David Kradel Herbert Jordan Milton Madison Penn State Poultry Pointers Herbert Siegel Donald Singletary Owen Keene SPREAD’S THE WORD Q the word at Ideal Industries with a line of manure spreaders that are big on performance - but easy on your budget! Ideal’s Nu Hawk flail tank spreaders offer a more efficient, less expensive solution to all your manure spreader needs. And Nu Hawk spreaders are competitively priced to provide a more economical way to fertilize and build up the organic matter in your soil. Built to meet your complete loading and spreading requirements, Nu Hawk spreaders provide a variety of features and options for consistent year round spreading of all types of manure. All Nu Hawk models offer either right or left side discharge and a straight or folding rear panel to clear low barn cleaners. As well, Nu Hawk’s tractor controlled hydraulic lid openers and copper bearing steel lids and tanks resist damaging corrosive manure acids. For more information on Ideal’s new line of Nu Hawk flail tank spreaders, see your local Nu Hawk dealer. P.O. Box 219 | I 539 Falling Springs Rd. k] I Chambersburg, PA 17201 ■ W Phone:7l7-263-9111 YDER Supplv NUWMVK® pr JKKF PENNSYLVANIA EGG PROMOTION By Milton Madison Asst. Professor Ag Economics A study committee has been appointed by the Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture, Boyd E. Wolff, to consider establishing an egg checkoff for generic promo tion of Pennsylvania eggs. The committee had 12 members nomi nated to it, including egg produc ers and egg marketers. Six of the members attended the first meet- </> a o ing, which was held December 11, 1989. The committee has been Lancaster (terming, Saturday, January 13,1990-C5 asked to draft a proposed egg marketing program that potential ly could lead to a commodity marketing program for eggs, as part of the Pennsylvania Agricul ture Commodity Marketing Act. The next meeting of the study committee is scheduled for Janu ary 15. When the committee finishes drafting the program, there will be at least one public meeting to discuss the program. There must be a public hearing on the proposed program, and it will be held after die hearing notice is published in the Pennsylvania Bul letin, news releases are published in state newspapers, and public hearing notices and a copy of the proposed marketing program are mailed to affected producers. Depending on the reaction of the people attending the public hear ing, the Secretary then can call for a vote on the proposed egg market ing program, cancel the program, or ask the committee to alter the program and resubmit it to the hearing process. If the program is brought to a vote, it must be favored by a majority (50.1 per cent) of the producers voting and by a majority of producers based on their volume of eggs produced, to become law. If passed by producer referen dum, the egg marketing program calls for the Secretary of Agricul ture to establish a board to manage the operation of the program. The board would be made up of eight producers that would each serve three year terms, with no more Get Winter Farm Work Done BY DAVE FILSON Mifflin Co. Agent LEWISTOWN (Mifflin Co.) I’ve always been a bit amused at the attitude some non-farmers have about the good life associat ed with farming. Don’t take me wrong, life on the farm can be one of the most wholesome environ ments to bring up a family. What amuses me is the idea that farmers don’t have anything to do except milk cows once the fall harvest is completed. I would like to share some of the winter time jobs with those who think there is nothing else going on. Winter means cold weather, freezing weather. Most dairy bams in our area are “cold” bams. That means no heat except for body heat from the cows. Even during periods of cold tempera tures, fans must be used to venti late stale, moist air out of the bam. Water lines can freeze. You can’t just wait until the temperatures warm up to thaw frozen pipes or drinking cups. It only takes a few hours without water available and Bossy will let you know how loudly she can bellow. Cold weather also means snow. I don’t know of many farmers who have the luxury of having munici pal equipment plow their farm lanes. Some of you might think, Ah ... isolation - no interrup tions, no salesman, no inconven ient visits, but an impassable farm lane also means, no milk truck to empty the bulk tank and no feed truck to make needed deliveries. There are calves bom during cold weather, too. Most often de liveries during cold weather are in an isolated accessible maternity pen, but many times those deliver ies occur during the middle of the night. I know of several producers who will bunk in the bam when heifers are about to calve. Swine and sheep producers do much the than three members’ terms expir ing in any given year, a ninth mem ber would be the Secretary of Agri culture or his designee. The board would operate the program and hire people or contract for services of others to carry out the promo tion, education, or research prog ram that they choose to use. If passed, the program can be terminated later in a number of ways if producers are not happy with it. The program can be sus pended if more than one-third of producers that also produce more than one-half of the eggs in the state request termination of the program in writing. A vote on con tinuing the program will be called for if 10 percent of the producers request that a vote for termination be held. The program then will be terminated if a majority of those voting indicate that is their choice. In any case, every five years a referendum must be held and two thirds of the voting producers must vote favorably to keep the program operating. Pennsylvania is one of the few major egg producing states that does not have a state egg promo tion checkoff. California has a one cent per dozen checkoff, while most other state checkoffs vary from two to six cents a case. Preli minary consideration has been given to a 2.5 cent per case check off to be paid by producers with 30,000 or more birds. Pennsylva nia egg producers will be hearing more about this program as it develops. same. At lambing lime and at far rowing, good managers spend more time, day and night, in the bams than in their homes. There are instances where cows that have access to winter pasture or exercise areas will choose to find the most remote section of the field to deliver their calf. Calves are hearty critters. It takes severe conditions or maternal abuse to cause the loss of a calf bom out side, even in winter. Other winter time problems oc cur in the handling of anything containing moisture. Some me chanical silo unloaders won’t work when silage freezes to silo walls. That means unloading enough silage to feed 50 or more cows one forkful! at a time from silos as wide as 20 feet or more. Over the past several years, many farmers have installed man ure storage pits or lagoons. Those facilities are labor saving over the winter months. The majority of producers still have to haul man ure to their fields, at least every other day, no matter what the weather. Not only is it uncomfort able because of the cold weather, but any breakdown in spreading equipment means immediate emptying of the manure spreader, one forkfull at a lime. The manure must not be allowed to freeze on the spreader. If it would freeze, the spreader would be out of use until warm weather thawed the manure. Almost all farms have more than a few vehicles or machines that must be winterized. Two gal lons of anti-freeze doesn’t go very far in the radiators of a family car, farm truck, and three or more trac tors. Some farms have more mot orized equipment that must re ceive attention .. . combine, har vester, haybine, just to name a few. Winter is also the time most (Turn to Pago C 6)
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