Fanning, Saturday, MardTld, IM7
, NDHIA Adopts Policy For BST Herds
(Continued from Pane Al)
Duane Green, president of the
Holstein Friesian Association of
America, who was in the audience
Thursday afternoon, was
requested to comment on the
resolution.
Green explained that the colored
breed proofs are computed by the
United States Department of
Agriculture. The HFAA, however,
computes the Holstein sire proofs
at the University of Wisconsin at
great expense and time to the
Association. To recoup the costs,
he explained, the Association
needs to sell the information.
A resolution to dissolve the
National DHIA legal fund was
defeated. The resolution proposed
to transfer all funds remaining in
the account to the Association’s
research fund. It proposed con
tinuing the 1 cent per cow
assessment and applying the in
come to the research fund.
Delegates defeated a resolution
which proposed consolidation of
the business meetings at the
National DHIA convention into
consecutive days to allow ef
ficiency and greater participation
at lower costs.
Carried unanimously by the
delegates was a resolution to
maintain a dynamic policy board.
Passed by standing acclamation
were resolutions to thank the host
state, Pennsylvania, and honor
retiring board of director mem
bers.
Delegates passed a by-law
change which will elect and
nominate directors on a regional
basis. Previously, the regional
caucuses nominated directors and
the directors were then elected by
the general delegate body at the
national convention. The change
passed by a vote of 63 to 35 with one
abstention.
Policy Board
Long, chairman of the NCHIP
Policy Board, reported that the
board “took initial steps to support
the development of somatic cell
sire summaries,” at the board’s
December 1906 meeting.
In other action at the December
meeting, Long explained, that the
board:
•Took a preliminary step to
develop 24-hour factors for milking
intervals greater than eight hours
and.less than 12 hours.
•Endorsed the optional use of milk
weights to the nearest pound in
DHIA as opposed to the half
pounds increments currently in
ijse.
•Started a new round of
solicitations to support the DHIA
research fund.
•Approved 1967 priorities for
research projects, and endorsed
the concept of educational project
funding.
•Approved NDHIA-developed
standards for quality certification
in 1968.
•Approved an evaluation protocol
developed by NDHIA for
automatic electronic identification
systems.
•Granted DHIA approval to the
Waikato large flask.
Long said the board endorsed a
policy concerning research herds
using bovine somatotropin. The
policy requires written notification
from herd participating in
research by April 1,1987 or within
30 of the start of the participation.
Companies researching BST are
requested to identify herds and
cows involved so the NCHIP
records can be studied.
The policy board also recom
mended handling the records of
cows on BST the same as records
of other cows until the policy board
deems special handling of these
records necessary.
Committee Reports
Robert Kindig, chairman of the
New Generation Committee and
president of the Pennsylvania
DHIA, reported the committee
established five general areas for
Edwin Fry, at podium, conducted roil call of delegate prior
to the start of the business session of the NDHIA convention.
Seated to the left is Richard Sechrist. Velmar Green is to the
right of the podium.
the' NDHIA to work on to meet
long-range plans.
The first area concerned the
long-term direction of the DHIA
system, he said, and where the
program will be in five to 10 years.
“Also, the management in
formation needs of the dairymen to
maintain profitability into the 21st
century,” Kindig stated, must be
accessed.
He listed the third area as: “The
DHIA organizational structure
necessary to provide these needs
and these services in the future at
Speakers Cite Changes, Challenges For Dairy’s Future
BY MARTHA J. GEHRINGER
PHILADELPHIA Changes
and challenges were catchwords
for the general session of the an
nual meeting for the National
Dairy Herd Improvement Con
vention here at the Adams Mark
Hotel on Tuesday afternoon.
“We have some real challenges
in agriculture. We need to deter
mine what and how the people we
sell to want the product,” keynote
speaker James Boyle said. The
deputy assistant secretary of
government and department af
fairs for the United States
Department of Agriculture stated,
“If we are to enter the world
market and be competitive, we
must determine what the market
wants and produce it.”
U.S. farmers have had the
tendency to produce what they
want and expect someone to buy it,
he explained. Producers can no
longer afford to continue this
practice, Boyle noted. “We are not
in a position as we once thought
we aren’t feeding the world as we
did in the *3os,” he explained.
Other countries have become
self-sufficient in food production
primarily due to their producers’
adoption of technology, Boyle said.
New product research has
benefitted producers in three
prime areas: com, wheat and
dairy products. Researchers have
developed a biodegradable plastic
from com, he noted.
“We need to find new uses for
our products. We are down-sizing
agriculture. This is not healthy in
the long run,” Boyle said.
“I think the future for American
agriculture can be extremely
optimistic. It won’t be like 10 to 20
years ago. It’s going to be a
changed agriculture. ”
If we are to meet the challenges
of the future we must accept
change, Boyle stressed. “We must
move ahead aggressively, op
timistically and with purpose,’’ he
added.
"We can produce ourselves back
into problems at anytime,” he
cautioned. He added, the challenge
is to move on and control our
destiny.
Boyle replaced E. de la Garza,
chairman of the House of
Representatives Agriculture
Committee, on the program. Garza
all levels.”
NHDIA needs to look at the
question of the role of the NDHIA
in this total system, he added.
The final area of consideration
concerns the specific steps and
actions necessary for NDHIA to
ensure that dairymen will be
profitable and that the system will
survive into the next generation,
Kindig reported.
He identified two main areas of
concern for the future: sustaining
state lines for DHIA and com
petition to DHIA services.
was unable to get out of a meeting
in Washington but briefed Boyle on
several topics.
Speaking on behalf of Garza,
Boyle told the group that the 1985
Farm Bill is working and is
beginning to move product onto the
world market. He asked the far
mers to be patient and let the Bill
work.
“We are beginning to turn the
corner on the export market,” he
said. “We are just now beginning
to see the impact of the ‘B5 Farm
BUI.”
The Dairy Termination Program
has been successful in removing
product from the market, Boyle
noted. He cited two indication of
the success: a lower ratio of
heifers per hundred cows and the
maintenance of milk price over the
support price.
“It’s in your hands. What hap
pens to the dairy industry depends
on what you do with production,”
Boyle said.
DHIA’s Changes and Challenges
Richard Sechrist, NDHIA
executive secretary, explained
that DHIA needs to react to
technology by adapting and
assimilating it the benefit of the
membership. Technology is a
“stepping stone to the new style of
DHIA which will probably be in
place in the year 2000.”
In the year 2000 producers can
expect a changed DHIA structure
$40,000 Available For Local Dairy Promotions
HARRISBURG - Applications
for local dairy promotion funds are
now being accepted for the July-
December, 1967 period, it has been
announced by Board Chairman
Jim Harteis of the Pennsylvania
Dairy Promotion Program.
The Ebensburg dairymen
reported this week that $40,000 will
be available to dairy oriented
groups on a 50-50 matching basis.
Application deadline is April 30.
“Dairy promotion doesn’t begin
or end with June Dairy Month,’’
Harteis emphasized. “We’re
anxious to see more local
promotions all during the year.”
Ice cream carried the day for
policy board. Seated from the left are Richard Sechrist and
Velmar Green.
The committee reached three
general concepts. They are:
Competition for records
processing and testing could
strengthen the program but it
could also have short-term,
tramatic effects, Kindig explained.
“Conceptually, we believe that
thtf state line barriers should be
diminished to some extent to en
courage some competition among
DHIAa and DRPCs. But the details
of how something like this might be
implemented, we had some
reservations,” he said.
Thirdly, the committee endorses
private computer programs be
integrated into the DHIA system,
Kindig added.
Tom Aitchison, chairman of the
Tuesday's annual meeting general session. Clyde Robinson,
at podium, state director from Pennsylvania DHIA, welcomed
the group to Pennsylvania. Also pictured is Richard Sechrist,
executive secretary of the National Dairy Herd Improvement
Association.
and a change in the role of the
DHIA supervisors, Sechrist ex
plained. Preparation for the year
2000 needs to begin at the farm
level by continuing to do what
makes sense.
He encouraged a moderate pace
for the adaptation of technology.
Over reaction to technology can
deter the logical progress of
technology; too slow of a reaction
can hamper or destroy
local promoters during the last
half of 1966, with giant ice cream
sundaes and banana splits at
tention getters in Blair, Lebanon,
Berks and Warren counties. In
Reading, citizens were treated to
an ice cream eating contest while
in Jefferson County dairy
promoters gave away a free ice
cream party.
Promoter grants are limited to
milk producer organizations, or to
local, non-profit dairy promotion
comittees supervised by
dairymen, Harteis said.
Matching funds may be used to
purchase milk shake machines and
DHIA research fund, reported the
approval for 10 research projects
which represent a cross-section of
concern for dairymen. The
projects focus on factors in
fluencing the milk composition of
samples, somatic cell counts, milk
yield, and testing procedures.
The 1906 annual report showed a
net savings for the national
organization of 9625 compared to
$34,845 in 1965. Herds in all testing
programs of NCDHIP totaled
62,202 with 4.7 million cows as of
Jan. 1, 1906. This accounted for 42
percent of the herds in 49 state
units, Including Puerto Rico.
The 1968 NDHIA convention will
be held in Indianapolis, Ind.,
March 14 to 17.
technological advancements.
A panel discussion by individuals
from data processing and records
centers showed the centers are
gearing to the challenges and
changes of the future by listening
to the producers. The individuals
cited a need to continue programs
geared for the masses. They listed
a need to develop programs which
will help dairymen operate ef
ficiently and profitably.
other equipment, he added, but
profits from such investments
must be used for future dairy
promotions.
Local promotion groups have
been advised of the April deadline.
Harteis recommended that
others interested in local dairy
promotions call Pennsylvania
Dairy Promotion Program’s Cindy
Weimer immediately at 717-787-
6903 for complete guidelines and
application forms. Or write
Weimer at Pennsylvania Dairy
Promotion Program, 2301 North
Cameron Street, Harrisburg, PA
17101-9406.