AlO-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December IS, 1990
OPINION
DHIA Management Information:
Don’t Be In Businesss Without It
For a farmer to belong to and support a farm organization, the
organization must provide help with management, marketing or
the legislative process. Pride of ownership and farming as a way
of life just aren’t good enough anymore.
The Dairy Herd Improvement Association, nationally, region
ally and in Pennsylvania particulary, provides useful information
to the dairymen. While die banker may want to see production
percow and feed costs to establish a base for a line of credit, the
dairyman may pay for the milk testing service many limes over by
reducing the length of dry periods or the somatic cell counts.
Jay Mylin, Lancaster DHIA manager, has compiled figures
that prove the economic value of DHIA records. At $l2 milk on a
50 cow herd, only small management changes based on DHIA
reports can increase profits dramatically. For example, if you
decrease the calving interval from 14 months to 13 months, you
increase your income by $6,200. If you decrease your somatic
cell count by 50 percent, you increase profit by $3,400.
Save one pound of grain per cow per day by having records to
feed according to the production and body weight needs of the
cow and you gain about $1,300. And if you increase the rolling
herd average by 1,000 lbs., even with the extra feed costs to get
the production, you still have a $5,000 higher income.
Not many dairymen can afford to be without DHIA records.
Commercial dairy herds certainly need the production and man
agement information spit out of that big computer in State Col
lege. But even the registered breeder needs more than the top fat
production records to stay in business. All dairymen must have a
profitable bottom line.
As Mylin says, there are 101 different management decisions
you can make to change the income for your dairy herd. And
because of the large capabilities of computers, the information
that DHIA now compiles in the monthly test reports to the indivi
dual member helps the dairyman make intelligent decisions that
are based on facts.
The need for DHIA management information on your herd is
so great we highly recommend that you don’t be in the dairy busi
ness without it.
Farm Calendar
Pesticide application record fica
tion training, Clayton Hall, U.
of Del., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Berks Co. Ag Elections, Commun
ity and County Convention, Ag
Center, 11 a.m.
Octorara Young Farmers’ Associ
ation dairy management meet
ing, Octorara High School Ag
Room.
Milk Equipment and Mastitis
Workshop, Susquehanna,
Wyoming, and Lackawanna
counties.
Susquehanna Co. Milking Equip
ment and Mastitis Workshop,
The Mountain View Restaur
ant, Clifford, 9:45 a.m.-3 p.m.
Lancaster Farming
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E Mam St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, Inc.
A Stemman Enterprise
Robert G Campbell General Manager
Everett R Newswanger Managing Editor
Bradford Co. Milking and Mastitis
Seminar, Bradford Co.
Cooperative Extension Office,
Fire Company Hall, Hegins,
lueschn, December 25
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 26
WHAT ARE DOIN6 Wl
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NOW IS
THE TIME
By Jay Irwin
Lancaster County
Agricultural Agent
To Consider
Manure Nutrients
Did you know that on the aver
age, more nutrients are brought
onto the farm in feed for the ani
mals than fertilizer purchases?
Well, that may be a surprising fact
but research has shown this to be
true in southeast Pennsylvania.
This serves to make a point for
considering the importance of
manure management. In the past,
management of manure nutrients
has “taken the back seat” to other
management problems. The
research done in this area in the
past several years has had the
same conclusion: taking a closer
look at the benefits you are receiv
ing from manure applications is a
profitable idea! Consider the
nutrients in manure when plan
ning your fertilizer program for
1991.
To Assist With
Food Safety
Our food producers, processors
and retailers are proud to supply
the American public with an abun
dant amount of wholesome, safe
food. In order to ensure that this
same high quality product reaches
your table, consumers are encour
aged to please observe several
guidelines when preparing foods
for your family. According to
Chester Hughes, Extension Lives
tock Agent, it is not possible to
eliminate all bacteria from the
environment, therefore, good
food-handling practices remain
the last, best defense against bac
terial problems in food. Remem
ber to avoid contact between raw
foods and cooked foods - don’t
prepare raw meats and then use
Penn State area tax meeting, Sha
dow Brook Dairy Barn,
Tunkhannock.
(Turn to Pag* A 33)
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the same unwashed cutting board
and knife to carve the cooked
meat. Cook raw food thoroughly,
to at least 160 degrees F. to kill
any bacteria present. Never leave
food at room temperature over
two hours. Bacteria grow rapidly
at room temperature. Thaw meats
in the refrigerator, microwave, or
in cold water changed every 30
minutes. Keep refrigerator temp
erature at 40 degrees F., the freez
er at 0 degrees F. or lower. Eat
cooked foods immediately - the
longer the wait, the greater the
opportunity for bacteria to grow.
Remember, if in doubt, throw it
out
To Review
Partnership Agreements
There are a number of advan
tages to establishing farm partner
ships, but an annual review of the
agreement and its value in relation
to current needs is essential.
I would like to offer a few sug
gestions for those who have
entered into farm partnership
agreements.
Once a farm partnership is
drawn up, the agreement should
be reviewed at least once a year.
This should be done for two rea
sons. First, to see how well each of
ASKING HIM
TO STAY
December 13, 1990
Background Scripture: John
4:1-42.
Devotional Reading: John
3:31-36.
I’ve been to the well at Sychar
several times. The picture of it is
fixed very well in my memory.
Not because the place is remark
able in its appearance or its setting
just a dusty street like many
others throughout the Holy Land.
But the current appearance of
this street, the well and its shrine
is deceptive, obscuring the drama
tic event that took place there. The
writer himself underplays this
event, but in these simple verses
there is spiritual dynamite that
breaks down some very formid
able walls.
“Give me a drink,” Jesus says to
the woman, and the first wall is
struck a fatal blow. No rabbi
would dare to speak to any woman
in public, let alone a woman with
an unsavory reputation. Didn’t he
realize what trouble this encounter
could bring him? Apparently he
did, but it did not matter. The wall
did not belong there, so he broke it
down.
UNTOUCHABLES
The second wall was even high
er and thicker. “The Samaritan
woman said to him, ‘How is it that
you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a
woman of Samaria?” “For Jews
have no dealings with Samari-
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the partners is meeting their obli
gations -- and secondly, to careful
ly evaluate the agreement to see if
it is doing its intended job.
Then too, farming is a rapidly
changing business. So, don’t be
surprised if the agreement you set
up just a couple years ago isn’t
entirely adequate to meet today’s
needs.
So review it carefully. If it
doesn’t quite measure up to cur
rent needs, plan to make necessary
changes before 1991 rolls around.
To Prepare For
Slippery Conditions
Slippery roads, walks and steps
will be a common hazard through
the next few months. Many people
use salt too freely in cutting the
ice; it may get the job done but
also may injure nearby turf or
shrubbery. I’d suggest the use of
sand or sawdust. These materials
will make the surface safe without
possible injury to vegetation. In
areas without any vegetation, salt
will give good results. Along our
main highways there is some evi
dence that the constant use of salt
is inflicting injury to nearby trees
and shrubs. Don’t let this happen
to your favorite tree, shrub or the
turf lining your walk.
lians.” It was not just a matter of
disagreement between them or of
old scores to settle. The Jews
regarded the Samaritans as here
tics and they took every opportun
ity to display their contempt Jesus
knew all that, but this was another
wall that ought not to be there and
he destroyed it too.
“Go, call your husband, and
come here,” he tells her. When she
answers that she has no husband,
he startles her by saying, “You are
right...for you have had five hus
bands, and he whom you now
have is not your husband...” Appa
rently, like some of us, the woman
decided that when you’re trapped,
it’s time to ask a religious ques
tion! Which is the right place to
worship: Mt. Gerizim or Mount
Zion? You’re a prophet, so who’s
right: the Samaritans or the Jews.
NO MORE WALLS
Instead of haggling with the
woman, Jesus reveals what is this
“living water” which he had told
her he could give her: direct
access to God, who is spirit and
not limited to either material
things or human speculations.
Access to God is available to all
who turn to him “m spirit and
truth.” Neither her status as a
woman, a Samaritan, nor a notori
ous sinner can keep her from God
if she will turn to him.
Forgetting the barriers that once
separated them, she shares the
good news with her neighbors so
that “they asked him to stay with
them.” And, in a sense, that’s what
all of us need to do to ask him
to stay with us until we too can
say: “It is no longer because of
your words that we believe, for we
have heard for ourselves, and we
know that this is indeed the Savior
of the world.”
(Based on copyrighted Outlines pro
duced by the Committee on the Uniform
Series and used by permission. Released
by Community & Suburban Press.)
NOW TM TRYING TO FIND
MV LAWA/ MOWER,
TO GET IT IN THE SHED.
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