DB-Lancasler Farming Saturday, April 30, 1988 First Delmarva Poultry Seminar Hosts Hundreds GEORGETOWN, DE More than 400 people, mostly poultry growers, attended the first Delmar va Poultry Industry, Inc. (DPI) Grower Committee Educational Seminar in Salisbury, Maryland on March 2,1988. The meeting, open to the public, was the first of its kind in quite some time on Delmarva. It was held to answer needs identified by the Grower Committee survey of last year which indicated DPI could and should be doing more for the near ly 3,000 chicken producers on Delmarva. Because it was the first of its kind and ’because no advanced registration was needed, organizers were uncertain what the response would be. When the audi torium was filled as the program began, members of the Grower Committee realized the type of Lehr Named Penn State Alumnus UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre) Ray S. Lehr, vice president and general manager of the feed mark eting division at Pennfield Corpo ration in Lancaster, has been named the 1988 Distinguished Alumnus in the animal science area of the Department of Dairy and Animal Science. Lehr graduated from Penn State in 1960 with a B.S. in animal hus bandry. As an undergraduate he was president of the Block and Bridle Club, and a member of both the livestock and meats judging teams. He received the Block and Bridle Outstanding Student Award. Upon graduation Lehr began a 20-year association with Central Soya Co. at Camp Hill, Pa. Ulti mately he was named western reg ion sales manager and general manager of the Farm Supply Divi sion. In this position, he was responsible for all the feed activi ties west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rockies. 'ln 1982 Lehr accepted his pre sent position with the Pcnnfield Corporation where he is responsi STOP WATER-BOWL SPLASHING! $ 1% I * • Keeps mangers and feed dry ■ prevents feed souring and odors • Cows eat and milk more, since feed stays fresher • Easily clamps onto most sizes of metal or plastic bowls • 4 rugged, steel, hold down brackets secure guard firmly to water bowl nm cows, carts or hay bales can’t knock it off • Tough, high density poly won’t crack or rust meets Grade A specs • Guard extends 2V? ' above bowl and 1” down into bowl specially designed bottom lip slows water movement PROVEN RESULTS - ASK US LAPP'S BARN EQUIPMENT , I S (717) 442-8134 j WE SHIP UPS- program they planned was needed. TTie three hour seminar began with DPI President Dr. Keith Rine hart reviewing what DPI does for growers. He said much of the asso ciation’s work is not done directly with growers, but all the work ben efits them because they, as the pro ducers of the chickens, are helped by work on environmental matters, disease prevention and control, by improvements in nutrition, breed er, hatchery, processing, transpor tation and growout areas, and through aggressive chicken promotions. The segment on grower man agement presented ideas on how growers can better manage their farms. Dr. William D. Weaver, extension poultry specialist with Virginia Tech, talked about the fundamentals of ventilation and why proper poultry house ventila- Distinguished ble for Feed Marketing activities and the 11,000-sow Swine Division. Lehr has continued his involve ment with student programs at Penn State. Currently he is a direc tor of the Penn State Stockmen’s Club, which supports programs and student events in animal pro duction. He is also chairman of the Agricultural Committee of the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce, member of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Livestock Association and an active member of the Swine Health Advisory Committee of the Pen nsylvania Department of Agriculture. In the past. Lehr has served as chairman of the American Feed Industry Association Marketing Committee, president of the Pen nsylvania Livestock Association and president of the Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council. Lehr and his family live in Mil lersville. He has recently estab lished a flock of purebred Suffolk sheep in partnership with his brother in Spring Grove. Paten! Pending “the solution” to wet mangers Sales & Service ■5935 Old Phila. Pike, Gap, PA 17527 tion is so important in the produc tion of a healthy, low cost chicken. Dorchester County, Maryland poultry grower Dave Paulson and Dr. Ralph Knowles of the Mary land Department of Agriculture discussed biosecurity on farms and the importance of keeping unwanted visitors off farms. They agreed that a biosecurity program is necessary for farmers to protect their investments. DPI Grower Committee Chairman Harry J. Mitchell of Berlin, Maryland was moderator for a panel discussion on management styles and tech niques. Three poultry growers reviewed things they do to help them. Alan Wilber, a grower near Salisbury, Maryland, works with his brother and father on three locations with old chicken houses with a total capacity of 97,000 birds. Wilber, a DPI brother, said each house has its own manage ment requirements and that meant special attention for each. Jim Baxter of Stocklcy, Delaware, a DPI Grower Committee member, has eight new houses and several old ones with a total capacity of 385,000. He talked to his fellow growers about the automated equipment they have and why that equipment is necessary on such a large poultry farm. Bill Bruning of Snow Hdl, Maryland, another GRAND OPENING Unlimited Decks Specializing in custom decks Your Treated Lumber Specialists Free Estimates 2 Yr. Guarantee On All Labor 717-846-6222 71MMERMAN manufacturing corp. 125 King Court/Hollander Rd., New Holland, PA 17557 AIR-O-MATIC ZIMMERMAN AUGER SYSTEMS SYSTEMS FOR emptying manure pits Available All Types Of Fans For Efficient, Economical and requires less All Types Of Buildings sSna^erTortS; 48” High-Volume RTABLE DOLING FAN CALL FOR PRI Grower Committee member, works with family members on their grain and poultry farm. They use tenants to manage the 105,000 capacity chicken houses on a day to day basis. He said that was the best way to work with the chickens during the spring to autumn crops season. Well received at the seminar was the segment on environmental matters. DPI Executive Assistant Bill Satterfield told the capacity crowd what DPI has done and is doing in the area of protecting the environment. Much of that work is cooperating with university researchers on finding better ways to dispose of dead birds. Dr. Den nis Murphy, extension poultiy spe cialist with the University of Maryland, talked about his work on composting dead birds with poultry manure to produce a better quality fertilizer for grain and hor ticulture crops. Talbot County, Maryland poultry grower John Allvater, who is working with Dr. Murphy, shared with growers the successes he has had using the manurc/dead bird composting sys tem on his 147,000 capacity farm. University of Delaware Associate Poultry Scientist Bud Malone spoke about his DPI sponsored research into acid preservation of dead bird carcasses. If the work is successful, the preserved birds could be used as an animal feed protein source. The final speaker on environmental matters was John Hughes, director of the Dela ware Division of Soil and Water Conservation. He told poultry growers voluntary efforts on their part were needed to prevent gov ernment regulators from mandat ing certain types of disposal sys tems for farm waste products. He said his agency would rather coop erate with them on finding solu tions than regulating them. The economics and future of the poultry industry was the theme of the final segment of the evening meeting. Bill Denson, executive vice president of Agrimelrics Associates of Chester, Virginia, compared growout costs between Delmarva’s poultry industry and the industries in the south. He chal lenged the growers to do their part to control costs so Dclmarva can remain competitive with other poultry areas. The seminar’s final speaker was Bill Rocnigk, director of Economic Research and Mem bership Services with the National Broiler Council. Mr. Rocnigk said the future was bright for the poul try industry because of rising per capita chicken consumption, an increasing American population and improved exports. Teats LIGHTNING Protection Safeguard Your Personal Property From Natures Deadliest Weapon No. 1 Cause Of All Barn & Church Fires, No. 2 Destroyer Of Rural Residences - Estimates Without Obligation - Phone (717) 374-5123 TIM SHAFFER Freeburg, PA 7) 354-9611
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