A History And Perspective Of The Pennsylvania DHIA Program (Continued from Page B 16) listed production records. The Agent urged formation of cow testing associations and their numbers grew within each County, but each association was handled separately with their own board of directors and a supervisor. It is not clear when the first county-wide program began, but the last county did not name a county-wide board until April 1957. At that time PA DHIA stated it "would not recognize but one county organization with one county board of directors and one secretary-treasurer for purposes of collecting fees owed to State DHIA". Bull rings were popular prior to artificial insemina tion and depended on production records for bull eva luation. Agents were advisors to members bf the bull ring. In most instances the same progressive dairymen were involved with both the bull ring and cow testing and the programs complimented each other. Agents were constantly scouting forpotcntial Super visors. They often took the person to Penn Slate for training in the DHIA shortcoursc. Agents sent out notices calling the Directors together for a monthly meeting, usually held in the Agent's office with the minutes taken by his office secretary. In most cases the Extension secretary was secretary to each cow testing association, and later for the county-wide program. She typed, prepared, and sent the monthly report and the year end summary report Even following the advent of computer summary of records in 1958, a certain amount of fine-tuning of county records was done by the Extension office to prepare for the annual DHIA meetings. All the costs of secretary time, paper, mimeo supplies, and postage were absorbed by the local Extension office. The dairymen reasoned that it was their tax dollar that helped fund the office. That was true in most but not all counties. The County Agent was of greater value to DHIA at the county level than was the Specialist overseeing DHIA They were the glue that held the program together. For years the dairyman in the local associa tion least able to defend himself became a DHIA direc oc PE LAVAL Smart Operator Only De Laval could bring you a take-off unit this advanced! Introducing PLATO™, the “thinking" stall controller. We call it a stall because PLATO is than an ATO. Const gleaming stainless si unit’s sophisticated electronics let you ai the timing of each milking function to milk faster, easier, more efficiently. In fact, PLATO is full potential can’t bt technologies catch up in the future. That’s like buying equipment that continues to upgrade itself! So whether you need the reliability of an arm-type stainless steel take-off or want the most advanced technology for your parlor visit your De Laval dealer and learn all abou the smart operator. ■ PENNSYLVANIA Brb & Henry Equip., Inc. New BerllnvUle, PA 215-367-2169 Franklin D. Hess H .W. Martin* Farm Equip. 501 e. woods Drive RD 2, Orangeville. PA UUtz. PA 717-925-6939 717-626-6355 I.G. Ag Sales Silverdale, PA 215-257-5136 tor. That may be true in some imtances today. It took some arm twisting by the Agent to keep a full board of directors. Early Extension Dairy Specialists Roscoe Welsh and E. B. Fitts advocated the dairy record programs, but left the organizing and consulting leadership in the hands of the County Agent In 1921 Sidelmann began the summary work, and in 1923 Gearhart became the specialist in charge of cow testing programs. Gearhart worked closely with the agent to increase the accuracy and reliability of records, train supervisors, enforce rules and regulations, use records to buikfeducational programs, increase numbers of cows and herds on test build leadership, and strengthen boards of directors. It was not an easy task. He managed DHIA by sugges tion, much the same as Extension has done since he retired. Extension has never controlled DHIA, even in the beginning. Local directors did as they pleased as long as no testing rules were broken. When rules were broken it was the responsibility of the local board to take appropriate action. All Extension could do was to call attention to the problem. Supervisors were trained and approved by Gearhart, and later by Herb Gilmore, but they could not hire or fire a Supervisor. As long as the local directors would accept the quality of work the Supervisor was their employee. Problems with a dairy man or a supervisor usually could be settled to every one's satisfaction via discussion. To say that Extension could or ever did control DHIA is a gross misstatement, and an affront to the dairy leadership involved with DHIA. DHIA looked more and more to Penn Slate as the hub of organizational efforts. Perhaps this is natural since the State Specialists at Penn Slate held the state together much as the Agent held the county together. To redace travel and time away from the farm, five dis tricts were formed in the state. County associations sent directors to these meetings, held in the spring and fall each year. The business of establishing and enforcing uniform rules, testing procedures, wages, Workmans Compensation, liability, and Social Security, etc., was Build Your Future with the Best oc PE LAVAL I Witmer Implement Service RD 3 Shlppensburg, PA 717-532-6139 Potomac Valley Supply 11606 Greencastle Pike Hagerstown, MD 301-223-6877 J.B. Zimmerman Tri-Co. Dairy Equip. & Sons P.O. Box 77 West of Blue Ball, 4132 R Main Street PA on Route 23 Uneboro, MD 717-354-4955 301-374-6616 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 7, 1991-817 accomplished district by district. The Stale Specialist usually planned the meeting agenda based on the urgent problems of the area and the availability of new information. As central processing and central testing was consid ered Penn Slate became more critical as the hub of operations. The Slate Board of Directors was formed in 1934 and all meetings were held in State College. Until recent years the Autoport Restaurant was the meeting site. Gilmore and Dexter Putnam were in effect the "managers" that DHAI could ill afford or choose to not hire. Penn State offered building space, equipment, and supplies that DHIA could not afford to purchase or rent Even when DHIA had the treasury to do so, Penn State continued to offer the harbor that was more cost effective than starting a program off campus, and that continues to be the case in 1991. Cooperative Extension has always had the philoso phy that a program or idea should be offered to the farming public and help them to prosper. If the program required farm leadership then Extension developed that leadership, and as soon as feasible the program was turned over to the leadership to manage. DHIA is different than most Extension sponsored programs. It crosses many lines of expertise and is used to measure progress in a multitude of disciplines. The dairyman uses the production record to cull an unpro fitable cow, prove a sire, evaluate a new feeding prog ram, or change a management practice. When Agro nomy began intensive nitrogen fertilization to increase com and grass yields, tonnage of dry matter was an ear ly measure of success, but the final measure was its effect on milk production and the fat lest. When Ento mology evaluated the practical value of fly control on milk cows, the end result was measured in pounds of milk produced. When Agricultural Engineering mea sured the value of bam ventilation or housing condi tions they determined its effect on cow comfort and health by noting changes in milk production. Extension (Turn to Pago B 18) PRECISE PULSATION For Uniform Milking If you want most uniform | sation possiblt then you need the solid state technology of a Delatron™ ' Pulsation ■—- System _ *** from De Laval Delatron Pulsators use state-of-the-art electronics to provide consistent performance with the highest reliability They offer you a choice of ratios (70 30 or 60.40 at 60 PPM) for your parlor or pipeline milkers, can be stallcock or pipe-mounted and are available with a built-in air filter What's more, Delatron Pulsators offer other unique features, including our exclusive servo valve and our low voltage design Plus, they allow you to individually control up to 20 pulsators using just one master controller To learn how a Delatron Pulsation System can improve the efficiency of your milking operation, see your De Laval dealer today. - MARYLAND DELAWARE Bennett Machine Co. 1601 South Dupont Btvd. Milford, Del. 302-422-4837 * Refrigeration Equipment Only
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers