. Currently, pilot users are
hooked to the mainframe every
second of computer time.
In addition to the standard DHIA
records, dairymen are expressing
the greatest interest, according to
Wilson, in a heifer management
package. He also hears con
siderable interest in graphics
capability for the program, so
users can have the visual, pictorial
comparison of charts to pinpoint
management problems.
A second function of the
program, PROFS, serves as a mail
and message sending system.
When the system is fully on-line
and functional, PROFS, or
Professional Office System, is
expected to offer the DHIA farm
user word processing and ac
counting capabilities.
Pilot users soon learn to check
the message center. They may get
a message from the mainframe, as
Grey recently did, that the system
would close down an hour earlier
than usual oh a particular day. Or
Grey and other pilot program
testers, including Mason-Dixon
Farms in Adams County, Dave
Slusser in Crawford County, and
past DHIA state president Oliver
Butler in Tioga County, oc
cassionally send each other en
couragement as they help iron the
wrinkles from the system.
And there have been wrinkles,
Grey will admit. One of the biggest
for him was his lack of computer
experience. Until the DHIA
computer training session a few
weeks ago, Marty Grey, like many
of his fellow farmers, had never
touched a computer. The one day
seminar at Penn State, and cur
sory hands-on instructions when
the unit was installed! isn’t really
enough training, in his opinion.
Fortunately, the system comes
with a “user friendly” program
that first teaches a novice how to
operate the PC unit itself. The
“Instructor,” developed by Yale
University, teaches with a disk,
tape cassette and problems the
user can work through at his own
speed.
With a dairy herd and the normal
outside related chores, Grey
estimates that a new DHIA user
should probably figure on a month
of spare time keyboard doodling to
feel comfortable just using a PC.
“And to really feel creative and
confident about a farm’s record
keeping and program needs, I’d
guess it might take a year of use,”
he speculates.
In spite of his personal lack of
computer literacy, Grey saw the
opportunity to participate in the
pilot ARIS testing as a “tremen
dous, mind-expanding, free op
portunity to learn the computer.”
As to the long-range merit of the
computer system to a particular
farm situation, each producer will
have to decide.
Projected cost for a suitable IBM
or compatible PC with a dual disk
drive, electrical surge protector
and printer would perhaps start qt
about $2,000. While ARIS has been
designed for use with IBM and
compatibles, it should be adap
table to other systems.
“Any computer that can emulate
the VT 100 terminal, an industry
standard, should be able to adapt
to the program.” is Wilson’s
opinion. “Even Apple computer
systems. There are more problems
getting into other systems, and
knowing which keys will operate
the various functions. ”
There’s also the possibility of
rental or lease agreements,
especially for novice users who
might want to experiment before
making a large financial in
vestment in computer hardware.
No pricing structure has been
considered yet for the actual use
charges, but Wilson estimates that
ARIS records might cost a
dairymen from 15 to 50 cents per
cow, per month, beyond current
DHIA fees, in addition to the PC
hardware investment. And, while
he’s heard a lot of grassroots in
terest in the program, “Interest
and participation are two different
things.”
Martin Grey is one of 11 dairymen par
ticipating in the DHIA computer field trial.
“Sometimes it’s hard to show a
payback, or how it will make the
dairyman money,” acknowledges
the DHIA computer specialist.
Another consideration of Grey’s
after his few weeks with the ARIS
pilot is the potential for system
overload. He has periodically
experienced problems with logging
into the University’s mainframe
computer. If several users are
trying to access the mainframe, all
phone hookups are busy, and ac
cess is denied.
No doubt frustration would set in
fast to any dairyman, denied ac
cess to his computerized records,
when he needs mainframe
assistance to refigure a least cost
ration before ordering feed, or
retrieve new production
calculations to determine herd
feeding weights.
However, the installation of a
new mainframe at Penn State may
have attributed to access problems
being encountered with the pilot
program. Such “bugs” will un
doubtedly be smoothed out as the
system is developed and perfected,
and Wilson’s team determines how
much mainframe space the ARIS
users must be allotted.
“It’s like any other farm tool, a
management technique,” says
Grey. “If a farmer expects to
manage the farm sitting at the
computer keyboard, he’ll soon run
out of money. It is just another
tool.”
Based on his own experience,
Grey warns that beginning users
might have to budget how much
time they allow themselves at the
keyboard.
“I was and still am
fascinated with the whole thing,”
he admits, while muffled noises
hum in the PC and data stored
more than a hundred miles away
flashes onto the eight-inch, amber
lighted screen in just moments.
He envisions a dairyman saving
“legwork” with ARIS, daily
pulling out such information as
breeding and heat detection dates,
heifer vaccination reminders,
sterility and reproductive reports.
Trends or problems might also be
spotted more quickly, such as high
somatic cell counts and mastitis
incidence at certain periods of the
year, or a downturn in heat
detection.
“I think,” speculates Grey,
“that the only limit some day may
be a user’s imagination.”
Also on deck for the high-tech
dairy future are cowside com
puters, with DHIA supervisors
transmitting data direct from the
barn to the mainframe on milk
weights, somatic cell counts,
butterfat test and related pertinent
information for almost instant
records calculations.
And, such technological
developments are likely to lead to
increased “centralization” of the
DHIA program, for uniformity
across the state of equipment,
supervisor hiring, and training,
and program fee structures.
A task force of DHIA state
directors, members, dairy breed
and related industry represen
tatives is already studying the
current program’s organizational
structure, and is expected to make
recommendations in about a year.
See your nearest
I\EW HOLLAR
Dealer for Dependable
Equipment and Dependable
Service:
Annville, PA
B.H M Farm
Equipment, Inc.
R.D.I
717-867-2211
Beavertown, PA
B&R Farm
Equipment, Inc
RD 1, 80x217A
717-658-7024
Belleville, PA
IvanJ Zook
Farm Equipment
Belleville, Pa
717-935-2948
Canton, PA
Hess Farm Equipment
717-673-5143
Carlisle, PA
Paul Shovers, Inc
35 East Willow Street
717-243-2686
Chambersburg, PA
Clugston
Implement, Inc
RD 1
717-263-4103
Davidsburg, PA
George N Gross, Inc
R D 2, Dover, PA
717-292-1673
Elizabethtown, PA
Messick Farm
Equipment, Inc
Rt 283-Rheem's Exit
717-367-1319
Everett, PA
C. Paul Ford & Son
RD 1
814-652-2051
Gettysburg, PA
Yinglmg Implements
RD 9
717-359-4848
Greencastle, PA
Meyers
Implement's Inc
400 N Antrim Way
P 0 Box 97
717-597-2176
Halifax. PA
Sweigard Bros
R D. 3, Box 13
717-896-3414
Hamburg, PA
Shartlesville
Farm Service
R.D. 1, Box 1392
215-488-1025
Hanover, PA
Sheets Brothers, Inc
1061 Carlisle St
Hanover, PA 17331
717-632-3660
Honey Brook, PA
Dependable Motor Co
East Mam Street
215-273-3131
215-273-3737
Honey Grove, PA
Norman D Clark
& Son, Inc
Honey Grove, PA
717-734-3682
Hughesville, PA
Farnsworth Farm
Supplies, Inc
103 Cemetery Street
717-584-2106
Lancaster, PA
L.H Brubaker, Inc
350 Strasburg Pike
717-397-5179
Lebanon, PA
Keller Bros
Tractor Co
RD 7, Box 405
717-949-6501
Lititz, PA
Roy A Brubaker
700 Woodcrest Av
717-626-7766
Loysville, PA
Paul Shovers, Inc
Loysville, PA
717-789-3117
Lynnport, PA
KermitK Kistler, Inc
Lynnport, PA
215-298-2011
Mill Hall, PA
Paul A Dotterer
RD 1
717-726-3471
New Holland. PA
ABC Groff, Inc
110 South Railroad
717-354-4191
New Park, PA
M&R Equipment Inc
P 0 Box 16
717-993-2511
Oley, PA
C J Wonsidler Bros
RD 2
215-987-6257
Pitman, PA
Marlin W Schreffler
Pitman, PA
717-648-1120
Quakertown, PA
CJ Wonsidler Bros
RD 1
215-536-1935
Quarryville, PA
C E Wiley & Son, Inc
101 South Lime Street
717-786-2895
Ringtown, PA
Rmgtown Farm
Equipment
Ringtown, PA
717-889-3184
Tamaqua, PA
Charles S Snyder, Inc
R.D 3
717-386-5954
West Grove, PA
SG Lewis & Son, Inc
RD 2, Box 66
215-869-2214
Churchville, MD
Walter G Coale, Inc
2849-53
Churchville Rd
301-734-7722
Frederick, MD
New Holland, Inc
Rt 26 East
301-662-4197
Outside MD, 800-331
9122
Westminster, MD
New Holland, Inc
1201 New Windsor Rd
301-857-0711
Outside MD, 800-331
9122
Washington, NJ
Frank Rymon & Sons
201-689-1464
Woodstown, NJ
Owen Supply Co
Broad Street &
East Avenue
609-769-0308