BY JOYCE BUPP
York Co. Correspondent
YORK Dairy producers
attending York’s Dairy Day
February 18 discussed a range of
topics, during the morning man
agement session sponsored by the
Extension Service.
Speakers included Scott Hodg
son, Beacon Feeds; Boyd Cook of
Dairymen, Inc.; extension area
farm management agent Roland
Freund; Dr. Michael Radebaugh,
Parkton, Maryland, Veterinarian;
and Sue Beshore, Dairy of Distinc
tion committee.
Speeding the dry-down time of
mown hay reduces quality loss and
lessens exposure time to rain,
Hodgson reminded York dairy
producers.
According to Hodgson, 50 acres
of alfalfa takes an estimated 12
hours to cut and 12 hours to bale.
Stabilizers and preservatives,
which hasten the drying of thick
Atlantic District 5 Locals
SOUTHAMPTON The Wit
mer, West Lampeter and Millers
ville Locals of Atlantic Dairy
Cooperative District 5 wil hold
their annual dinner meeting March
3 at 12 p.m. at the Bird-In-Hand
Family Restaurant.
James S. Fraher, Atlantic’s eco
nomist, will be the guest speaker.
Fraher will report on cooperative
business and dairy issues.
FLAIL SHREDDERS
When you buy a Brillion Flail Shredder you
avoid gear box failure and other problems that
result in costly down time and repairs because
Brillion has built-in quality and extra strength
where it counts! Brillion Flail Shredders are
available in 12 foot and 15 foot cutting widths.
The “heart” of the shredder is the heavy
duty gear box, made of high strength cast
iron, powered by a free telescoping, in
tegrally shielded drive shaft. The unit is
available in 540 or 1000 R.P.M.
The hood is 7-gauge steel with a 3/8” thick
center plate and has a full width replace
able wear plate. The rotor assembly is
dynamically balanced with the side-slicing
knives attached to provide smooth, vibra
tion-free operation. Wheel mountings are
adjustable to fit various row spacings.
These are only some of the features that
keep the Brillion Flail Shredder going
when others quit. Remember... you may be
able to buy cheaper, but never better than
a Brillion.
ON THE MOVE...
IN TO THE 90 s
Forage Preservatives And
Are Topics At York
hay stems, help reduce the quality
loss time between cutting and
baling.
Drying agents used alone shor
ten drydown by about one day.
Applying both drying agents and
acid products to hay at cutting,
may under ideal conditions, allow
for mowing and baling the same
day.
Cost estimate for such materials
is about $6 per acre, plus an esti
mated $lBOO to $2OOO for the
investment in application
equipment.
“You must get the agent on the
stems and not the leaves,” Hodg
son emphasized. “Apply it after
the hay is run through the cutting
part of the system.”
Programs
Boyd Cook, manager of Dairy
men, Inc.’s Middle Atlantic Divi
sion, reviewed the recent history of
the government milk support prog-
To Meet
A business meeting will be con
ducted to elect officers, delegates
and alternate delegates for the
coming year. Current presidents
are: Mervin Bare, Witmer Local;
Roger Mills, West Lampeter Loc
al; and Glenn Binkley, Millersville
Local.
In addition, a 50-year member
ship plaque will be awarded to E.
Curtis and Betty K. Funk of
Lancaster.
AG INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT
1207 Telegraph Road
Riaing Sun
Federal Support
CONTACT YOUR BRILLION
DEALER FOR DETAILS:
CECIL E JACKSON WALTEMYER S SALES & SERVICE INC
RD 1, Box 306 RD **• I B ° x 43 B
Meyeradale Red Lion
US YEARSLEY & SONS FINCH SERVICES-HANOVER, INC
Weal Cheater 515 Frederick Street
Hanover
ADAMSTOWN EQUIPMENT, INC. NORMAN D CLARK & SON
Bo * 456 ' Honey Grove
Adamatown
BENCE'S FARM EQUIPMENT
RD 2, Box 326
Beford
IVAN J. ZOOK FARM EQUIPMENT
Box 5, Star Route
Belleville
CH REINHIMER & SONS
RD 1, Berwick
GUTSHALLS, INC
Rt 34, 1201 Spring Rd
WENNER FORD TRACTOR
Route 202
Concordville
GEORGE N GROSS, INC
5261 Davidaburg Road
Dover
PAUL W. HIST AND CO, INC
697 N Mam Street
Doyleatown
MESSJCK FARM EQUIPMENT CO
Rt 263, Rheema Exit
Elizabethtown
MEYER'S IMPLEMENTS. INC
400 N. Atnm Way
Greencaatle
J & M MACHINERY CO
RR 3, Sox 147
Greenaburg
SHARTLESVILLE FARM SERVICE CHARLES SNYDER, INC
RD «1, Bok 1392 t rd
Hamburg T,m *« u «
MARYLAND
FINCH SERVICES, INC
PO Box 565
Westminster
CECIL E JACKSON
EQUIPMENT. INC
RRD2 Box 46X
Oakland
ram, noting how supports became
so high in the late ’7o’s and early
’Bo’s that it was fairly profitable to
produce milk. However, the gov
ernment became the buyer of much
of it.
With the 1985 Farm Bill came
changes, including the 15-centper
hundredweight mandatory promo
tion checkoff and (he whole herd
buyout program. Commercial
removal of milk is up ten percent,
attributed to increased advertising
and favorable retail prices. But
reduced production following the
buyout is now climbing so quickly
that another 50-cent support price
cut appears likely in January of
1989.
According to Cook, the Farm
Bill legislation has a clause permit
ting another buyout program.
“That’s not likely to happen dur
ing a major election year,” is
Cook’s assessment.
On their checks for January
milk, producers were assessed 2.5
cents per hundred toward self
funding of dairy program costs,
under the mandated Gramm-
Rudman budget deficit cutbacks.
The assessment was an industry
sought alternative to deeper sup
port price slashes, which would
have cost dairymen considerably
more.
Numerous self-help solutions to
the milk surplus problem are being
evaluated. Among those possibili
ties are the capping of federal dairy
program costs at a pre-determined
level, with over-production dis
couraged through price penalties.
PENNSYLVANIA
MILLER EQUIP. CO.
Rt 1
Bechtelavillc
Carlisle
, PEOPLE'S SALES & SERVICE
GEORGE V SEIPLE o»kl*nd Mils
Vanßuren Road
Eaaton
SWEIGARD BROS
RD #3. Box 13
Halifax
Dairy Day
“Profit benchmarks”, says man
agement specialist Freund, are
spot check figures which can be
used to gauge a dairy business’
financial efficiency. Guidelines
range from very good to serious,
and spotlight problem areas in pro
duction and cash flow.
Freund’s benchmarks at the
very good side of the capital scale
included one hundred percent
owner equity, per-cow facility
investment of under $2,000 book
value and equipment investment of
$250. A 40-percent owner equity,
showing no improvement, and per
cow investment of $3,000 for
facility and $5OO for equipment,
point to potential serious financial
problems.
Other measurements of profit
able operations include $230
return over $lOO feed cost, as
opposed to $l5O over $lOO for
problem ones. Milk to grain ratio
of 4.5 is positive, with a ratio of 2
considered serious. Calving inter-
C B HOOBER & SON
Intercourae
LANDIS BROTHERS. INC
1305 Manheim Pike
Lancaster
UMBERGER'S OF FONTANA
RD #4, Box 132
Lebanon
GUTSHALL'S, INC.
RD 2, Rt. 850 Weat
Loytville
NG HERSHEY & SON, INC
Box 30
Manheim
NH FUCKER & SONS, INC
Maxatawny
CLUGSTON FARM EQUIPMENT
HCR 80 • Box 22
Need more
A.BC GROFF, INC.
110 S Railroad Avenue
New Holland
PfKEVILLE EQUIPMENT. INC
Oley
ANGELO S FARM EQUIPMENT
RO #1 • Box 303
Perryopolia
GRUMELU FARM SERVICE
Robert Fulton Highway
Ouarryville
SUMMIT MACHINERY. INC
PO Box 325
Someraet
MAKAREVICH BROS, INC
Sliger Street
Hackettatown
FRANK RYMON & SONS
Washington
LESLIE FOGG
RD #3. Box 179
Bridgeton
iMicasfer" HMMq,
The Farm
A limited and regionally
targeted herd reduction program,
funded by producer assessment, is
being studied by the Dairy Stabili
zation Committee and Producer
Task Force of the National Milk
Producers Federation. Under this
proposal, herd reductions would
be targeted to regions, based on
their expected CCC sales.
Cook additionally reviewed the
over-order pricing obtained for
producers through the efforts of
the Middle Atlantic Cooperative
Milk Marketing Agency
(MACMMA).
BRILLION CHISEL
Features Twist-Resistant’ Frame
BRILLION CHISEL PLOWS provide deep, fast,
aggressive tillage. Compacted soil is broken up and
crop residue is mixed with top soil. Uses less power
than moldboards. Pull type models feature 4"x4"
drawbar that extends all the way to the rear of the
machine forming double “back-bone” with the frame.
Seven to 16 foot
widths, rigid or spring
banks, regular or
twisted shovels. Two
ir 3-bar mounted and
i-bar pull type models
ivailable.
NEW JERSEY
REED BROTHERS EQUIPMENT PONIATOWSKI BROS EQUIPMENT CO.
Petticoat Bridge Rd. Rou,e 31 4 Church SI
Columbu. Flemmglon
FOSTER EQUIPMENT SALES
EJrmr
CALDWELL TRACTOR & EQUIPMENT SHORE TRACTOR CO.
4SO US Route 46W RD «1 - Rt 9
Fairfield Freehold
Bill
vals of 12 months are ideal; a
15-month calving interval is of
concern.
Mastitis costs the dairy industry
an estimated $2 billion per year, or
an average of $lB2 per cow, noted
Dr. Michael Radebaugh. Somatic
cell counts on DHIA sheets offer a
guage of problem cows. Rade
baugh recommends an ideal of 90
percent of the herd, and 100 per
cent of heifers, have SCC’s in the
low range. Other goals would be
Standard Plate Counts of 5,000,
and PI counts of 10,000.
“The goal of mastitis prevention
is a clean, dry, non-traumalized
teat,” summed up the Parkton
dairy-specialty vet.
Dairy of
Distinction
Dairy families interested in app
lying for the Dairy of Distinction
award have until April 15 to fde
their application, according to Sue
Beshore, New Cumberland. A reg
ional chairperson last year for the
program, Beshore noted that the
shipping of quality milk will be
checked before a farm applicant is
considered for the award this year.
The handler or cooperative which
markets the milk for each applicant
will be contacted to determine if
the quality of milk sent from the
farm is acceptable.
Farms are primarily judged on
their neat and attractive appear
ance, from the road, which the
motoring public would see.
Inspections are made from road
side only, with judges not entering
the property or buildings.
4 QUALITY CRAFTED Ov