(Continued from Page A 1)
called FACS, developed by Grif
fith Data Services. It gave Zug a
freedom and agility with the
record-keeping he didn’t have
before.
“It best suited what I was
already doing,” he said. “I could
change any of the entry columns. I
could make any number of diffe
rent categories I wanted, and that
sounded pretty good. I have the
program split up between the trac
tors and the hay equipment, com
equipment and the manure equip
ment, so I can tell which costs
more and what I want to keep
operating.”
Zug uses the computer to more
carefully track costs. FACS helps
Zug compare costs of fixing,
repairing, and building real-estate
structures to his farm. In the sum
mer of 1989, Zug used the compu
ter to analyze the cost of either
repairing an old silo or just tearing
the silo down and building a new
one.
Did calculations
“We did all the calculations and
decided it would cost the same
amount of money to have that one
tom down and a new one built as it
would be to try to fix it up. So they
tore it down. A man just came with
his sledgehammer and they just
knocked it down, just like chop
ping down a big tree.”
The computer tracks areas that
‘ ‘cost the most money. ’ ’ Zug anal
FUTTOUR
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Failure to have Workers' Compensatlonlnsurance
can cause you severe financial llardship.
IT'S THE LAW.
If yaukpve employees, you must have
Workers* Compensation Insurance coverage.
IT 18 THE LAW!
So, an employeesulfers a work related Injury on youlfarm.
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yzes the basic expenses and deter
mines where the money goes to
“real estate repairs, or do we
spend more fixing up the building,
or did we spend a lot of money last
year on fence or did we just buy a
lot of small supplies, ’ ’ he said, ‘ ‘or
is it livestock equipment we spend
too much money, or stable cleaner,
or pipeline or silo equipment?”
The computer tracks profit and
loss for each month and provides
information on expenses and
income for the year.
But Zug doesn’t use all the fea
tures in the program, including
check writing for expenses. ‘ ‘With
the small farm, I didn’t think it was
necessary that I have check writ
ing. We don’t write that many
checks each month,” he said.
Recently, Zug bought a new
computer an Apple lIGS. The
old one was purchased by his
daughter, Irene, a secondary math
education major at York College
of Pennsylvania.
“I’m very happy with the Apple
system,” he said. “Thai’s what I
started out with.”
Zug was bom on a farm in Ches
ter County, about five miles east of
West Chester. The farm comprised
about 65 acres owned and 335
rented by his grandfather. The
Chester County farm was con
verted to development after 1972,
when the Zugs moved out.
At the farm in Peach Bottom,
com and alfalfa are grown for the
I ' -
_ c/ 1
■n \
%
„ * « Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 24,1990-A35
Computer € Figures In
Very happy
dairy herd, and oats for the cow
feed. Excess com is used as a cash
crop.
Zug was recently presented with
the Pennsylvania Young Farmer
Award (over-30 category). The
award is based on financial record
keeping, crop and livestock pro
duction, community service, con
servation practices, equipment and
farm maintainance, and other
factors.
Total picture
“The award is not based on real
good com production, but on the
total picture,” he said.
The Solanco Young Farmers
organization boasts about 70 mem
bers. Zug is enthusiastic about the
importance of the organization and
the monthly meetings to help edu
cate farmers. About 20 to 35 peo
ple attend each meeting, which
provides information on pesticide
licenses, nutritional management,
fuels, and other farming
information.
Zug enjoys the work on the
dairy farm, but is worried about the
committment. “I’m committed to
the cows. They have to be milked
twice a day, every day.”
Zug said there is a lot of meet
ings he would like to attend, and
have time to visit people, but “you
can’t stay very long. You either get
there late and leave early or you
don’t go at all because of the com
mitment to the cows.”
**► . w
Being outside
But he enjoys being outside, “On the other hand, they don’t
taking care of the animals, and envy me at all for the hours I have
working in the field with the to work and the amount of money I
equipment have to invest in order to stay in
“My West Chester friends envy business. They say, ‘You do all
me for being my own boss, having that amount of work for that little
my own responsibility to the cows, amount of money? Why, I
But I don’t have to punch a time wouldn’t do that!”’
;d ig Jy pi
Young Farmer Award (over-30 category). The award Is
based on financial record-keeping, crop and livestock pro
duction, community service, conservation practices,
equipment and farm maintalnance, and other factors.
Indiana
Livestock
Homer City, PA
Mar. 22, 1990
Report supplied by PDA
CATTLE 180. SL. COWS MOSTLY
STEADY; CHOICE 72.00-77.00. FEW
SELECT 67.50-71.50, FEW STANDARD
62.00- CH. SL. HEIFERS
71.00- SELECT 67.00-71.00, FEW
STANDARD 59.50-63.50, BREAKING
UT. & COMMERCIAL SL. COWS
51.00- CUTTER & BONING UT.
49.00- CANNER & LOW CUTTER
42.00- SHELLS DOWN TO 30.00.
ONE SELECT 69.75. YIELD GRADE
NO. 1 1300-1500 LBS. SL. BULLS
59.00- FEW YG NO. 2 860-1050
LBS. 53.50-57.00. STEERS: M 350-450
LBS. 84.00-94.00. FEW M&L 500-700
LBS. 70.00-85.00. HEIFERS: M 400-600
LBS. 64.00-74.00.
CALVES 95. CHOICE COUPLE 115 &
What Do You Need?
clock.
120 LBS., FEW GOOD 95.00-104.00,
STAND. & GOOD 90-120 LBS.
70 00-80.00, 60-85 LBS. 65.00-74.00,
FEW UTILITY 50-60 LBS. 48.00-54.00.
HOLSTEIN BULLS 90-125 LBS.
100.00- HOL. HEIFERS 80-115
LBS. 88.00-135.00,80-85 LBS. MOSTLY
80.00- BC/BH 80-115 LBS.
80.00-
HOGS 246. BARROWS & GILTS 50.00
- 1 LOWER. US NO. 1-2 230-255 LBS.
52.50- 1-3 215-260 LBS.
51.50- 2-3 225-260 LBS.
50.00- SOWS US NO. 1-3 300-600
LBS. 43.0-48.00, FEW 2-3 325-650 LBS.
38.00- BOARS FEW 30.00-34.00.
FEEDER PIGS 3.
SHEEP 71. H. CH. & PRIME 100-110
LBS. WSL 67.00-69.00, LOT CHOICE
SSL 68 LBS. 90.00, SLAUGHTER S KEEP
18.00-25.00.
GOATS 8. COUPLE LARGE 45 00 &
48.00, FEW MEDIUM 35.00-40.00 PER
HD.