A24-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 12, 1992
GEORGE F. W. HAENLEIN
Extension Dairy Specialist
University of Delaware
NEWARK, Del. Hurricane
Andrew rolls over part of Florida
and Louisiana, devastating homes,
food resources and agriculture.
People have nothing to eat or
drink, farm workers have no crops
to tend, people are angry at the
government for not sending relief
quickly enough and weather fore
casters are reluctant to say
whether or not a natural disaster
like this could happen to us in the
mid-Adantic states.
What does the Good Book say?
Those who help themselves, God
helps.
A standard saying on dairy
farms in the Old Country where I
grew up was; Always have a
year’s supply of feed on hand. Is
this overly pessimistic? Not if you
consider all the many catastrophes
in recent months—earthquakes,
wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes,
blizzards, floods, hailstorms and
drought . . , .
Are there more disasters than ever before and
more than we deserve?
For survival, this question is immaterial. Those of
us who endured one of the wars during the last 55
years know that survival does not depend on what
caused the disaster nor on why help doesn t arrive
fast enough.
Simply, survival depends on our forethought,
weeks and months ahead. We must anticipate the
worst disaster and prepare for it with food, water,
cash, feed for the animals, electric generators for
standby electricity, blankets, plywood, tent sheeting
and more—supplies that will last over the worst
days or weeks when everything else is gone.
I know bom experience. I lived through six horri
ble years in World War 11.
In 1943 I lost my home and all my belongings
during a bombing raid on my hometown, which then
resembled the devastation in Homestead, Fla., after
Andrew blew through.
But we had cellars filled with coal, sauerkraut,
eggs preserved in crocks, canned foods and clothes.
We had at least some supplies for the first few days
after the bombing.
Dairy fanners had hay bams out in fields in vari
ous locations and bunker silos filled with silage. In
fall they stockpiled fodder beets away from the
farm, so the cattle had something to eat regardless of
what catastrophe occurred at the home farm.
We tried to be prepared for the worst, so that we
did not have to wait for the government to help us.
We always could help ourselves, at least in the be
ginning
In recent years in this country, we seem to have
taken normalcy and the orderly life for granted.
There was a lime, however, when a nuclear threat
caused many of us to think in terms of shelters and
supply reserves.
A nuclear disaster emergency-preparedness
program in the event of nuclear power plant melt
down still exists. But other than Three-Mile Island
or Chernobyl, it couldn’t happen here. At least, that
seems to be the prevailing attitude.
Or is it?
Members of the Mormon Church believe in hav
ing a one-year supply of food in their cellars. And
some people go so far as to build their homes partly
underground, not just for safety from nature, but for
temperature conservation as well.
Of course, dairy farmers have long practiced hay
making in preparation for the winter when there is
no pasture to graze
When I started at the University of Delaware in
the 19505, I changed the dairy herd from a 6-month
to a 12-month silage feeding program. I wanted to
avoid problems and uncertainties caused by storms,
droughts or poor harvests that soon result in milk
production losses, lower income and less profit
Of course, even this plan was open to the unfore
seen hardship. One year a silo fell over because we
didn’t fill it evenly.
In general, most dairy farmers tend to be prepared
for a year with sufficient feed supplies in the loft, in
large bales, in silos and grain bins.
What does it take to be prepared?
The average Holstein cow in Delaware is now
expected to produce 4-14 percent of their body
weight in milk, more than 60 pounds per day. To do
this, they must eat 3 percent of their bodyweitght in
feeds on dry-matter basis per day.
Plan For Worst To Keep The Best
much it takes for a year of milk production really pays.
nrenaredness In addition, the cost of DHIA Back to my initial question. Are
Just in tons alone (tenorine record system participation may wc 06x1 for a disaster to strike?
just in tons atone ignoring * ’ You can bet there is another one
SSL » -«««»«.
raras in profils. DHIA dao of Nalional muslics have shown, “f
4,106 Holstein herds in the North- however, that DHIA-participating DHIA. reowft^rtamty«Jo*
east under the Cornell computing herds outproduce non- that careful planning for that extra
system in 1991 revealed what til participating herds by several I^^e^ividends'
average cow consumed last year thousand pounds of milk per cow A d {*£ , j how abo '
8.4 tons of silage, mostly com; per year, but it would take only . °
1.5 tons of hay, mostly alfalfa; and 200 pounds of milk to pay for the
3.6 tons of concentrate supple- _ _
ments October Milk $15.57
ALEXANDRIA, Va. Mid- milk price of $12.66 per hundred
dle Atlantic Order Market Ad- weight for August 1992. The
ministrator Rex F. Lothrop recent- Gass HI price was up 2 cents from
ly announced a Class I milk price the previous month. The October
of $15.57 per hundredweight for 1992 Class I price and the August
October 1992. 1992 Class 111 price are based on
This price is down 5 cents from the August 1992 Minnesota-Wis-
September and is $1.04 above last consin manufacturing milk price
October's Class I price. of $12.54 per hundredweight at a
Lothrop announced a Class HI 3.5 percent butterfat content.
The totals in a year’s time are 9
tons of milk per cow, for which
dairy farmers have to make stored
feed reserves of about 7 tons of
dry feeds per cow.
This figure does not include the
feeds for the necessary replace
ment stock of calves and heifers,
nor does it allow for feeds wasted
during storage, hauling to the
cows and in the feed trough.
So a 100-cow Holstein farm
needs at least 700 tons of dry
feeds, which translates in a practi
cal ration into about ISO tons hay,
BSO tons silage and the necessary
concentrate supplements.
What large sotrage strcutures
this requires! But foresight
demands this to keep cows pro
ducing and our income ahead of
bills.
We have very good data from
DHIA about these requirements,
what our good cows eat and how
NORTHEAST POULTRY SHOW ■ ’92
EXHIBIT HALL HOURS: Wednesday, September 30
Thursday, October 1
REGISTRATION FEE:
ACCOMMODATIONS:
EXHIBITORS:
(Retain upper portion for reference)
(Return lower portion to Federation)
NAME(S;
FARM or COMPANY NAME.
ADDREI
TELEPHOI
High-producing cows ate 1.8
more tons of silage, half a ton less
hay, but 1.3 tons more concen
trates than low producers. The dif
ferences in feeds consumption
between high-producing and low
producing cows cost $2OO.
It was more for the high cow,
but they in turn produced $BOO
more income. This shows that
safety planning to avoid drops in
September 30 ■ October 1,1992
LANCASTER HOST RESORT
(Three miles east of Lancaster on U.S. 30)
ONLY ONE REGISTRATION PER FAMILY REQUIRED
Return lower registration form to:
Pennsylvania Poultry Federation
500 North Progress Avenue • Harrisburg, PA 17109
EXHIBIT HALL
PASS
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Free
Free parking is available and food and
beverages can be purchased in the exhibit
hall (indoor tennis court)
Over a hundred exhibit spaces will be filled
with the latest equipment, products and
services.
or
Call (717) 652-7530 to register
PM
PM
12:00-7:00
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