Al6-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 28, 1987 PSU Dairy (Continued from Pago At) presentations ‘There arc no guarantees to sur- vival. Only dedicated dairymen will survive,” stated Lawrence Muller, Professor of Dairy Sci ence, as he opened the conference on Monday afternoon. The proper management must include both production and financial consider ations, he went on to say. He told dairymen that decisions in the future must be based on econom ics, not emotions: on facts, not fiction. Professor Muller based his com ments of predictions that the milk price will go down, cost inputs will go up, and the profit margin per cow will go down. These, he said, arc a certainty unless management skills arc improved. Some predic tions slate that maybe 50 percent of dairymen will go out of business, he related. “I personally see the use of more experts or consultants in the future,” he said. On an upbeat note to lead to the rest of the presentations, Professor Muller concluded, “Dairying has the potential to be one of the most profitable of big businesses.” He continued to remind dairymen that cost control measures must be strictly followed. “Follow the top, forget self-sufficiency, and know your costs,” he cautioned. In dairy farming, profit must be the major goal, then satisfaction will come, Muller related. “If we do the little details all right, the big things will take care of themselves,” he concluded. Assessing Costs And Benefits Of Dairy Feeding Programs Richard Adams, Professor of Dairy Science, addressed the prob lems of dairy feeding programs and changing them in order to get more milk out of the dairy herd. His presentation included how to decide if a change is necessary and when would be the best time, com plicating factors in making a change, and evaluating the addi tion of any additives or new feeds to the existing program of what is available on your farm. “There are all kinds of technolo gy that can make or break you,” Adams began. “The important thing to consider,” he cautioned dairymen, “is this making more milk?” he referred to the addition of new things to the feeding prog ram. “Check for the economic response and one that is going to make you more money,” he told dairymen. Adams recommended the fol lowing approach to changing a feeding program: 1. Make certain your feeding and management are basically sound before trying new programs or feeds. Cows should be produc ing close to 600 pounds fat and have relatively few problems. 2. Obtain rations and manage ment evaluations from several neutral sources. 3. Choose new programs or additives carefully. Weigh costs and projected returns carefully. Response on farms is variable and its often difficult to ascertain the same benefits advertised in claims made by manufacturers. 4. Whenever possible, run a trial under your own conditions. Choose a time when you have enough bunched calvings and few changes on your farm. Additional time may be needed to see effects on health and reproduction. 5. Compute results, out to fat corrected milk to oblain*a belter idea of responses arc not necessarily economical. Conference Lou Moore, Penn State, presented an overview of the agricultural economy and a look at survival in the future with his presentation at the Conference banquet, Mon day evening. Assessment of costs of additives or new feeds is essential, to compute against extra milk income. “It is no longer sufficient to depend on testimonials from neighbors and concerns involved, or even well-controlled research studies done at universities or by others,” Adams cautioned. “These are things you must find out for yourself, under your own set of cir cumstances,” he concluded. Considerations For Effective Health And Reproductive Management The current economic climate has challenged dairy producers to manage their herds more efficient ly. Maximum return from the input of labor, capital, and production costs is more important than ever. Too often reproductive efficiency is overlooked as a major area where efficiency of milk produc tion can be increased. Milk yield per day of herd life is reduced with longer calving intervals. Cows spend more days in late lactation or more days dry. Fewer calves are bom each year. Thus, there are fewer calves available as replace ments or for merchandising. Vol untary culling for production is reduced as more cows arc culled for reproductive reasons. Poor conception results in excessive semen costs, and use of bulls with lower genetic merit or even clea nup bulls. This retards genetic progress and production potential. Generally veterinary expenses increase as reproductive perfor mance declines,” Michael O’Connor, opened the next lecture. “For the average Pennsylvania dairy herd it costs about two dol lars per cow per day open over 90 days. This value varies depending on level of production, value of calves, semen price, veterinary expenses and replacement costs. This cost clearly indicates that reproductive management is an area requiring continual attention.” Professors Michael O’Connor and Lawrence Hutchinson addressed these issues and fielded many questions from the audience. Failure to detect heats and inac curate heal detection arc still the major problems involved in poor reproductive performance, accord ing to the professors. Many charts and data were shown from research conducted to substantiate areas needing improvement. O’Connor also addressed insemi- Professors from Penn State presenting the lectures Inch. - Bill Heald, Larry Specht, Richard Adams, Terry Smith, Larry Hlubik, Ross Farrow, and Michael O’Connor. II iiiiifrii HmlKl# HOOBER EQUIPMENT, INC Middletown, DE SMHmSSShM (302) 378-9555 ■ TWO LOCATIONS WE SHIP PARTS DAILY Via UPS - PPSH - BUS - AIR FREIGHT, ETC. ,k I' t, ' I I They Are Coming To Cargill Marietta Cargill Hybrid Seeds Make Your Reservation Today For CARGILL, INC. The Saving Place HOURS Mon.-Fri. 7 AM-5 PM; Sat.: 7 AM-Noon CALL US... If Could Be We Have If A Proven Yield Leader 717/426-1961 800/822-0769 to right) Bat row luller, Front row - Joe mm Authorized UPS Station
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