DMancamr Fanning Saturday, Juna 8,1991
ALLENTOWN (Lehigh
Co.) Farmers who feed beef
cattle, dairy cattle and sheep are
becoming more interested in graz
ing management. When profits are
low, optimal use of all resources
becomes especially important. By
managing pastures carefully, pro
ducers can improve feed quality
while reducing feed costs. They
can extend the grazing season and
thereby reduce the need for stored
forages. Finally, by increasing the
number of animal units grazed per
acre, they increase income per
acre. All of these factors help to
improve net farm income.
A grazing management seminar
is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00
p.m., Saturday, July 13th, starting
at the Ludwig’s Comer Fire Hall,
on Route 100 between Routes 23
and 401 in Chester County. The
afternoon portion of the program
will be at Pleasant Hill Farm,
Glenmoore. Presentations by Penn
Slate and USDA pasture special
ists will focus on the following
topics:
• Designing a grazing system.
• Stockpiling tall fescue.
• Soil fertility management.
• Grazing warm season grasses
and brassicas.
• Pasture water sources.
• Fencing requirements.
• Forage management
economics.
The registration fee is $lO per
person, due by Friday, June 28.
Phone your county extension
office to request program and
registration information.
Injectable Iron
Shortage
Swine producers have recently
encountered difficulty obtaining
BINS & AUGERS
-11
Grazing Management Seminar Set
injectable iron dextrans used to
prevent baby pig anemia.
Robert Mikesell, graduate
research assistant at Penn State,
said the cause of the shortage
seems to be a supply problem, not
an increase in demand.
According to sources at Ameri
can Livestock Supply, there are
only two manufacturers of the
injectable iron dextrans sold in the
United States. At least one of these
manufacturers is currently expand
ing its facilities and, during the
expansion, has been forced to tem
porarily shut down production.
In the ineantime, iron dextrans
stockpiles have dwindled and sup
plies have been tight. The good
news is that injectable iron should
be available soon after the plant
reopens in May.
Until then, swine producers
have two options for preventing
baby pig anemia. First, there
doesn’t seem to be a shortage of
oral iron in pump bottles. Second,
a few handfuls of clean soil or sod
(not from a hog lot) offered in a
clean pan twice a week will pro
vide enough iron to keep pigs from
becoming anemic.
Producers who have a limited
supply of injectable iron can inject
50 mg (1/2 cc of the 100 mg pro
duct). This dose is less ideal than
100 mg, but is preferred over the
use of sod.
Steer Feeding
Systems
John Comerford, Penn State
beef cattle specialist, relays recent
research in Colorado which inves
tigated the economics of self
feeding steers in a feedlot com
pared to once-pcr-day i feedpig iq a
fenceline bunk. J
Yearling steers on a high con
centrate diet (90 percent com)
were used to compare feed intake,
average daily gain, intake-to-gain
ratio, and feed cost per unit of gain.
The results indicated there was
no difference in feed-to-gain ratio
or feed cost per unit of gain
between the two systems. TTie self
fed steers also showed greater
average daily gains and higher
feed intake than those fed once a
day.
The conclusion from the study
was that self-fed, high-com diets
were more economical because
there was less labor and fuel costs
associated with feeding and there
was no reduction in performance
or increase in the cost of weight
gain.
Lead In
Drinking Water?
Lead received a great deal of
publicity as a drinking water con
taminant when elevated levels
were discovered in some drinking
water sources in the United States.
Lead is not known to have any
beneficial effect on people. In fact,
excessive levels of lead in the
blood contribute to a variety of
health problems, including mental
retardation, interference with kid
ney and neurological functions,
and hearing loss in children.
Children are more sensitive to
lead toxicity because their central
nervous systems are not fully
developed. The level of lead
allowed in water is based on
human health studies.
Although lead occurs naturally
in some water supplies, its pre
sence can also be attributed to
plumbing, twpd* to be. a, com
mon plumbing material. Soft, acid-
• Made of 13 gauge Steel
• All welded seams
• Gravity Flow or Auger
Free Estimates
Also - Steel Roof Trusses for
Buildings - Portable Hog Buildings
- Bucket Elevators - Grain Augers
Distributors - Flow Pipes &
Accessories
We Sell, Service & Install
Ph: 717-345-3724
STOLTZFUS WELDING SHOP
Owner • Samuel P. StoKzfus
RD3, Box 331
Pine Grove, PA 17963
ic water passing through lead pipe
or contacting a lead-soldered joint
for a period of hours can dissolve
eru u?h lead to cm uccein.
Homeowners should . e
solder when making repairs.
The amount of lead dissolved in
water from lead pipes or lead
based solder is highest when the
water has been held in the pipe for
several hours. Therefore, it is best
not to drink the first water from the
tap each morning. Run the tap for
three to five minutes before drink
ing it or using it for cooking. Also,
since hot water running through
pipes dissolves the lead into the
water, do not use it for cooking or
MILK.
IT'S FITNESS
YOU CAN DRINK.
MIDDLE ATLANTIC MILK MARKETING ASSOCIATION
r
£8
Aim For The Best -
In Coating Film Thickness
To do It right uh the finest kind of bristle brush
evening out the coating Into a film thickness that
does not peel In normal moisture stress (found on
most barn siding from outside and inside by livestock
or stored animal feed )
1. PREPARATION. Peeling old coatings (improperly
brushed) needs to be removed The best method
is simply water blasting or power washing! High
volume of water - medium pressure Is bestl Done
professionally or do it yourself, especially on the
easy to reach areas This is resurfadnall!
2. BEST NEW START ON RESURFACED WOOD
SIDING After spraying on this kind of barn paint or
stain, take time to o >v iltention to brush out in all
directions to create i iilm thickness that will pre
vent future peeling i. resurfacing costs 4 eftort
This film will let excess moisture breathe through
it Depending on the amount of weather weai it
can be recoated lightly in 10-15 years Southern
exposures usually wear faster _
For moro Information call
1-800*626-9043
I ) 215*445*0186 or write
'y PHARES S. HURST
SINCt IT) _ ,rW W *
233 E. Mapla Grove Rd.
Narvon, PA 17555
preparing infant formula.
The recommended treatment
methods for removing high or per
sistent lead levels in water are dis
tillation or reverse osmosis.
Although filtration devices that
claim to remove lead are available,
none is registered by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agen
cy. Remember boiling water
will concentrate lead, not remove
it.
Your county cooperative exten
sion office, health department, or
water treatment salesperson can
provide you with more informa
tion about treatment methods.
.
1991 **
BARN PAINTING i
BRUNING PAINT