A24-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 27,1989
Hack Promotes Dairy
(Contlnuad from Pag* A 1)
Miriam gave them a hand-milking
demonstration. The crowd of
wide-eyed kids had their visit
topped off with popsicles and art
supplies promoting milk.
Promoting the dairy industry is
an important part of being a dairy
farm family for Albert and Mir
iam. Albert also serves on the Pen
nsylvania Promotion Board. When
he’s not promoting milk, he’s
promoting his second love, the
Guernsey breed.
With only two Guernsey herds
in Columbia County, Albert takes
lots of kidding from Holstein
dairymen at county meetings for
his minority standing. But he
maintains that quality is more
important than quantity especially
with milk surpluses and the Guern
sey’s characteristic of producing
higher butterfat, which translates
into a better price.
The Hacks have a total of 140
Guernseys, 85 registered, with 60
in the milking herd. Albert chose
Guernseys because he grew up on
a farm which raised the breed and
he wanted to continue in the same
line. The herd average is 10,400
pounds with 417 pounds of butter
fat with a 4.8 percent test. His
highest producer, Alfa Mar Admi
ral Ada, averages 17,741 pounds,
4.3 percent test, with 761 pounds
of butterfat. Admiral semen is used
quite heavily in the Hacks’ herd
and Albert also uses young sires in
the proving program from ABS.
The Hacks’ Grandview Farm
consists of 400 acres which
includes 150 acres in alfalfa, 125
in com, 25 in wheat, 26 in barley
and the balance in soybeans as a
cash crop. Barley is used as a sub
stitute for high moisture com in
short supply due to drought.
The Hacks took over the farm
which was Miriam’s homestead in
1963. They razed the old conven
tional bam and replaced it with
modem facilities to accomodate a
large dairy herd and purchased
their Guernseys in 1966. Bucket
milkers are used with a dumping
station.
Comfort stalls range in three
widths, 4 feet, 4'A feet, 5 feet, all
are six feet long. Even though
these stalls run somewhat larger
than average, Albert feels the com
fort for larger cows must be con
sidered. Manure is hauled and
spread daily except Sundays.
Hacks use straw bedding.
The Hacks started with a
40-by-l 12 bam. This building has
since been enlarged to 100 feet
giving the stable area 212 feet. A
quonset hut shelters baled hay and
machinery. Two Harvestores, 20
by 60 feet and 20 by 35 feet handle
alfalfa haylage and high moisture
com.
The herd is fed alfalfa, haylage,
alfalfa hay, high moisture com,
minerals, salt, selenium and bi
carb. Albert has found the large
teachers into tjhe Hacks dairy facilities. Albert explains the
milk storage tank and give the visitors gifts to help them
bales very pleasant to work with.
He uses a power saw to divide a
bale into four parcels in the feed
area. A couple of power carts dis
tribute com product and haylage.
Miriam handles the milking and
some of the feeding including ten
bucket-fed calves in an open stall.
Albert is the crop man and gives a
hand with feeding. Wayne Benja
min, a full-time hand eases the
work load for both.
Keep Milk Natural and Whole
some
Promoting the dairy industry
begins by keeping the share of the
consumer market which dairy pro
ducts already have. The introduc
tion of BST, bovine somatotro
phin, Albert feels might change
that.
Albert is greatly concerned with
the proposed hormone injection,
BST, which promotes an estimated
15 percent milk production
increase. He does not feel the
beverage which the public has
come to believe as natural, whole
some and nutritious should be tam
pered or experimented with.
Albert agrees with Penn State’s
Dairy Specialist, Mike O’Connor,
who recently spoke in Columbia
County. O’Connor said there was
no guarantee that some of the hor
mone injection would not pass
through the milk if the cow was
given more than prescribed. These
injections will be administered by
non-professionals and human
nature being what it is there will
always be those individuals who
think that more is better.
Albert believes there is a need to
make some important decisions
about this product which may
come into use by next year. Also,
Albert pointed out, the treatment
requires daily injections with a
clean needle for each cow.
O’Connor cautioned that the temp
tation to reuse a needle could be
disastrous if just one cow in the
herd carried an infection. A sizable
number of cows could be at risk.
BST is not effective on first calf
heifers or second calf heifers. It’s
purpose is to increase performance
of older cows. But Albert feels the
program could backfire. With the
public becoming evermore cau
tious of foods containing addi
tives, especially those used by
children, dairy products suspect of
carrying hormones may see reduc
tion in sales. Parents are looking
20 years down the road at how
today’s food may affect their
child’s long-term health and well
being.
And what of the farmers who do
not use BST and the others who
chose to use it. Ultimately, the
milk all epds up in the same stor
age silo, untreated milk being mix
ed with milk from BST treated
herds.
Albert referred to a statement
made by Adri Boudewyn, director
of communication for the Califor-
Miriam Hack demonstrates the fascinating art of hai
The calf stall on the Hat Farm present has a populai nof ten. The docile at.
friendly Guernsey calves provided the youngsters with an unforgetable hands-on
experience with the calves. Miriam supervised the visit.
nia Milk Advisory Board, on the
survey made on the BST issue.
Boudewyn said, supermarkets
don’t want it, consumers don’t
want it and farmers don’t want it.
Boudewyn stressed that if farmers
lose their market share, they are in
trouble.
Dairy Herd Magazine carried
Boudewyn’s statements in the
April issue. He sees a potential 10
percent market share loss due to
public perception and Boudewyn
feels those consumers will be lost
forever because they will replace
milk in their diet with some alter
native. When related products are
considered, the public will have
the last say, too. Ice cream, yogurt,
cheeses, puddings and other items
which carry milk as an ingredient
are all at risk.
Albert adds that the theory of
BST just doesn’t strike him as
being good sense. Surplus milk has
been the bane of dairymen’s pro
fits for years. There has recently
been some encouraging signs with
the herd sell-off and an increase in
milk prices. Albert feels BST
counters any small gains made in
production decreases.
At a recent meeting in Columbia
County, area farmers echoed the
California survey report that only
laboratories and pharmaceutical
companies would be benefit by the
promotion and sale of the injection
and hypodermic needles.
Albert cited Penn State studies
which have shown cows being
treated with BST have increased
their feed intake from five to ten
percent. The feed increase doesn’t
occur immediately, but within a
matter of weeks. O’Connor warns
that period must be recognized and
proper nutrition supplied ©Jet the
health of the cow.
Albert contends that the ulti- Albert is completing his term on
mate question of healthy milk pro- the Pennsylvania Promotion
duction remains. Will the dairy- Board. He belongs to the Pennsyl
man using BST actually reduce his vania Guernsey Association, Pen
herd as an economic move to com- nsylvania Grassland Council and
pensate for the increased produc- Columbia-Luzeme Dairy Princess
tion or will he maintain his herd Committee,
and add to the milk glut already at
Dairymen Buy
Kraft’s Tennessee
Cheese Plant
Greeneville, Tenn. Kraft
USA and Dairymen, Inc.
announced that they have reached
an agreement for Dairymen to
purchase Kraft’s Greeneville,
Tenn., cheese plant as an ongoing
operation. Kraft plans to continue
buying cheese produced at the
plant
Terms of the transaction were
not disclosed.' As part of the
arrangement. Dairymen will offer
jobs to Kraft employees at the
facility. In addition, Dairymen
will continue to purchase milk
from producers currently supply
ing the plant This will provide a
continued local market for milk
produced in east Tennessee.
‘The arrangement will be bene
ficial for all those involved,” said
Chuck Woolley, Kraft vice presi
dent of production. “With Dairy
man*n ■mill/’ aiiMtatiaM anil.
ig to some
hand?
from Kraft, the point will operate
at greater efficiency.”
“While this plant will play a
role in balancing the marketing
needs of the Southeast,” said
James W. McDowell Jr., Dairy
men’s chief executive officer, “we
look at it as a way of putting added
dollars in Dairymen’s member
milk checks. It is a part of Dairy
men’s total marketing program.”
The Grecneville plant makes
natural cheese.
Kraft USA, based in Glenview,
111., produces and markets
refrigerated and dry grocery food
products.
Dairymen, Inc. is a regional
milk and dairy products marketing
cooperative owned by 5,500
member-farmers in 17 mid-
Atlantic, southeastern and mid
western states. The cooperative is
■eyed