A24-Lanc«ster Farming, Saturday, March 26, 1994
Dixit L, Burk, Mtaibtnhip Dmlopneal,
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DHIA Service C«lcr,Onk*rd Road, Uahftnity Park, PA I«N2
Member Input Critical
For DHIA Success
Member Input Is Key To PA
DHIA’S DRPC Plans
PAT TORETTI
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) The Pennsylvania DHIA
Dairy Records Processing Center
Advisory Committee has big plans
for PaDHIA’s DRPC, if the
Advisory Committee meeting
held in State College last week is
any indication.
The advisory committee con
sidered proposals to overhaul or
improve a number of traditional
paper reports, launch Pennsylva
nia DHIA more forcefully into
desktop computing, and join the
“information superhighway” con
cept that has become such a buz
zword among politicians and com
puter industry insiders.
But recognizing the DHIA tech
nician as the lynchpin in any
DHIA program, die advisory com
mittee gave careful consideration
to such topics as how the DHIA
processing center can improve
employee support, education, and
training, as well as what programs
should be considered for test'day
reporting now that PaDHIA’s lap
top program for technicians is set
tling into a routine.
Calling this quarterly meeting
“perhaps the most successful
we’ve had since the inception of
the DRPC Advisory Committee
two years ago,” committee co
chair George Cudoc had high
praise for the group of mostly far
mers who gathered March 10 to
consider new directions for
DHIA’s processing center.
“Farmers are the backbone, and
the most important contributors,
to our advisory committee. I was
FOCUS
glad to see so many brave the
weather to get here.”
Noting that the best programs in
the world are worthless unless
they are able to reach dairymen,
the committee held an extended
discussion on how the processing
center, acting in concert with the
field division, could improve
communications and - education
for individual technicians.
After considerable debate that
touched on all aspects of the
DHIA business, the committee
approved a resolution to make
programming resources available
to the Held services director and to
direct the Technician’s Advisory
Committee to measure employee
retention by geography, age, key
employee status, and other
demographics.
The committee also resolved to
supply whatever resources would
be necessary in order for the pro
cessing center to aid the field in
improved computer support and
records education.
As a direct result of resolutions
passed at the state DHIA conven
tion last month, the programming
staff got instructions to develop a
“Cull the Right Cow” guide,
which would allow dairymen to
select from a number of flexible
options in deciding which animals
to sell.
The emphasis will be on pro
viding decisions, not just
numbers.
Improving the basic nutrition
system was also slated for
implementation. Senior Project
Leader Joe Hayes, a 25-year veter
an of DHIA’s processing center
explains. “For a number of years
we worked on a very powerful,
flexible, and unfortunately com
plex nutrition program with the
extension faculty at Penn State.
What they delivered was an excel
lent program for 1 in depth feed eva
luation and recommendation. But
too many DHIA members just
aren’t using it. That’s' not what
we’re looking for on this. What
members asked for in the district
resolution was a change to the
more basic nutrition information
we collect, that would still accom
modate more modern feeding
practices like rotational grazing,
the use of very high TDN feeds,
more feeds fed and more flexibili
ty. Concentrates should be report
able in decimal amounts, and the
feeds reported analyzed on a dry
matter basis. We want to be able
to handle 80 or 90% of what peo
ple are doing without making this
so complex in the process.” The
KISS principle? “Exactly,” says
Hayes, who is canvassing inter
ested farmers, practitioners, and
nutritionists for a meeting later
this month.'
The advisory committee also
considered a simplified DHIA
reporting program first proposed
by co-chair Don Duncan that
would emphasize action lists and
“management by exception”.
While many of these action lists
are currently available as optional
reports, the committee envisions
pulling all of these together
again, to produce decisions not
just numbers.
The most immediate change
noted by members will be color
coding of paper DHIA reports.
The advisory committee recom
mended immediate adoption of
colored paper for DHIA reports to
address readability concerns that
have been voiced by farmers ever
since the adoption of laser printing
three years ago. Some time early
next week PaDHIA dairymen will
see a more colorful report packet
in their mailboxes.
In response to requests by LER
(Labor Efficient Records prog
ram) and Sample Analysis herds,
the processing center will soon
implement an electronic bulletin
board system for the DHIA lab.
Processing center staffers antici
pate that the new bulletin board
will allow access to lab compo
nents and somatic cell results
before the herds have even started
to process through the DHIA
The perfect tool for ridge and
minimum till
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How Does Your Herd Compare?
STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) These data are calculated using
information pulled from Pennsylvania DHIA’s mainframe computer
each week. It is a one-week summary representing approximately one
fourth of the herds on test, as they are tested monthly.
These data are valuable from a business management standpoint and
can be used for comparing your operations to the averages from about
one-fourth of the herds across the state.
DHIA Averages for all herds processed betweeno3/06/94 and 03/13/94
Number of Herds Processed
Number of Cows Processed
Number of Cows Per Herd
Milk Per Cow (Lbs)
%-Fat
Fat Per Cow (Lbs)
%-Protein .
Protein Per Cow (Lbs)
Average Days in Milk Per Cow
♦Value for CWT Milk(s)
♦Value for CWT Grain(s)
♦Value for CWT Hay(s)
♦Value for CWT Silage(s)
♦Value for Pasture Per Day(s)
♦Value for Milk Per Cow Per
Year(s)
'"Feed Consumed Per Cow Per
Year(Lbs)
A: Grain
B: Hay
C: Silage
D: Day Pasture
♦Feed Cost Per Cow Per Year(s)
A: Grain
B: Hay
C: Silage
D; Pasture
♦Total Feed Cost Per Cow Per
Ycar(s)
♦lncome Over Feed Costs Per
Year(s)
♦Grain to Milk Ratio
♦Feed Cost Per CWT Milk(s)
Avg Level For 994 SCC Herds
*M«nbtr*9MMralMl figures^
mainframe. “Herds getting sample
analysis only, or on LER prog
rams using the DII format are anx
ious to get their component results
into their farm management prog
rams as quickly as possible, with
out additional retyping. We offer
an option to receive this informa
tion on diskette, but providing a
bulletin board cuts out the clerical
middle-man, and will speed
access.” As an ancilliary benefit,
Boyer also anticipates the bulletin
board will be used to allow agri
cultural publications, county
agents, and other processing cen
ters more transparent access to
DHIA date.
{IN STOCK <
► FOR
IMMEDIATE
L DELIVERY „
1,107
64,900
58.6
18,517
3.67
681
3.19
591
12.93
8.01
4.23
1.50
.28
2,236
7,164
2,236
15,360
59
1,477
1:2.5
4.96
376,770
Turning to the question of test
day reporting by DHIA techni
cians on farms, the advisoiy com
mittee considered and will further
study 'a* number of alternatives.
Although Pennsylvania DHIA had
long planned to go forward with
Valley Ag Software’s “Dairy
Comp 305” as its test day report
ing offering, that may change.
“We’re looking at a number of
possibilities,” says Boyer, “West
falia has made us a very attractive
offer on the licensed use of its own
management software. Dairy
Plan. We may also decide to do
something in-house. But there are
(Turn to Pago A2S)
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The harrow/cart (an optional harrow carrier as
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easy transport Harrow and cart are available in
16 to 42 ft. widths.
■ ■> • ■'
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319
574
94
231
17
917
3*^
Free twinging Unit
Fuersfs free swinging
’Spreading Action * tines
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