Cfrlancaatar Farming, Saturday, Dacambar 11. 1993
THE CALVING KIT
For many cattle breeders, the
calving season will begin in a few
short weeks.
This is the the most profitable
time a manager can spend with the
cows. It is usually tough enough to
make money in the cow-calf enter
prise, but more profits are probab
ly lost during calving than at any
other time.
The “calving kit” is an assembly
of tools that will make calving a
little easier and a little more profit
able. Here is a list of the contents of
the kit:
• Ear tags and tagger. Identifica
tion of cattle in the herd is acomer
stone of making genetic improve
ments. There is no better time to
start the identification of the herd
than when the calf hits the ground.
After all, they are a lot easier to
catch than they will be a few days
later.
• Castration tools. A summary
of a recent graded feeder calf sale
LAND PRIDE
15’ ROTARY CUTTER
Land Pride 15’ Rotary Cutter
offers rugged dependability
Starting with a 10-gauge deck for the center section and wings,
we’ve added effective reinforcement channels to each section for
superior strength. With a mowing height ranging from 2" to 14", it
can also handle material up to two inches thick.. With two self
leveling rods from front to rear, mowing height can easily be main
tained, as well as deck-flexing being held to a minimum.
PENNSYLVANIA
Straley Farm Supply, Inc.
1760 East Canal Road
Dover, PA 17315
717-292-2631
Keller Brothers
R 7 Box 405
Lebanon, PA 17042
717-949-65Q1
1950 Fruitville Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
717-569-2500
Marshall Machinery, Inc.
Route 642
Honesdale, PA 18431
717-729-7117
Pikavilla Equipment Inc.
RD 2, Oysterdale Road
Oley, PA 19547
215-987-6277
Beef Briefs
by
John Comerford
Penn State Beef Specialist
in Pennsylvania indicated that
bulls were valued at about $ 14/cwt
less than steers at the same sale.
That resulted in bull calves being
worth about $6O less per head. It is
simply unreasonable to allow a
$6O loss per head for a manage
ment practice as simple as castra
tion. The best time to cut a bull
calf, and all male calves in a com
mercial herd should be cut, is when
they are as young as possible. My
own experience has been that the
best time to do the job is when you
find them after they are bom. The
reduction in stress and bleeding is
considerable when compared to
waiting until the calves are older.
Our research with dairy-beef
calves has shown these calves
should be cut on the second day
after arrival in the bam for best
results. Always use a knife to cas
trate. Rubber bands are the scourge
of the beef industry in Pennsylva
nia, and they contribute to lower
value in feeder calves because
even die best “banders” will miss
about 5 percent of the calves.
Tractor Part* Co.
335 Central Road
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
717-784-0250
Stouffer Bros. Inc.
1066 Lincoln Way West
Chambersburg, PA 17201
717-263-8424
Stoltzfus Farm Service
Cochranville, PA
215-593-2407
M.S. Yearsley & Sons
West Chester, PA
215-696-2990
Norman D. Clark &
■ Son, Inc.
Honey Grove, PA
717-734-3682
Loysville, PA
717-789-3117
Nlearry Equipment Co.
RD 2, Rt. 61, 3 Miles S. of
Leesport, Reading, PA
215-926-2441
■ Obstetrical chains. If you are
in the cow business, you will soon
er or later have to pull a calf. A
good set of OB chains are the best
tool to have for this purpose. Be
sure to keep them clean! There are
available in many mail order
equipment and vaccine catalogs.
■ A thermos. I heard a sheep
breeder tell me the best thing to use
to warm up a cold lamb was whi
skey. If you really consider the val
ue of whiskey compared to some
good strong, warm tea, the best
thing to do is probably give the tea
to the calf and drink the whiskey
yourself. Nothing will do any
good, though, until the calf is dry.
■ Colostrum. Have some frozen
colostrum in the freezer for the calf
that does not nurse well for the first
24 hours. Do not warm up the colo
strum in the microwave use
warm water and let it warm up
slowly. We are still learning a lot
about the effects of colostrum in
the newborn calf. Some recent
research here at Penn State has
shown that it not only is important
in developing early immunity in
the calf, but may also serve an
important function in male fertility
Deerfield Ag & Turf
Center, Inc.
RR 2 Box 212
Watsontown, PA 17777
717-538-3557
NEW JERSEY
Caldwell Tractor &
Equipment, Inc.
480 U.S. Route 46
Fairfield, N.J. 07006
201-227-6772
Rodlo Tractor Sales
North White Horse Pike
Hammonton, N.J. 08037
609-561-0141
Frank Rymon & Sons,
Inc.
RD 3, Box 355
Washington, N.J. 07882
201-689-1464
Reed Brothers
Petticoat Bridge Rd.
Columbus, N.J. 08022
609-267-3363
• An implant gun and implants.
There will beaboutan $8 return for
each $1 invested in growth prom
oting implants, and the time to start
using them is when the calf is bom.
There are two implants currently
labeled for the newborn calf: Ral
gro (Pittman, Moore Agricultural
Products) and Synovex C (Syntex,
Inc.)
Coming...
Binkley & Hurst Bros., Inc.
Annual
DISCOUNT CASH & CARRY DAYS
Starting Monday, December 20th, 1993 Thru Saturday, January Bth, 1994
I BIG SAVINGS ON PARTS
Year End Discount Machinery & Tractor Deals
Are In Effect Now As You Read This Ad!
See Last Week’s Ad Plus Check Dec. 18th Issue
For More Coming, Plus Full Details On
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Note: New Machinery With Factory Rebates And Low Rate
Financing Expire Dec. 31,1993
COMB m NOW AND GET A SUPER DEAL ON ALL
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TsT\ri' r 7 TYr UTTOCH* 133 Rothsvlll. Station Rd. AtUr Hour.
ooric TMr (TSfSwSos "HiSr 11 '
BROS; INC. - y 1-800-IT-PAYS U (7,7),5,n “ BgK&SBD-
at maturity. Drench die newborn
with about I quart if it came from a
beef cow. but feed 2 to 3 quarts if it
came from a high-producing duty
cow. If you get some from your
dairyman neighbor, ask for colo
strum from his lowest-producing
cow (it’s more concentrated.)
• A record book. Carry a
pocket-sized record book to record
birth information, including the
date, the dam, the birth weight, and
other incidental information. This
kind of data will be helpful to
review your breeding program, the
bulls «that were used, and your
nutritional program.
A warm pickup and a good
alarm clock also come in handy.
Beef Expo
Symposium Set
The Pennsylvania Beef Expo
Engineering Student Wins Scholarship
NEWARK, Del. University
of Delaware agricultural engineer
ing technology major Benjamin C.
Postles has been awarded the
1993-1994 freshman Southern
States Scholarship.
According to the College of
Agricultural Sciences associate
dean for instruction R. Dean Ship
py, Postles waK selected on the
basis of his academic record at
Milford High School and his
activities in 4-H. Postles* family
operates a 280-acre grain and
poultry farm in Milford.
NORBCO
HEAVY DUTY SDEWALL CURTAIN SYSTEM
DESIGNED FOfc DAIRY BARNS
• DROP LINE PULLEYS Heavy duty steel pulleys with oil
impregnated bronze bearings to insure life-time self-lubrication.
Pulleys mounted on rugged 3-bolt bracket.
• HEM PIPE Heavy structural 1* O.D. on both top and bot
tom of curtain.
• CABLE Aircraft cable on all drop lines and main lines.
• CONTROLLER Heavy duty manual chain lift or automatic
controller.
• CURTAINS —Several types available including insulated, non
insulated & translucent. Featuring Custom formulated
extended-life dairy curtain with 7-year warranty.
Call for
the Name ■llf
EMU NORBCO. INC
Deafer BARN EQUIPMENT Manufacturer/Distnbutor
Rt 233 P.O. Box 370 • WMmaroland. NY 13450
Tel. 315*853*3936 • FAX 31M534429
5 1910 NORBOO. INC.
Cattleman's Symposium is set for
April 8, 1994 at the Farm Show
Complex in Harrisburg.
Registration material will be
available soon. The topics for this
year’s meeting and concurrent ses
sions include handling the newly
arrived feeder calf, pasture man
agement (back from last year by
popular demand), and the nutrient
management issue for Pennsylva
nia beef producers.
We have some fine speakers
lined up for the program, including
Rep. Sheila Miller; Dr. Sam Barin
ger. West Virginia University; and
Dr. Steve Locrch, Ohio State
University.
The Beef Expo should be a fine
opportunity to get “caught up” on
these topics and visit with produc
ers from around the state, so plan
to be with us.
The $BOO scholarship goes
annually to a Delaware resident in
his or her first year in the college.
Based on the student’s academic
record, it’s renewable at $6OO per
year for the sophomore, junior,
and senior years. Preference is
given to students who come from
an agricultural background.
Sophomore Lori J. Unruh of
Townsend, junior Rebecca A.
O’Day of Seaford, and senior
Jared C. Adkins of Laurel
received renewals for 1993-1994.
The scholarship is sponsored by
Southern States Cooperative, Inc.