A34-LancaatMr Fanning, Saturday, February 27, 1993
(Continued from Page A 1)
Pa.DHIA, in cooperation with
the Penn State Extension programs
in many areas, is currently holding
educational meetings accross the
state for dairymen and technicians
who wish to leam more about the
new tools-being offered.
The purpose for having some
thing that flexible is so the farmer
can understand the information
without needing an interpreter, and
also so that he can get detailed, per
tinent information and estimates
for herd management within
minutes, rather than days.
That also means the role of the
milk technician is to change
slighdy.
Genth and the others will not be
required to leam beyond the stage
of a competent user of the prog
rams written for 'a laptop
computer.
However, because of her
computer-learning backround,
Genth is one of the technicians
advanced enough to be comfort
able taking the laptop computer
into the bam.
At this time, Genth and the other
advanced technicians are doing
double-work they enter the
milk sampling and other herd man
agement data into the portable
computer in addition to using a
pencil to mark the same figures
and notes into the large-page bam
sheets carried in a file book.
Both sets of information are sent
to Pa.DHIA headquarters in State
College. The computer-entered
data is transfered via telephone
hookup.
The differences are great, in
terms of time delay.
The actual paper entries are
mailed from the technician, at least
24-hours later, and because of the
system, up to three days after the
data is gathered.
Genth said that once the paper
bam sheet gets to State College,
there are other delays. There are
two auditors who check over all
Pat Toretti, Pa.DHIA ARIS adminstrator, shows a farmer
attending a computer programing seminar some of th?
characteristics of the laptop computer and the Dairy Comp
305 program options.-■
Laptop Computers Come To The Bam
the bam sheets for errors. That’s
thousands of data for two people.
And then the process involves
more people preparing the data to
be sent back to the farmer-client.
In the meantime, the dairyman
could use the information for mak
ing all kinds of herd management
decisions, such as breeding, health
management, etc.
The time difference is substan
tial for Genth’s clients.
It comes down to the fact that
processing all the handwritten data
is a tedious and time-consuming,
whereas sending information from
one computer to the other requires
few steps and little time.
The speed of entering data into
the main computer reflects a
quickening not only on the total
turn-around, but in the ability of
the farmer to see the progress of his
herd within the same week, rather
than find out later.
The potential efficiency and
long-term cost savings from using
computers in the bam are apparent
If it all sounds too good to be
true, it currently is for most, but
only because the process of imple
menting all the advantages of the
program requires training and edu
cating people to using the new
farm tools.
Pa.DHIA is doing the duplica
tion of effort on bam sheets to ver
ify accuracy with the computer
telephone-compoter information
transfer system.
Widespread implementation of
the computer system also depends
on the quickness with which tech
nicians become computer effi
cient, how fast dairymen learn of
the advantages to using the infor
mation, and how well the two com
municate to put together a custom
ized program.
For those somewhat familiar
with computer programs, the bam
sheet and Dairy Comp 305 are
based on windows, rather than
straight menu selection.
Although a mouse, which is a
While Linda Genth is one of the Pa.DHI A testers using the
laptop computer to enter testing data on a barn sheet, she
also continues to enter data by pencil as a backup until
Pa.DHIA management is certain of the accuracy of the lap
top computer.
device for moving a computer
screen cursor unidirectionaliy,
could conceivably be used with the
programs, that isn't apparently the
direction being taken.
There are critics of the laptops in
the bam.
Once complaint is that keyboard
functions are not apparent that
is, certain keys or combinations
thereof are used to perform a task
which the keyboard already has
keys to perform.
The reason for that is because of
the levels of use within the prog
ram. Major movements within a
program are accomplished more
straightfoward on the keyboard.
Mid East UDIA Sets
COLUMBUS, Ohio Mid
East United Dairy Industry Asso
ciation will host six regional meet
ings for dairy farmers to present
the 1993 advertising and market
ing programs funded by the
10-cent dairy promotion
investment.
All dairy farmers in the Federal
Milk Marketing Areas 33 and 36
Ohio, western Pennsylvania,
and parts of West Virginia and
northern Kentucky are invited,
as well as anyone else interested in
dairy promotion.
Mid East UDIA is one of 20
regional promotion associations
and affiliated Dairy Council units
of the United Dairy Industry
Association that receives 10 cents
of the 15-cent dairy promotion
investment. The remaining 5 cents
funds the National Dairy board for
complementary programming.
“Unified dairy promotion will
be stronger than ever in 1993,”
said Mid East UDIA General
Manager Scott Higgins.
UDIA member organizations,
NDB, and the West Coast promo
tion groups in California, Oregon
and Washington are to contribute
while woik performed within a
document requires the adapted
keyboard codes.
For example, within a docu
ment, moving the cursor in a direc
tion requires the uses of two keys.
Another potential problem is
working with dust-sensitive equip
ment in a dusty environment. The
laptops that technicians currently
use employ plastic dust covers
over the keyboard.
technicians are also discovering
that a lightweight, portable,
wheeled laptop and milk-test
sample holder would be a blessing.
Genth currently uses barrels, or
other objects, found in the bam
$7 million toward a unified
national fluid milk advertising
strategy - “Milk, It Does a Body
Good.”
Higgins said that the cam
paign’s single budget and single
focused theme will result in grea
ter consumer impact.
“Dairy famers will receive 25
percent more advertising for their
dollar when all of the organiza
tions combine their money to
purchase network advertising.”
Mid EastUDlA is also planning
numerous campaigns for cheese,
butter and ice cream with promo
tion partners such as the National
Dairy Board, Nabisco, Hershey
Foods and the Beef Industry
Council.
Nutrition education programs
also play a vital role in increasing
dairy product sales by emphasiz
ing their value as part of a healthy
diet for people of all ages.
“Mid East UDIA has set a prior
ity of targeting schools with our
nutrition education messages,”
Higgins said. “By adding a school
breakfast program that serves
milk, school cafeterias have great
potential to increase Class I sales
where she is testing.
(Given the inguenuity of the
fanning community, however, it is
not expected to lake long before
someone comes up with a design
that technicians would welcome;
something that, in addition to the
previous characteristics, could
also withstand frequent washing,
would not present any hard-to
clean areas, and which could be
made to be compact and easily
stored in a car trunk or back seat
area.)
However, Pa.DHIA officials
have mounted a recent intesive
effort to compile a book explaining
the functions of the management
programs the association offers,
and they have put together a heavy
schedule for touring the state to
hold educational meetings within
the districts.
The use of the laptop computer
system takes a little mental adjust
ment from other layman computer
uses, according to Genth, but it
isn’t difficult to grasp.
The Dairy Comp 305, for exam
ple, offers 14 reports for dairymen.
Data can be entered, recalled
and reworked within the 14 reports
for an almost limitless customizing
of information for the dairyman.
The reports are Individual Cow
Cards, Test Day Production, Due
To Calve, Due To Dry Off, Open
Cows, Heifers, a Veterinarian’s
list (for cows under care), bred 90
days, production by name, ME
production, high ME cows, a
reproductive summary list, a list of
those with new infections, and
breeding summaries.
The amount of data each techni
cian can have accessible within the
small laptops is tremendous. All
pertinent information, other than
milk test, on each cow in each herd
serviced by the technician is
immediately available.
Information which requires
more exact milk component data
still requires a delay, until testing
can be performed and the informa
tion is entered.
Genth said she is happy with the
direction the job of technician is
taking, because of the challenges it
poses, and because of the
increased usefulness of the ser
vices provided.
Meetings
by as much as 360 million pounds
annually.”
The meetings are scheduled for
Tuesday, March 2, Holiday Inn,
Wapakoneta, Ohio; Wednesday,
March 3, Fisher Auditorium
(OARDC), Wooster, Ohio; Thurs
day, March 4, Days Inn, Mcad
ville, Ohio; Monday, March 8,
Grave Creek Mound State Park,
Moundsville, W.Va.; and Tues
day, March 9, Ramada Inn, Some
rset, Pa.
Registration will begin at 11
a.m. and the meetings will be from
11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. A lunch buf
fet will be served. There is no
charge to attend the luncheon
meetings.
A special breakfast meeting
will be held Saturday, April 17,
from 8:30 - 9 a.m., in conjunction
with the Ohio Spring Dairy Spec
tacular at the Ohio State Fair
grounds in Columbus. There will
be a $2 breakfast donation that
will benefit the Dairy Spectacular.
Reservations for all of the meet
ings should be made at least seven
days prior to the meeting by call
ing Mid East UDIA toll free,
1-800-292-6455.