VOL. 32 No. 28 This is a scenic view of the 100 percent Guernsey herd at Eisview Farms. * tore For Less:'Hormone Builds Better Pigs On Less Feed BY JACK HUBLEY UNIVERSITY PARK - Suppose : cu’re a hog producer. And sup pose your fairy god mother ap peared before you one night in the farrowing house. “You’ve been a good hog producer, Arnold,” she says with a benevolent smile. “You’re weaning at four weeks of age, averaging 20 pigs per sow annually and turning out a pound of pork for less than 40 cents. For this I grant vou three wishes.” Being totally committed to your profession, you forego the condo in Key West and four-dollar corn Instead you request 1 Faster rate of gam 2 larger loin eyes and less I) <ikfat ‘ No bothersome drug residues ■lust to show you what a magnanimous soul she is, FGM Northeast BVD Outbreak Contained BY MARTHA J. GEHRINGER An outbreak of Bovine Virus Diarrhea in Northeast Penn sylvania has run its course after ii flirting losses greater than $200,000 Three dairy herds near the Itadford, Wyoming and Susquehanna county lines have nceived definite diagnosis of the disease and several other herds aie suspected of having the virus, said Dale Bennett, the owner of one of the positive testing herds. In these three herds, losses were estimated at $200,000 by Arden Tewkbury, Pennsylvania Farmers Union representative The loss resulted from depressed and lost milk production, dead animals, and increased veterinarian bill Daily milk pickup dropped from 8 uoo pounds to 3,000 pounds, Tewksbury noted. Bennett said he lost seven cows throws in a fourth: greater feed efficiency. We all know, of course, that our fairy god mother is too good to be true; unless her name is somatotropin. Contained in those five syllables is a protein hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that may grant producers all the above wishes in the not-too-distant future, according to Dr. Ronald Kensinger, an assistant professor of animal nutrition and physiology at Penn State Somatotropin (ST) does this by stimulating y the production of Factor (IGF -1) in the Giver, which in turn stimulates muscle protein syn 'hesis At the same time, ST slows the rate ot fat synthesis and adipose tissue, which means there's more energy available in and 14 newborns to the disease. Tewksbury estimated the disease accounted for a 10 percent mor tality rate in the positively diagnosed herds It is uncertain how the virus traveled to the infected farms Tewksbury noted the three farms are not close. The farms lie in a 10- mile radius from each other “There is no rhyme or reason for the outbreaks,” Tewksbury said Dr Donn of the Rome Veterinary Center has been working closely with two of the positive herds. He noted that a variety of businesses serve both herds and could have unwittingly acted as the vector Dr Hutchinson, Penn State Extension veterinarian, noted that if BVD is present in an area and a farmer has a closed herd, it is still possible for the herd to contract the virus “We not sure of how it enters herds," he said Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 16,1987 the bloodstream for muscle growth. Penn State animal scientist Dr. Terry Etherton demonstrated ST’s dramatic effect on growth rate in pigs in 1982. According to an article in a recent issue of Penn State Agriculture magazine, in Penn State experiments ST in creased the growth rate in pigs by 16 percent while decreasing car cass fat by 70 percent. Incredibly, the hormone ac complishes all this on less feed. Kensinger relates more research fu dings that bear this out Beginning at a weight of 160 pounds, pigs were injected daily for 35 days The pigs gained one pound for every 2 4 pounds of feed consumed, while pigs in an un treated control group needed 2 9 pounds of feed for the same weight gam "That means you’re saving said the herds were identified as BVD herds through a positive virus i -.elation Researchers at Cornell University, who performed the test, said the strains were similar in both herds However, (Turn to Page A 24) Chester Co. To Host Balloon Lift For Farmers BY EVERETT NEWSWANGER Managing Editor DOWNINGTOWN - In Chester County tomorrow afternoon, five to 10 colorful, hot-air balloons are scheduled to go up, up and away as part of the Nationwide Great Balloon Lift For Farmers Roger Wayne, pilot for Lollipop Balloon, Inc , and coordinator of this county event, said the fly-in is designed to Western Pa. Guernsey Farms Prep For National Attention BYBETHNESBIT Indiana Co. Correspondent May 22 through May 25, Memorial Day weekend, is the weekend for Guernsey breeders. On these dates the American Guernsey Cattle Club will hold its national convention at the Sheraton Inn, Pittsburgh. Those attending the convention will have the opportunity to visit three Washington County Guern sey farms on Sunday, May 24. The first stop will be at Elsview Farms operated by Jean Celestine and her stepson, Jim. Guernsey breeders will quickly forget that they are in Pittsburgh as they travel up the shaded driveway. It is on this farm that a 100 percent Guernsey herd has been main tained for over 50 years. The Celestine family has been actively participating in Guernsey activities for the past three generations, in one manner or another. At the present time the farm is owned and operated by A. about half a pound of feed for every pound of live animal gained,” Kensinger points out. Based on results like this, experts estimate ST could save the swine industry $2 billion to $6 billion annually in feed costs. Research by Cornell’s Depart ment of Animal Science Ag Leader Gives Points For Good Farm Business (Continued From Last Week) BY EV ERETT NEWSWANGEK Managing Editor Editor's Note: Last week we reported the views of several agricultural leaders who spoke t • the farm press at the spring conference of the the Northeast Farm Communicators Association in Lancaster. Here the report continues with excerpts from two more of the presentations. Richard Denison, general manager of Member Service Corp., Pennsylvania Farmers’ Association, reports on statistics honor and to say a massive unique thank vou to farmers all across the country Farmers allow these balloons to ascend from and return to mother earth on their farms, and the balloonists appreciate it At the same time, the balloonist will donate the $75 passenger fee for farm rebel Liftoff time is between 4pm and b p.m from the (Turn to Page A 32) Five Sections James (Jim) Celestine, the son of A. J. Celestine, the herd’s founder. A.J. died suddenly from a heart attack last November. In his will, he left the entire farm to his son. Jim, in his mid-30s, is A.J.’s only child from a previous marriage. A.J.'s first wife died. Jim now does all of the field work, leaving the book work and management to Jean and the care of the cows to herdsmen George Rabickow and his son, Robert. Jean notes that Robert is in charge of their breeding program. By milking 53 homebred Guernseys in a 60-cow comfort stall barn, the Celestines have been able to achieve national class leader records as well as being one of the top five herds in the county. Feeding rations which use corn silage, ear com, oats, soybeans and minerals according to production the Celestines have been able to achieve a rolling herd average of 14,448 pounds of milk (Turn to Page A2O) corroborates the Penn State fin dings and shows how varying the dosage of ST can affect average daily gain, feed efficiency and fat content differentially. Associate professor Dean Boyd, the project’s principal in vestigator, injected pigs with four (Turn to Page A2B) from the financial management program if PFA And Raymond Johnson, a New York dairv farmer who heads the American Dairy Association and Dairy C oum il and is a member of the National Dair\ Board, reports on the national and local milk promotional programs. Here is what these farm leader'- had to say. Demson palled from the in formation gatheicd in the Penn sylvania Karmeis’ Association s record-keeping systems to show that, contrary to the public press, not all farmers are going to fail In fact, one third of farmers have little or no debt and another third have manageable debt Of course, one third of the farmers have two thirds of the debt And that is where the trouble begins In Pennsylvania 18 percent of the farm families are in serious difficulty," according to Denison ‘Probably eight percent of these farmers are not going to make it," he said “One of the reasons given for failure is not being aware of debt load per cow or production unit We need to know how much debt that cow must carrv and then (Turn to PageA29) $8.50 Per Year
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