A2ttancMt*r Farming. Saturday, Novambar 27, 1993
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
MYERSTOWN (Lebanon
Co.) Lebanon County dairy
men whose 11,648 cows on test
with the Pennsylvania Dairy Herd
Improvement Association for the
fifth straight year topped the state
for average herd production of
milk.
The announcement was made
Tuesday night during the county
association’s annual banquet and
business meeting held at the Mycr
stown Church of the Brethren in
Myerstown.
According to the statistics,
Lebanon County’s Pa.DHIA
members’ herds averaged 20,108
pounds of milk per cow for the
year ending September. The state
average was 18,255 pounds of
milk.
Also, the county was second
highest with average protein pro
duction with 637 pounds per cow.
They tied for sixth place with fat
production, averaging 716 pounds
per cow.
According to Kenneth Wine
bark. county extension agent, the
Lebanon County DHIA ended its
64th year with 170 official herds
on test and seven on owner
sampler.
“For the fifth consecutive year,
Lebanon County DHIA producers
are the number 1 milk producers in
Pennsylvania,” Winebark said,
adding that the county picked up
an extra 100 cows and increased
the per-cow milk production by 73
pounds.
However, Winebark tempered
his message with news that the
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Bruce Heilinger
New director* of the board of Lebanon County DMA
from the left, Dennis Kauffman and Kenneth Sellers,
shown is David Groff.
Lebanon Dairymen Lead State Fifth Year Straight
monetary return on the increased
production has not been good.
“Even though we picked up an
additional 100 cows and all the
cows produced on the average of
75 pounds more milk this year, the
value of the milk produced
dropped by $74 per cow, and the
value of milk above feed costs
decreased by $93 per cow.
“It’s obvious then, that strict
attention must be paid to feed costs
for 1994,” Wincbark said. “You,
as managers of the herd, must
become more astute in your deci
sion making in order to survive.”
In other news, Winebark said
that 107 herds in the county have
selected a somatic cell option with
their DHIA test report, in order to
track the quality of milk, especial
ly since the SCC limit was dropped
to 750,000.
“I am particularly proud of the
accomplishments of Lebanon
County’s DHIA producers. I
encourage you to keep up the fine
jobs you’re doing, but caution you
on making careful decisions in the
years ahead.”
In other business, the approxi
mately 200 members who attended
the meeting elected three directors
to replace outgoing directors Ray
mond Getz, James Hill, and Kirby
Horst, whose terms expire at the
end of December.
Elected to office were Kenneth
Sellers, Dennis Kauffman and
David Groff.
Production awards were also
presented during the meeting, with
Bruce Heilinger, of Newman
stown being recognized for having
the top averaging herd of Brown
Swiss in the state, and the top cow
for a liftime production, a grade
Holstein.
Heilinger’s 36 milking regis
tered Brown Swiss posted a pro
duction average of 18,816 pounds
of milk, with a component profile
of 673 pounds of fat and 644
pounds of protein.
Gary Forney, of Lebanon RD 4,
was recognized for having the herd
with the lowest averaging SCC.
His 36-cow, mixed grade and
registered Holstein herd averaged
an SSC count of 110,000.
The registered Ayrshire herd of
Dale and Pattie Maulfair, of Jones
town followed closely with an
111,000 count
The top milk and protein pro
ducing cow in the county was a
5-year-old registered Holstein
owned by Vince and Julie Wagner,
of Myerstown.
The Wagners’ No. 138 posted a
305-day lactation production of
37,976 pounds of milk with a com
ponent profile of 3 percent, or
1,136 pounds protein, and 3.2 per-
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From the left, owners of the 1993 Lebanon County DHIA top-producing cows ere,
from the left, Berto and Gary Lentz, Vincent Wagner and Bruce Heilinger.
Duane Good, son of Cuivin and Dawn Good, and Marion
Good, Curvin'a younger brother who helps on the farm, die*
play the awards the Goods earned for managing the leading
Lebanon County DHIA herd for average production.
cent, or 1,213 pounds fat
The cow with the county’s top
fat production was a registered
Holstein owned by Gary and Bar
bara Lentz, of Lebanon.
The top-producing herd in the
county is owned by Curvin and
Dawn Good, whose 81 milking
mixed registered and grade Hols
teins averaged 26,399 pounds of
milk, 911 pounds of fat and 832
pounds of protein.
The Goods were also the reci
pients of the county’s top DHIA
Herd Management Award.
According to Winebaik, what
makes the Goods’ achievement so
significant was that two years ago,
their dairy facilities were burned
down. According to Pa.DHIA sta
tistics, the Goods’ herd recovered
over the past year with an average
increase in production of 2,140
pounds of milk, 34 pounds of fat
and 87 pounds of protein.
Second place honors went to
David and Chris Williams, third
went to Donald Krall, fourth to
Leon Kline and fifth to Irvin
Brubaker.
ana,
Not
Date Hoovar.
Teleconference
Registration
Deadline Set
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) The December 6 date for
early registration is fast approach
ing for die dairy nutrition telecon
ferences and workshops to be held
on February .10,17, and 24,1994.
Sponsored by Penn State’sf
Department of Dairy and Animal
Science, in collaboration with the
College of Agricultural Sciences,
the workshops will be offered via
satellite at more than 45 locations
in Pennsylvania and six nearby
stales.
These workshops combine loc
al hands-on activities conducted
by extension agents and interac
tion with University faculty via
satellite at locations in Connecti
cut, Delaware, Maryland. New
Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pen
nsylvania. Producers can ask
questions about their own farm
operations to expand their know
ledge of nutrition and feeding
management. Participants are
encouraged to bring one forage
sample to the first workshop to be
analyzed for use in the second
workshop.
Workshops will start at 10 a.m.
and end at 3 p.m., with an hour for
lunch. They will feature several
video segments presented via
satellite, exercises, and discus
sions on nutrition-related topics
conducted by county agents, plus
a question and answer period with
specialists in dairy nutrition, agro
nomy, and agricultural
engineering.
Participants will be limited to
the seating capacity at each site.
Those who do not register by the
December 6 deadline will be per
mitted to register late if space per
mits. A $25 registration fee
includes the cost of a forage
sample analysis. An additional
charge will be made if meals are
provided, but this will vary with
site. To register or obtain more
information, contact the extension
office in your county.