VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Fanning Staff NORTH CORNWALL (Leba non Co.) 4-H youth of south eastern Pennsylvania who are interested in swine finishing should call their extension officie immediately weigh-in for the 1993 South East Pa. 4-H Market Hog Derby starts today and runs through die week. Feeder swine up to 70 pounds will be accepted into the program. Those youth who have not been notified of the program have until the end of this week to call their local extension agent to nominate and weigh-in up to three hogs. By March IS, those three hogs are to be identified and weighed by extension personnel helping to run the educational program. One of the three hogs is then to be chosen to compete in the actual derby. Then,starting 8:30 a.m., August 18, the hogs which are chosen to compete are to be weighed off at the Lebanon Area Fairgrounds. All hogs will be indexed accord ing to the National Pork Producers Council Lean Gain on test formu la. Adjustments will be made (+/- .8) for each full deviation from a AVAILABLE NOW - Contracts for new and updated turkey houses using equipment Planning your first or second turkey house? Call Northeast Agri Systems for a free estimate: 1-800-673-2580 Northeast Agri Weigh-ins Now score 3 to the overall index, according to their given structural score. The official statement of pur .pose of the derby is, “To help eva luate your current management and breeding program from the standpoint of carcass merit, growth, and soundness.” Which means that youth are to get an introduction into the real produc tion swine finishing competitions the battle to become and remain a profitable raiser of swine and all that entails. Winebark said the program started several years ago in the belief that competitions which mirror actual production-level measures better enable the 4-H youth to understand the real world of hog production keeping down costs, maximizing returns and producing an finished swine that buyers want. To achieve this, the youth are taught about measuring systems in use by successful commercial pro ducers. The measuring systems, based on records keeping provides insight into the successful manage ment and effectiveness of a finish ing program, along with better FLYWAY BUSINESS PARK - 139 A West HI Lititz, PA 17543 CS 1 7:iM:3O \\WjJj (717) 569-2702 mA 1-800-673-2580 * J—L For S.E. 4-H Hog Derby focus on breeding goals. Such a measuring system includes recording and analyzing the swine and carcass weights, backfatand loin eye. and length of carcass, and then calculating aver age daily gain, and also testing for incidence of disease and parasit ism. Successful producers also maintain records on feed and profitability. Winebark said that, for educa tional purposes, the participating youth should “Please keep a record of the amount and types of feeds you fed to your entry. “A feed efficiency calculation will be required of each animal before final ranking is determined. (The results) will be of interest to all producers, particularly in corre lating protein levels with growth rates and production of lean pork,” Winebark said. This year there is to be a slight change in the program. In prior years, all hogs entered were slaughtered for a final carcass evaluation. This year the number of hogs which will be slaughtered is SO. Because of this restriction, according to Kenneth Winebark, Systems, Inc. Chore-lime H 2 ALL-PLASTIC FEEDER floods feeder pan with plenty of feed to attract and start poults from the first day. tided ventilation made easy Chore-Time SUPER 6™ Environmental Con trol System takes the work out of operating curtain ventilation and does it without requiring anyone to be a computer expert) SUPER 6 accurately and automatically 'supervises* your building’s ventilation dur ing hot, cold, and even during natural ventila tion periods doing automatically what most hog producers are attempting to do by hand. Lebanon County extension agent and chair of the derby committee, “the Main change for this year will be that any hog under 220 pounds live weight will be sold live and no carcass data will be taken. “These animals will be shown live as always and exhibitors will receive their premium for exhibiting.” Winebark said that, in addition to a live showing, again this year the pigs will be ultrasound scanned. And for those hogs set to be slaughtered, a veterinarian is to take lung, liver and snout checks Holstein Announces Leadership Program BRATTLEBORO, VL People aged 22 to 35 years who are involved in the dairy industry and are interested in being considered for participation in a 2-year Holstein Foundation Young Dairy Leaders Institute should send now for an application. The program is to begin Febru ary 1994, starting with a three-day Unctwr Fanning. and present findings and examples at the carcass evaluation program. The evaluation program is sche duled for 7 p.m., August 20, at Stoltzfus Bros Meats, in Inter course. Hogs are to be judged by a committee of three judges a packer, a commercial breeder, and an educator. The contest is open to current 4-H members in Berks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montgomery, Shcuylkill and York counties. The entry fee is $l5 per three head, payable at weigh-in. leadership conference in Tampa, Fla., from Feb. 10-11, However, candidates should file applications by June 1, this year in order to be considered. According to a news release from the 4-year-old Holstein Foundation, based at the Brattleb oro, Vt„ headquarters of the national Holstein-Freisian Associ ation, only 100 people wilt be selected to participate in the two year leadership program. For those who ate selected, the association pays for most of the costs associated with the attending the institute. “One hundred members will be selected with expenses paid for lodgings, meals and materials, plus travel stipend,” according to the news release. Young dairy persons, regardless of dairy cattle breed affiliations, are eligible to apply for the insti tute membership. The leadership program is to Offer development in the art of per suasion, public speaking, goal setting and other interpersonal skills. Also to be highlighted at semi nars is to be understanding of the external and internal factors influencing the dairy industry, such' as government regulation, marketing mechanisms, regional differences, economics and advo cacy groups. For more information, call the foundation at 1-800-952-S2OO, or write Jason Devino. Holstein Foundation, 1 Holstein Place, Brattleboro, VT, 05302-0816.