Oakenbound (Continued from Pago A 24) manage matings around BLAD. not to cull every positive carrier. However, artificial insemina tion studs are not being accepted if they carry the gene for BLAD. The rationale is that if all A.I. semen is BLAD free, then even if a cow is a carrier, the offspring will not have any symptoms, and can be milked and bred. The occassional bull calf that could show up as a carrier should not be used for breeding. Those who would use untested cleanup bulls run a risk of produc ing cattle with BLAD symptoms. While the strategy should work, the practice of killing bulls testing positive for the BLAD gene is a financial strain on those who main tain top quality breeding programs. One, well-bred young bull which then tests positive for BLAD can represent a loss of sev eral thousand dollars for the breed- Vie me high-tech” before there was “high-techV MC’ve been on the cutting edge of tech nology in the dairy industry since our founder, Gustaf De Laval, invented the centrifugal cream separator in 1879 That commitment to innovation is evident today in the many products that make up our total line of dairy equipment J.». nmmarwaa I tom, Inc. Franklin Haas Ent., Inc. P 0 Box 337, Lancaster County Rt 2, Box 130 Blue Ball, PA 17506 Orangeville, PA 17859 717-354-4955 Elk and Henry Equipment, Inc. 22-26 Henry Avenue New Berhnville, PA 19545 215-367-2169 PC DE LAVAL The world's largest dairy supplier Is right next door. Alfa-Laval Agri, Inc. • Kansas City, Missouri Farms No. 8 er. The money, time and selection which went into attempting to breed a desirable sire is gone. However, such things are being taken care of and all cattle breeders are working with it. As breeders all over are doing, the Troutmans are testing their bulls also. The money made by selling breeding stock doesn’t generate the most dependable income, but the extra cash from time to time comes in handy, the brothers said; especially this past year with the drought, the tightness of feed sup plies and the low milk prices. “Selling breeding stock is a by product, a diversification of attempting to reach our main goal.” Nelson said. There are other benefits to tak ing extra care to breed well. “It makes a better manager out of you,” Nelson said, adding that when you sell breeding stock there can be nothing aboutthe farm itself that may distract from the animals. Products such as Plato™, a stall controller that lets you program multiple milking functions from a single panel, Flo-Master™ 2000, a milk meter that mea sures milk by weight rather than volume, HerdMaster® Galaxy® Dairy Herd Management Software that helps you 717-925-6939 I. G. Inina 141 Mam St Silverdale, PA 18962 215-257-5135 Wltmar ImalwnMt Sarvica 1896 Bedford Rd Shippensburg, PA 17257 717-532-6139 .But selling and maintaining a reputation for having good breed ing stock isn’t easy. “Every bull we have has to gain between 2- to 3-pounds-per-day and you have to do it economically,” Nelson said explaining that the stud operations won’t look at a bull as a potential sire if it doesn gain fast and steady enough. The reputation that Troutmans and the Oakenbound name has built for breeding Holsteins is sol id. Nelson said it’s based on a lot of things, but a lot of it is the concern that, “I like my cattle to do well for their new owners.” There are a few other examples of the Oakenbound breeding prog ram that are of interest, such as Oakenbound Thor Toby-twin, a Very Good 88 with an excellent mammary that Nelson expects will go Excellent Her dam went Excel lent 92. The Troutmans said they expect to continue with breeding cows for the best traits and to market the high pedigree that they have achieved. Potomac Volley Supply Route 2, Box 3260 Hagerstown, MO 21740 301-223-6877 717-436-2735 Dannett Machine Company H.D. Duvall, Inc. 1601 So Dupont Blvd Milford, DE 19963 302-422-4837 ' Trl-Cawrty Dairy Equipment, Inc. 4132 R Mam St Lmeboro, MO 21088 301-374-6616 Irwin To Speak On Polish Agriculture LANCASTER (Lancaster , in Poland, what is currently hap- Co.) —Jay Irwin. Lancaster Coun- pening, and the issues facing the ty Extension director emeritus, people in this former communist will be discussing his six-month country as they adjust to a free assignment in Poland at Lancaster market economy. County Cooperative Extension’s annual meeting, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, February 13, in the Farm and Home Center. Jay and his wife Betty have recently completed a six-month assignment in Poland as part of a Penn State and United States Department of Agriculture pro ject He will be showing slides and sharing his insight on the situation USDA Extends Filing Period On Milk Pricing Alternatives manage your dairy with the utmost effi ciency, and RationMaster®, a system that lets you precision-feed your entire herd So, make a change for the better See an independent De Laval dealer listed below And discover some innovative ways to increase your future profitability Peoples Sales aaS Ssrrice Oakland Mills, PA 17076 717-463-2735 901 East Patrick St. Frederick, MO 21701 301-662-1125 Out of State 800-423-4032 Lancattar Farming, Saturday, February i, 1992-A25 The evening will begin with a social hour featuring Lancaster Coiinty commodity groups serv ing a finger food smorgasbord. An ice cream sundae party will follow the program. Tickets are $2 per person by February 7, and are available by contacting the Lan caster County Cooperative Exten sion Office. (717) 394-6851. WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Department of Agricul ture is extending the deadline to March 2 for submission of proposals on alternatives to the Minnesota-Wisconsin (M-W) price currently used to set minimum prices in all federal milk marketing orders. Daniel D. Haley, administrator of USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, said the extension is in response to an industry group re- quest for more time to submit its prop osed alternative to the M-W price. The M-W price is the average of prices paid to farmers in the Minnesota-Wisconsin area for manufacturing grade (Grade B) milk, or, milk eligible for use only in manufactured milk products. In effect since the ear ly 1960'5, the M-W price has been widely accepted in the dairy industry as a good mea sure of changes in the supply and demand for milk nationally, Haley said. A continuing decline in Grade B milk produc tion, in part the result of more stringent sanitary requirements on dairy farms, is gradually mak ing the M-W price unus able in formulating milk prices. "Eventually, there will not be enough of that kind of milk sold to make a reliable base price," Haley said. "US DA's National Agricul tural Statistics Service, which compiles the M-W price, questions whether it will be able to provide that price past 1992 or early 1993.” "The proposals, to be discussed at a national hearing later this year, should come directly from the dairy industry and the public. Proposals should be mailed by March 2 to the Dairy Division, AMS, USDA, Rm.