<l lmtthS*SK&& Vol. 39 No. 35 The contrast in methods of harvesting wheat can be seen in these two scenic photographs of neighboring Lancaster County farms Wednesday afternoon. The shocks of wheat tell a story of peace and tranquility to those who are uninitiated in the old way of doing things. But you can be sure that a lot of - sweat, toil, scratched amis, and prickly skin went into the making of this BVD Creates Confusion For Producers, Uncertainty For Shows VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Farming Staff HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) There are many dairy cattle and beef cattle breeders, adults and youth, who are uncer tain as to whether they will show animals this year, in light of the recent announcements of a new type of bovine virus diahrrea (BVD) and widespread calls for increased biosecurity around all cattle operations. Recommendations to the Modem Dairy Housing One Aspect Of Tour At Expo ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Fanning Staff NORTH CORNWALL (Leba non Co.) Visitors to this year’s Animal Housing Expo, scheduled July 12-13 at the Lebanon Fair grounds, can take a tour of an extensively renovated and moder nized dairy farm in Lancaster County, The tour, which leaves the fair grounds at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 12, will include a look at an 38-foot by 100-foot, 150-capacity freestall bam built by Craft-Bilt Construction, Inc., Manheim, in December 1992 for Hershey Brothers Farm in Penryn, Lancas ter County. To maximize efficiency, dairy man Steve Hershey can milk cows at his extensively modernized 016192 1299 ffRIODICALS DIVISION STATE UNIVERSITY f£9LE ATTEE library UNIVERSITY PARK PA 16802-1602 60* Per Copy Harvest Handiwork Honors Historical Husbandry But ... numerous county fair boards from the state are for requiring owners of cattle to have their animals vac cinated according to label direc tions (including giving a booster shot within the specified time) against BVD prior to taking ani mals to any fairgrounds this year. Also they should turn away any animal appearing to display sypm toms of the disease. Prior to that, a judging school for youth was cancelled in the western part of the state because of facility and, at the same time, con duct business using a cordless phone. Some might say the mere phone pales in scope to the modernized dairy facilities. The bam has an alley scraper, manure pit, two pre cast double-wide bunker silos, and a double-eight milking parlor. One of the five maternity pens within the Hershey brothers farm includes a sawdust-bedded pack stall area. Plastic curtains on the open walls of the 150 freestall building roll to the middle from the top half and from the bottom up. This allows better control of venti lation to the cow while she is lying on her bed. All facilities ensure maximum cow comfort, which translates into better milk production. Lancaster Farming, Saturday. July 9, 1994 reports of herds suffering signific ant losses caused by the new form of BVD. In the meantime, some addition al geographical locations of inci dents of the disease have been reported by the state, but apparent ly not all from several unsubstan tiated rumors about several addi tional cases being discovered in additional areas of the state this past week. The state is not actively collect ing data on the spread of the dis “We’ve gotten the herd size up to where it belongs,’* said Steve Hershey. who farms in partnership with brothers Dale and Clair. Offi cial herd size is 185, according to Steve, with a milking size of 170. Replacement size is about 120. June DHIA averages are 21,146 pounds with 753 pounds of fat and 662 pounds of protein. The brothers keep careful track of breed and production records using a recently purchased computer. “The tour will include every thing —the feed storage and milk ing facility and cow housing facili ties,” said Hershey. In the future, according to Steve, the business would like to renovate an older bam to make room for (Turn to Pag* A 24) pretty picture. And a lot more labor will go into getting the sheaves through the threshing rig and the storing of the grain in the granary and the straw in the mow. The Aaron S. Fisher Amish farm, located at the corner of Stras burg Pike (Route 896) and Paradise Lane, provides the setting for this ■■ photo. (Turn to Pago A 33) ease, but rather relying on reports from veterinarian. This week a number of people in the local dairy community have said they don’t understand the situation: • On one hand, reports are that the disease BVD 2 is a new, very virulant form which can kill an ani mal within 48 hours, and has been responsible for abortions,' calf death and significant herd losses of 2-year-olds, and other inadequate ly vaccinated animals. The threat of a new strain of bovine virus diarrhea has been a cause of concern for many wishing to know more about the disease and what precautions may be necessary to protect beef and dairy cattle herds. In light of that, as of Wednesday, some changes were made to the Animal Housing Expo, set to be held July 12 and 13 at the Lebanon Area Fairgrounds, according to Lebanon County Extension Agent Kenneth Winebark. Winebark said that a late addition to the two-day program is to have a lunchtime speaker discuss the disease. According to Winebark, during lunch, Dr. Lynn Sammons, a veter inarian with Willow Creek Animal Hospital, in Reading, who works with a number of dairy and cattle producers in the area, is to discuss the disease both days. Sammons is to share Information on the status of BVD and what can be done to control its spread and minimize the risk of getting it on the farm or Its effect Details of the expo appear In this Issue and include program sche dules, messages from exhibitors, and demonstration topics. Four Sections ANIMAL HOUSING EXPO $21.00 Per Year • On the other hand, there are no official quarantine measures being placed on farms with diseased herds, the state isn’t closing down any cattle shows or restricting trade or travel, and no herds are being condemned, such as was the case with bovine tuberculosis. Reports and cautionary warn ings about BVO 2 were published within the past two weeks and news releases were made by the state Department of Agriculture (Turn to Page A3O)
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