Dietrich Gets
Grand On
Final Try
(Continued from Page F 6)
The contest was judged by
Richard Crider, who milks 65
head of Holstein cattle in a busi
ness he runs with his brother and
his parents.
Dietrich got her chance to com
pete for the grand champion title
by winning first place in the senior
showing and fitting event for com
petitors 16 to 21 years old.
By winning that division, she
won an opportunity to go back
into the show ring to compete
against Barbara Reichard of
Waynesboro, who was the winner
in the junior division for contes
tants ages 8 to 12, and Curtis
Reichard, also of Waynesboro,
who was the winner in the inter
mediate division for competitors
who are 13 to IS years old.
Other winners in the junior
division were Becky Comman of
Boiling Springs, who won second
place; and Michelle Ocker of
Shippensburg, who won third.
The second place winner in the
intermediate division was Brad
Reichert of Waynesboro. Emily
Dietrich of Newburg took third
FIFTY YEARS
OF TECHNOLOGY
CATTLE BREEDING
Larry W. Specht
Artificial insemination (AI) of dairy cattle is considered by
many as second only to the development of hybrid seed com
in its contribution to U.S. agriculture.
The concept of AI and the development of its procedures
represented the first step in an emerging technology that led
to progress and made this country the world
leader in dairy cattle genetics.
Vital to the success of AI was the work of Penn State’s
John Almquist in the late 1940 s and early 19S0s. Almquist’s
work with semen dilutents, antibiotics to improve shelf life
and control disease, and color coding semen were all part of
his pioneering effort to make AI woric more effectively.
Fifty years ago last summer, an AI cooperative bred the
first cow (for a $5 fee) in Pennsylvania. James Muffley, a
Lewisburg area veterinarian, inseminated that cow on the
Harold Benner farm.
At the time, Benner was secretary of First Pennsylvania
ABC, the first of five AI cooperatives organized between
1942 and 1945 in the commonwealth. But AI technology in
this country actually goes back to 1938 when Enos Perry of
Rutgers and a Penn State graduate brought the idea
back from Denmark to New Jersey. During the next five
years, scientists and veterinarians woriced diligently to prove
that AI would settle cows and not produce monster calves.
The 1950 s werea very productive period for AI and helped
position the dairy industry for large increases in productivity.
There were three major areas of accomplishment. The deve
lopment of the' process to breeze semen by the English work
ers in the early 19S0s was the fust. This technology made
semen transportable over great distances and allowed dairy
farmers a wider choice of sires on any given day.
One oft-cited advantage was that you could preserve the
great sires of the past and thaw them out to shore up the gene
tics of the present if the industry’s breed improvement prog-,
ram should falter. It would be similar to bringing Babe Ruth
back to play outfield for today’s New York Yankees.
However, a second major technological change in the
same decade exploded that idea. In 1954, Charles Henderson
of Cornell University, along with two English scientists,
proposed that AI conduct its own progeny testing of sires
rather than depend on the purchase of breeder proven bulb.
The idea metstiff opposition from people who sold bulls to
AI studs and from breed association personnel. AI was criti-
From tha toft, John Ocker in, trophy sponsor, presents
the awardl tor grand bhampion showman and fitter of the
Shippensburg Fair, to Melanie Dietrich.
Greene as lie and fourth was won
In the senior division, the sec- by Holly Henning of Waynesboro,
ond place winner was Richard All trophies awarded for the
Martin of CHambersburg. Third' competition were presented by
place went to Midge Deaven of John Ocker 111 and family.
IN DAIRY
Larry w. Specht
zized for not having sires that would produce cattle with out
standing physical characteristics when raised in ordinary
herd situations. No mention was ever made of the fact that
these same bulb had been purchased a few years earlier from
the elite breeding herds of the industry.
It was obvious by the mid-’6os that all major AI units had
to adopt a progeny test program if they wanted to stay in busi
ness. Still, one unit continued buying old show-ring bulls and
sons of fancy cows with rather ordinary production creden
tials they went out of business about 1980.
The third major technological development in the 1950 s to
affect the dairy breeding industry was the use of electronic
data processing equipment to calculate DHIA production
records. The first steps were taken in 1952 by extension
workers in Utah. By March 1957, Penn State’s dairy science
extension group, under the leadership of Joe Taylor, Herb
Gilmore, and Dexter Putnam, started the transfer from on
farm, hand-calculated records to centralized processing.
It was a tough year or two with many problems before the
program began to run routinely. But the process made it pos
sible to gather and analyze large amounts of data, giving
increased reliability to the information on individual animals,
especially sires.
Today, with the help of mainframe computers, on-farm
personal computers, and bptops used by DHIA technicians,
collecting, editing, storing, processing, and distributing
information about the national dairy herd is easier and faster
than ever.
The period from the 1950 s to 1970 s was dominated by
research on production traits. Starting in the early 1970 s with
cmhjtyo transfer (ET) technology, the physiological side of
genetics came to the forefront. ET technology developed
Uncart* taming, Satordiy, August 14, mm
25 2x12 hog slats $lO ea.
Lane. Co. 215-445-4640.
Huskylock 340 D ovariock
usad vary little, differential
feed, indudes work book,
video, blind hem ft, $350.
Berks Co. 215-683-5553.
28 cast iron seats from anti
que horse drawn farm
implements, $l7OO firm.
Wayne Co. 717-785-3353.
Hesston *2420 12' rock
flex heavy duty disc w/22'
blades tandem wheels &
cyl. v.g., shape, $3400.
Wash. Co. 301-642-3242.
Dorset ram (reg.) $l5O, 79
Lincoln towncar 73K gar
ape kept $2495, 61 South
wind mtrh 25' sleep 6 ex.
cond., 28K new insp.,
$12,500 080, must sell.
Berks Co. 215-367-5888 or
679-5637.
Small flock 5 ewes Polypay
crossed 6 1 ram dorset
crossed produced 11
lambs this spring. Cumb.
Co. 717-243-7974.
Case 310 CLB needs fin
ishing $l7OO seed potato
cutter $lOO, 4' Cat. O
Brush mower, needs
driveshaft $250. Cumb.
N.J. 609-785-1720.
2 row Qehl head- low
profile- off 1060 harvester,
excel, cond., no Sunday
calls. Bedford Co.
814-766-2754.
White Rhea's, Emu's, all
types fancy pheasants,
Suinnias & silkies, fallow
eer 3 fawn & one breeder
doe. Pike Co.
717-686-3480.
1 yr. black 2 sorrel 2 yr.
mules 2-1 ton Chev. trucks
V 6 truck & parts, 351
motors. Bedford Co.
814-784-5872
Case 970 Lplo 540-1000
95 HP P/S dual wheels
3300 hrs , ex. cond ,
$5500. Lyc. Co
717-546-6779.
Pair of 6 yr. old greys, Reg.
mare due to fold 17 +
hands gelding 18 hands
both are good broke. Tioga
Co. 717-835-5407.
Vt Arab .dappled grey
mare. 17h. IB mare, bay
QH gelding, QH type mare,
all ride. Chester Co Frank
215-932-0455.
JD3pt hitch fits AB 50-60,
Farmall-C new paint, nice
tires, like new, runs good
Berks Co. 215-682-2491.
4 HP NH Hit & Miss engine,
$2350. York Co.
717-741-2740.
Sale or trade 300 gal. skid
tank w/hanrl pump $250, 5
yd. Gallion dump body w/
hoist $350. N.J.
609-561-9107.
Two IH 234 mounted corn
pickers w/extra parts,
stored inside $l,OOO for
both. Centre Co.
814-422-8527 eves.
V* , pure Pug puppies $5O
ea. very cute, home raised,
no Sunday calls. Snyder
Co. 717-3/4-5076 leave
message.
Cocker Spaniel AKC, male,
15 mths. iri-color, black,
white & tin, champion
bloodlines, excel, pedigree,
$175. 703-337-7277 .can
deliver.
Deed mobile home $250 or
best offer. Lane. Co.
717-354-7142.
rapidly in the 1980 s, and as the industry entered the 19905,
techniques such as splitting embryos and other even more
complex cloning procedures emerged.
Then, 100, sexing of embryos and of semen seems closer to
reality than ever before. Gene transfer is under research and
work with genetic markers already has a number of practical
applications in the animal breeding industry.
With the sale of semen and embryos internationally and the
emergence of important dairy populations in the Netherlands,
Germany, France, and other European countries, U.S. dairy
producers face global competition in dairy genetics.
Our breeding industry must be prepared to meet that com
petition by implementing the newest technology available if
we are to have the best chance of remaining a major player in
the dairy cattle breeding world of tomorrow.
White molly mule 3 yr. 15
hand rides, drives, also
used tor pack trips $l2OO.
Lane. Co. 215-445-6161.
NH 269 T bales $950, IH
710 4B plow $l2OO, Case
14' T. disc $B5O, MF 35
diesel tractor $3500,40’x8*
B conveyor. Blair Co.
814-944-0618.
Jeep CJ7 body tub orig.
factory new in crate. Lehigh
Co. 215-395-3562.
Rheas 2 yr. male, 1 yr.
male, 1 yr. female. North
Co. 215-588-6335 9 a.m.-6
p.m. 215-588-7019 after 7
p.m.
Ford 4500 backhoe 15' ide
al for parts backhoe attach
ment only $l5OO, JD 400
tractor 60* mower 20 HP
hydrostatic. Del. Co.
215-356-0725.
3 PTH IH 2 row cult, has 2
wheels & center disc,
doubled-up spring teeth
7’/» wide, $l5O. Pottstown.
215-469-9094.
Ryobi radial arm saw 10",
$3OO, Tradesman W HP
tablesaw 10’575. ex. cond.
York Co. 717-244-3924.
Homed Dorset ewe lambs
top bloodlines twice a year
lambing $lOO ea. York Co.
717-938-5385 after dark.
Metal roofing & siding, over
stock, odd lots, seconds,
etc. must sell I Lane. Co.
717-354-2728.
Cub tickle bar mower
$150,18 HP Cub Cadet SO
mower, 3'/i HP oompres
aor $3OO, potato peeler
$3OO, rototiller $l2O
717-442-4279
Ol
•liver No. 5 1 row com
picker, NH 707 3 pt. com
chopper 200' Cornell dotti
er chain 14’ p. CCW.
717-226-3474 ever
MF #lO baler w/thrower
shed kept good oond., ask
ing $B5O. North'd. Co.
717-286-9360.
Polled herefbrd cow due
Aug. w/3rd calf, polled
hereford bull 10 mth. old,
purebred stock. Juniata Co.
717-463-2737.
32H Bobbins incubators &
hatches redwood vintage
48* floor feeders ft. stapler,
gas commercial heater.
215-932-8286.
Water lilies- red, white,
blue, purple, pink, & yellow,
corn snakes, 4 color
phases. Lane. Co.
717-738-2755.
2X transplanter, tobacco
ladder wagon, hay rake on
steel, teds. Wanted Oliver
60, 70 parts & equip.,
wood-coal stove. Lane. Co.
717-684-5352.
6- 10x20 tires & rims 80%,
$350, GD 100 CFM gas air
comp., needs work $250,
Ig. assort, wood working
tools & boxes of nails, HDS
& HD6 parts. Cecil Co. Md.
410-378-2785.
JD 2RN corn head for
harvester, Pennco barley
from certified seed 1,80/bu.
ear corn, Grove side
unloading chute. Berks Co.
215-367-7256.
Case 1530 uni loader
works good, $2500 080.
Lane. Co. 215-445-5985.
Baker steam roller 16 HP
good cond. needs piping &
Srates $B5OO or trade
iBO. Darke Co. Ohio.
513-692-8215.