CLAYTON, Mo. Canadian dairy researchers and the breeding industry have developed a unique bull-rating scale know as the Life time Profitability Index, or LPI. Judging UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) The Penn State Student Soli Judging Team placed first among five colleges in the Northeast Collegiate Soil Judging Contest at Delaware Valley College In Doylestown, Pa., recently. The team now qualifies tor the National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest to be held at the University of California at Berkeley and Davis in April 1992. Team members pictured left to right are Thomas McConnell, William Packer, Jason Felton, Mary Carpenter, Jeffrey Kochosky, Brandon Dennis, Frederick Schoenagei and faculty adviser Raymond Shipp, associate professor of Agronomy in Penn State’s College of Agriculture. ATTENTION VEGETABLE GROWERS We Specialize In Vegetable Growing Supplies, Equipment • Raised and Flatbed • Mulch Planters • Aluminum Conveyors Layers • Mulch Lifters • Packing Lines DECEMBER SALE ON EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES 10% DISCOUNT OFF LIST PRICE ON ALL EQUIPMENT ASK FOR PRICE SHEET ON DECEMBER SALE ON: • Agryl Pl 7 Floating • Plastic Mulch ' s • Layflat Row Cover • Drip Irrigator • Greenhouse Supplies PLASTIGONE BIODEGRADABLE PLASTIC SWEET CORN SPECIAL (60 Days) • 5’x2400’ Clear • 4’x4ooo* Clear DEEP WELL Early Order Special Price NOLTS PRODUCE SUPPLIES 182 N. Hsrshey Ava. • Laola, Pennsylvania 17540 (717) 656-9764 LPI Predicts Introduced in the January gene tic evaluation run in 1991, LPI was created to give dairymen and breeders an easy way to choose the best sires. Team First In Northeast JET PUMP Honda Engine Powered Pumps up to 20GM at 65 feet lift and will pump up to 200 feet lift at lower GPM. Comes com plete with jet and control valve. Ideal where electricity is not available. Cow’s Long-Term Success According to Dr. Jack Dekkers, a dairy specialist at the University of Guelph, Ontario, “LPI is a mea suring criterion that puts focus on the most profitable available bulls. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 21, 1991-Cl5 It’s an effective initial guideline for selection. Then the producer can make a specific choice from within that group of high-LPI sires.” LPI attempts to rank sires on the average lifetime profit potential of their daughters, based on the two factors that have been shown to have the iargest impact on profi tability: production and herd life. LPI is weighted more heavily on production, Dekkers said, because it’s the major factor contributing to dairy profits. But to maximize the lifetime profitability of a cow, she needs to stay in the herd for several years. Even the most productive cows aren’t worth much if they last only a couple of lactations. That’s why LPI considers potential herd life in determining a cow’s eventual worth. However, since there arc no direct measures of herd life, the sire’s proofs for certain type trails arc incorporated. “Here some assumptions arc made in the LPI formula,” Dekkers said, “but past research has found a positivie rela- Franklin CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin Co.) Franklin County Exten sion Dairy Day will be held on Friday. January 3 at Kauffman’s Community Center. Program top ics include protein and energy nutrition, dairy situation and poli cy update, staph mastitis control, and summer cow comfort Extension specialists from Penn State include Robert Yonkers and Larry Hutchinson and multicoun ty agricultural engineer Dan McFarland. Dr. Charles Stallings, extension dairy nutritionist, Virgi- Jesus Christ < The greatest Qift Of &U him ; and when they had opened their treasures, the\ presented unto him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh" iKUB 0 I n LEBANON 717-949-2000 | TRACTORS & EQUIPMENT | tionship between these particular type trails and a cow’s longevity.” Current and future research will attempt to determine the impor tance of type traits more clearly, as well as that of other traits, such as calving ease and milking speed. LPI considers a cow’s final class, feet and legs, mammary sys tem, and capacity all elements which can affect a cow’s ability to stand up to the demands of calving and milking, year after year. An LPI score of 1,200 or better represents a truly exceptional sire, but even bulls with scores in the 800-1,000 range can be counted on to contribute to the long-term pro fitabililty of a herd. “We want genetic progress to improve longevity, while keeping the emphasis on high production,” Dekkers said. Dairymen looking for sires that combine a profitable balance of good type and production volume can use LPI as an indicator. For more information about the rating system, orCanadian sires in gener al, interested dairymen or breeders should contact a representative of Semex USA. Dairy nia Tech, will be this year’s guest speaker. Agribusiness firms will co sponsor the educational meeting and have exhibits and representa tives present Area dairyman are invited to arrive at 9 a.m. to visit the exhibits and have refresh ments. The formal program begins at 9:30 a.m. with adjournment scheduled for 2:30 p.m. For further information, contact Philip Wagner at the Franklin County Extension Office, (717) 263-9226. Srvlnfl C«nlr»l PA 8lnc« 1921 Day LANCASTER 717-569-2500
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