D6-Lancaster Farming Saturday, July 29,1989
“As long as these cows work, I will,” said Paul Lewis,
right, herdman and partner of Ro La Farms Inc. In Rexvllle
N.Y. Agrl-Klng area manager Earl Glnder, left, services the
company’s number one herd.
Agri-King Helps Dairy
Herd Be High Producers
FULTON, IL Nestled in a
valley of the Allegheny Mountains
in lower New York is one of the
nation’s finest dairy herds. It’s
owned and operated by a farm
family who claim “Our cows
aren’t anything speciaL.we don’t
do anything special.”
However, at the top of the
lengthy DHIA report can be found
Ro La Farms, of Rexville, N.Y.
Ro La is milking 220 grade
Holstein cows that in June reached
a production level of 26,211
pounds of milk with 832 pounds of
butterfat. The herd consists of 117
first-calf heifers milking at high
levels and has a calving interval of
12.7 months with an income over
value of feed of $2,076 per cow—
almost double the national average
for the breed.
The cows are fed a total mixed
ration with only one milking ration
setat7S pounds and top dressing in
the milk parlor. Top-quality corn
silage is fed, and the precisely
balanced ration also includes hay
lage, 44 percent soybean meal. Soy
Plus, dry shelled com, whole cot
tonseed (seven pounds per cow per
day), and a mineral mix of Di-Cal,
limestone, bicarbonate, salt, and
Agri-King products. No hay is fed
except in the pre-freshening ration.
Feedstuff testing and ration
balancing are done by Agri-King
with Earl Cinder of Manheim, Pa.,
servicing the account
The May DHIA report revealed
that there were 40 cows milking
above 100 pounds a day and that
the top cow was a second-calf heif
er producing 153 pounds, down
two pounds from April.
This dairy herd has ranked
among the top 20 Holstein dairy
herds in the nation for three conse
cutive years. No other herd can
claim this distinction, to the best of
Agri-King’s knowledge.
Under the management of
herdsman Paul Lewis, the only
Mike Pendleton and Keith Lewis.
magic in the operation appears to
be in the word “consistency.”
“We do everything exactly the
same three times a day,” Paul
noted. “We milk 9:00 a.m., 5:00
p.m., and 1:00 a.m., and our rou
tine is exactly the same every time
every day. When something works
you don’t fool with it.”
Ro La has been using Agri-
King’s feeding programs since
December of 1980, and they esti
mate that production then was
somewhere between 17,000 and
18.000 pounds. After hitting the
24.000 pound mark slightly longer
than two years ago, the herd hung
at that level for the next two years,
reaching the 26,000-pound mark
only once in that period. This time,
however, Paul doesn’t think they
will drop.
“Things have been going
good...really good...for several
months,” he added. “If we keep
this up, we’ll hit 27,000 pounds
within a year.”
The top Holstein herd in the
nation for 1988 was at 27,432
pounds.
"The biggest thing I can see here
is Agri-King,” Paul said. “That’s
been the turnaround for this herd.
From the first day we were on
Agri-King, we saw a pound a day
increase, and that’s the way things
have kept going. We had a set goal
of 20,000 pounds when we started
with them....We made that the first
year.”
Paul feels that if there are any
secrets or magic to reaching this
kind of production, it’s “making
the whole thing work: your for
ages. your breeding techniques,
your feeding program and getting
the most out of high producers.”
However, all those things are
combined with tons of tender lov
ing care and a lot of hard work. It
takes three men to care for the herd
and each works 12 hour days at Ro
La. Milking in the double-four her-
, I
York Farm C
YORK (York Co.) - York Farm
Credit recently awarded $750 col
lege scholarships to Stephanie J.
Meyers and James C. Rexroth.
Stephanie Meyers, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. J. Robert Meyers, Jr.
of St. Thomas, is a 1987 graduate
of James Buchanan High School.
James C. Rexroth, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Kenneth L. Rexroth of
Windsor, is a 1988 graduate of
Eastern York High School. Both
students are studying dairy sci
ence at Virginia Polytechnical In
stitute and State University.
This is the first year for the
York Farm Credit Scholarships,
which were established by the co
operative to help deserving youth
continue their education in an ag
related field.
The scholarship program is
open to all high school seniors and
college students. Entrants are jud
ged on character, academic per
formance and experience in agri
culture. Applicants must also be a
member or the child of a member
of York Farm Credit and attend or
plan to attend a four-year college
full time.
York Farm Credit, ACA is af
filiated with the Farm Credit Bank
of Baltimore, part of the nation
wide Farm Credit System, the na
tion’s leading agricultural lending
institution. The Bank provides
funds and services to sixteen other
ACAs (Agricultural Credit Asso
ciations) in the states of Pennsyl
vania, Maryland, Delaware, Vir
ginia, West Virginia, and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Du Pont Unveils Returnable
WILMINGTON. DE—The Du
Pont Company has created two
new programs to help growers and
applicators solve some pesticide
container disposal problems.
Under one program, “Asana”
XL pyrethrpid will be available
this year in a new 14-gallon return
able container. In the other pro
gram. Du Pont will take back all
empty 30-gallon drums that con
tained one of its pyrethroids.
The reusable, 14-gallon
stainless-steel container for “Asa
na” XL, called “Rebound”, will be
available in selected areas for use
on cotton and vegetable crops.
“Growers and applicators now
can take care of more than yield
robbing insects with ‘Asana’ XL.
They also can eliminate the prob
lem of what to do with used con
tainers,” said Greg Buss, packag
ringbone parlor takes 18 hours a
day. “We run this place like a busi
ness,” Paul continued. “But until
two months ago, we never had a
cow (produce) over ISO. pounds
(per day).”
Herd health is excellent “our
problems arc next to nothing,”
Paul said as he told about a first
calf heifer he had to dry off at 90
pounds.
Ro La Farms -are owned and
operated by Robert Lewis and his
three sons, Larry, Lyle, and Paul.
dit A
scholarship award to Stephanie J. Meyers.
jrk Farm Credit Board
of Directors, presents a scholarship award to James C.
Rexroth.
Pesticide Container
ing coordinator for Du Pont Agri
cultural Products.
Buss added that the new con
tainer offers growers and applica
tors several other benefits, includ
ing convenient dispensing and
reduced exposure risk.
With proper pumping equip
ment, the “Rebound” container
forms a closed system. The seals
and connections are designed to
prevent leaks when used with
pump and metering systems such
as the Science EP-12H or the
HP-20 system.
The convenient size of the reus
able containers makesthem easy to
store, and they are designed for
palletized double-stacking.
After use. the 14-gallon
“Rebound” container is returned to
the chemical supplier, who returns
it to Du Pont or its agents.
Regarding the other container
disposal program. Buss explains
that Du Pont will take back all
empty 30-gallon pyrethroid drums
Patz Introduces Two Belt Conveyors
pniIND WI _ The new Patz dro PP in B feed at P 0 o*er than
iliTiJn the end for added layout flexibili
-1- and 16-mch belt conveyors Both use a proven
feature new concave, open-pan * y unit pro-
The sccUoig simplicity for easy mainte
roduce belt drag. These new Pate J ’ Bervice 7 m
belt conveyors offer p informa tion, contact a
high-volume conveying at attrac- contact Pate at PO
“ 0& plow-otf, permit WI 541611
ness
News
d" S*shol
that contained “Asana” XL, "Asa
lia", “Pydrin”, or “Payoff”.
This 30-gallon container return
program is available nationwide,
according to Buss. Growers and
applicators with used drums
should contact their distributors or
Du Pont representative for
information.
Du Pont is active in developing
new packaging that reduces the
problem of container disposal. The
company also is a leading user of
water-soluble packages, which
‘ produce little waste and are envi
ronmentally sound.
"Growers and applicators are
concerned about container dispos
al because of the environmental
impact and the added cost," said
Buss. “Our new programs are
designed to help eliminate the
problem of container disposal.
And by eliminating that problem,
we eliminate an environmental
problem.”
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