Lancaster farming. (Lancaster, Pa., etc.) 1955-current, March 12, 1994, Image 1

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Vol. 39 No. 18
Pennsylvania Purebred Hog Show, Sale Highlights Quality
VERNON ACHENBACH, JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
NORTH CORNWALL —A
number of Pennsylvania’s top
breeders of Yorkshire, Duroc, and
Hampshire swine participated in
the annual state show and sale of
those breeds last Saturday at the
Lebanon Area Fairgrounds, in
Lebanon.
According to show officials
only two exhibitors weren’t able to
attend because of the winter storm.
Buyers from seven different states
attended the sale that followed the
show.
Randy Smith, herdsman at
Islet’s Yorkshires and Durocs, of
Ohio, was judge.
There were a total of 57 animals
registered for the show and sale,
which broke down to 25 York
shires, 16 Durocs. and 16 Hamp
shires. The purpose of the show
and sale is generally to offer breed
ers a chance to buy and sell breed
ing stock to enhance their own
operations.
Doug Drews feeds hay to a buffalo.
National Grassland Enthusiasts Visit Dutch Country
EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
LANCASTER (Lancaster
Co.)—“Grass is the forgiveness of
nature, a constant benediction. It
yields no fruit in earth or air yet
should its harvest fail for a single
year, famine would depopulate the
world.”
John Baylor, historian and past
president of the American Forage
and Grassland Council (AFGC),
used this 125-year-old quote to
capture the attention of members of
the council from all areas of the
U.S. and Canada at their annual
convention held this week at the
Host Resort. He was telling how
AFGC serves the producers.
In many countries 90 to 100 per
cent of the nutrients from ruminant
livestock comes from forage. In the
U.S. about half of the fanning area
is grassland. Through dairy ani
mals. beef animals, and sheep, 25
percent of the nation’s food supply
has its base in forages. But even
today, according to Baylor, forages
016192
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60* Per Copy
Many of the participants raise
and sell purebred or mixed hogs
for breeding or showing. All open
gilts and boars entered in the show,
were first scanned for loin eye and
backfat.
“At this show, we have bear
using Mike Cherchuck Real-Time
Scanning for backfat and loin eye,
for four years,” said Steve Wilson,
show organizer. “We feel (ultra
sound scanning for desirable char
acteristics) is a plus for our cus
tomers knowing this about the ani
mals they purchase. We feel it is
vital in producing lean quality
animals.”
The cash sale auctioneer was
Harry Bachman, of Annville and
he saw an average of $365 for
Yorkshire bred gilts, $450 for Dur
oc bred gilts, and $445 for Hamp
shire bred gilts.
Yorkshire boars sold for an
average of $3OO each, Duroc boars
brought an average of $450, and
Hampshire boars brought $650
each.
Of the opoi gilts, Yorkshires
are producing only about one
fourth its known potential.
In 1942 a number of industry
people gathered at the New Jersey
Experiment Station to discuss what
could be done in the field of grass
land harvest Harvesting was labor
intensive at the time, and the coun
try was at war so food was a prob
lem. From this beginning, efforts
were made to develop methods to
handle forages, because they are
thebackboneof inputcosts to oper
ate the farm.
“I know of no other organization
that has had the producer directly
in mind in the development proce
dure,” Baylor said. “At the time,
information was not readily avail
able. So the new organization spent
time developing educational
materials. In addition, field days,
workshops, and farmer awards
programs were initiated to increase
the educational value of the
council.”
f (Turn to Pago A2O)
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 12, 1&94
sold for an avenge of $lBB, Dur
ocs sold for $202 on average, and
Hampshires went for $247 each.
All animals were cleared of
brucellosis and pusedorabies and
were to have been vaccinated for
leptospirisis and erysipelias not
less than 21 days before the sale.
Show premiums were paid for
the top 10 bred gilts in the junior
aqd senior groups, ranging from
$4O for first place to $22 for 10th.
For the boars and open gilts, show
premiums ran from $4O for first to
$4 for 10th place.
The classes woe for boars and
gilts farrowed after July 1, 1993.
The limits were one boar per con
signor per breed, and two open
gilts per consignor per breed.
Showers were allowed to enter
as many bred gilts, farrowed on or
after Feb. 1,1993, as they desired,
as long as the gilts weren’t bred to
a boar from ? different breed.
Showers were restricted to enter
ing one gilt bred to a different
breed boar.
(Turn to Pago A2B)
A Home Where The Buffalo Roam
MIRIAM WERT
Juniata Co. Correspondent
MIFFLINTOWN (Juniata Co.)
While taking photos of the buf
falo at the Juniata Springs Bison
Farm, the only thing missing was
a tribe of Indians riding over the
hill. The herd was inside the fence,
contently munching on hay placed
there by owners Doug and Shirley
Drewes. The bison gave no indica
tion of being wild animals as they
are officially known. Seeing a
stranger so close by did not alarm
them in the least.
If the Drewes had chosen
another name for their farm, sure
ly it would have been, “A Dream
Come True” or “Heaven on
Earth”. Both names reflect their
John Baylor, known at a lifetime supporter of grassland and forages, was honored
for writing the history of the council’s first 50 years that was published tor the golden
anniversary of the American Forage and Grassland Council meeting in Lancaster this
week. Making the presentation are from lift, Garry Laceflekf, past president; Baylor;
Vivien Alien, past president; and Clive Holland, new president.
Russ Wilson, son of Stove and Cindy Wilson, stands
behind his family’s farm champion Yorkshire open gilt of
the Pennsylvania Yorkshire, Duroc, Hampshire Show and
Sale.
expressed feelings about the fanfif*
They are both from farming back
grounds although their families
did not own farms. As a youth,
Doug worked as a farmhand for
various farmers and learned to
love the land. He always dreamed
of having his own farm “some
day", and Shirley joined in on that
dream after they married.
They had a few acres in Lancas
ter County. Several years ago,
Doug read an ad in Lancaster
Farming that a bison was for sale,
and his dream increased to wanting
not merely a farm buta bison farm.
The couple purchased the 32-acte
farm at Mifflintown in Juniata
County, and moved to it in June
1992.
Five Sections
****tnTJovember of that year, they
bought their first bison and kept
increasing the herd regularly to
the present 22. The animals came
from various places, including
locally. New York, South Dakota,
Colorado and West Virginia.
These animals are possibly the
third generation raised inside a
fence, and they make no attempt
to jump the fence even with the
high snow.
In addition to the acreage on the
Drewes farm, they farm 70 acres
elsewhere.
Their principal crops are hay
and field com. The com is ground
for the bison and mixed with vita
mins and needed natural supple
(Turn to Pagt A3O)
$19.75 Per Year