822-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 27, 1991 CHESTER D. HUGHES Extension Agent, Livestock For 4-H and FFA members, showing livestock at a roundup or fair can be the highlight of your project year. Shows provide an opportunity to let people learn about agricul ture, youth programs, and the meat industry. Showmanship is an an in which the showperson exhibits an animal in a manner to highlight its strengths. In other words, the showperson wants to leave a good image of the animal in the judge's mind. Showing a livestock project has several benefits for the exhibitor. You will learn a lot about yourself and your animal, how to be patient, and how to enjoy competition. Showing will also give you the chance to compare your project <r-} 10’ i. F A R MANAGEMENT LABOR EFFICIENCY Duane Stevenson Farm Management Agent Northampton, Lehigh and Schuylkill Counties This is the final article in the series written by the five southeastern/central Penn State Extension farm management agents, covering various farm profitabil ity and efficiency measurement tools and ratios. In recent years, labor has become a costly resource. High wage rates in non-farm sectors have caused wage increases for farm labor. The general public seems to favor comparable wage rates for industry and agricultural labor. If a farmer desires to pay fair wages or is to be well paid for his own labor, it is essential that the work be productive. The wages which can be paid will depend on the result ing product. Keeping labor fully employed at productive work would make it possible to pay wages and fringe ben efits which are comparable with similar non-farm employment. One of the problems facing a farmer in organizing the farm business is to estimate the amount of labor needed and its allocation to get the work done at the proper time. By comparing the available labor with the amount needed, you can determine what adjustments must be made to balance the needs with the supply. A meaningful measure and valid comparisons of labor efficiency are difficult to obtain. Where there is low vol ume of production, it is extremely difficult to get efficient use of labor. A 300-acre dairy farm uses labor more efficiently than on a grain farm of the same size. Thus it is advisable to compare dairy farms with other dairy farms, grain farms with other grain farms, etc. Still, there may be considerable differences in volume among dairy farms of the same number of acres. If we are making comparison within the same size and type of farms, we can make a further grouping according to the level of mechanization, or those having similar machinery investments. Then labor efficiency measure should be meaningful. Some labor measures which can help us to evaluate effi ciency are: • • Labor Cost Per Tillable Acre which includes the val ue placed on operator and family labor plus the amount spent for hired labor, expressed on a tillable acre basis. Livestock Ledger By Chester D. Hughes Extension Livestock Specialist with those of other 4-H and FFA members. Showing is fairly easy. The best way to learn how to show is by watching someone else do it. Work with an experienced showperson, such as another member of your club. He or she could practice with you and show you how to move the animal the way you will need to. Following are some tips for showing beef, swine, and sheep. When exhibiting beef cattle, some of the things you will need to train your animal to do are: • To set the four feet under the "comers" of the body. Use a show stick to position the feet properly. • Keep the head up by holding the halter. • Lead it around with the halter and lead. Measuring Labor Efficiency Beef Your FhU-Service John Deere Dealers ENFIELD ADAMSTOWN CLUGSTON FARM E r h^' NC - equipment 301-4524252* (nor&own, 7^s™^,? 215-484-4391 717-573-2215 EVERGREEN BARTRON CLUGCTONAG TRACTOR CO., INC. GUTSHALL’S INC. LANDIS BROS INC, ciippi v lljf % & TURF, INC. libinon, PA Cirllil#, PA LincuUr, PA TunMarmrek, PA PA 717-272-«41 717-249-2313 717-291-1046 717-836-4011 717-263-4103 CARLYLE & MARTIN, INC. Hagerstown, MD 301-733-1873 • Scratch the belly with your show stick to straighten its back. You need to be in control of your animal's movements around the show ring at all times. You should stand at your animal's left side. Always follow the instruc tions of the judge and ring person. The judge will move around the show ring to get a good look at the animals from all sides. Try to keep your animal between you and the judge. Don't block the judge's view of your animal. Smile, be attentive, and look at the judge. Eye contact between you and the judge is very impor tant. Be courteous to other show persons, too. When you enter your animal in a show, you are also entering your self. Keep yourself clean and neat, too. Wear clean clothes and boots and brush your hair. Some shows have dress codes which must be followed. What will the judge be looking for in you and your beef animal? In type classes, the judge will look at how well your animal and the other animals in the class com pare with an ideal market or breed ing animal. In showmanship classes, the judge will look at how well you present and control your animal. In fitting classes the judge will look at how clean and well- DEERFIELD AG & FINCH SERVICES TURF CENTER, INC. HANOVER INC. Watsontown, PA 717-538-3557 HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY IS STA ■ John Deen harvesters h; features like styled cab ■ Dura-Drum 1 " cutterhead with segmented knives... and more! groomed your animal is During a swine show, your job is to guide and direct the pig with your show cane or whip. You need to be in control of your pig's movements around the show ring. To guide the pig, use a cane or whip to gently tap it on the side. Teach your pig to turn or stop by tapping lightly on its nose or side. Also use your cane or whip to keep your pig from rooting the ground with its snout and from moving into the comers of the pen. Keep your pig away from the other pigs and keep it moving. Sometimes pigs will fight with one another! A hurdle or panel is used to break up fights between pigs. Don't try to break up a fight yourself. Never hit your pig on the ham, put your hand on the pig's back, move too fast, or be mean to your Pig- The judge will move around the show ring to get a good look at the animals from all sides. Always keep the pig between you and the judge. You don’t ever want to block the judge's view of your ani mal. Smile, be attentive, and look at the judge. Eye contact between you and the judge is very impor tant. Be courteous to other show persons, too. When you enter your pig in a Hanovar, PA 717-632-2345 Swine A.B.C. GROFF, INC. Now Holland, PA 717-354-4191 I.G. SALES Sllvardala, PA 215-257-5136 ■ 225-hp 5730,290-hp 5830; many head options show, you are also entering your self. Keep yourself clean and neat, too. Wear clean clothes and boots or shoes and brush your hair. Some shows have dress codes which must be followed. What will the judge be looking for in you and your pig? There may be three things: • Fitting how well the ani mal is cleaned and groomed. • Showmanship how well the showperson controls and pre sents the animal. • Type or Conformation how similar the pig is to the ideal animal for its purpose. For exam ple, a class of market hogs would be judged on their size, structure and meatiness. Sheep When showing your sheep pro ject, know where die judge is and make the sheep look its best all the time. Keep the sheep between you and the judge so the judge sees the sheep. Be alert and ready to follow the instructions of the judge. Have the sheep well-trained before the show so the sheep will do what is expected. • Be ready to enter the nng when your class is called. • Line up where the judge or ring worker tells you to. • Kneel beside the sheep when showing, but don't put your knees KERMIT K. KISTLER INC. Lynnport, PA 215-298-2011 LEHIGH AG EQUIPMENT Waseoavllla, PA 215-398-2553
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