MWancMUr Farming, Saturday, August 13 1994
EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
COCHRANVILLE (Chester
Co.) The Chester County Hols
tein Club annual field day was held
at the Harry Troop Family Farm
with 200 people present
The morning judging contest
was again of great interest with
groups of four fine-typed animals
pulled out to provide the competi
tion. Ron Wood, from Tioga Coun
ty and a new National Holstein
Association director was the judge
and featured speaker.
Wood said his parents started
with grades. With hard work over
the years the herd grew into what is
now one of the best know regis
tered Holstein herds in Pennsylva
nia. They have 78 cows classified
excellent in the herd.
He said they like the cow fami
lies that produce individuals that
last 10 years or more and said they
don’t expect their 2-year-olds to
over-produce.
Preparation Begins
For Testing
Programs
STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) Pennsyl
vania Department of Agriculture’s Meat Animal
Evaluation Center has announced that prepara
tions are under way for the upcoming 22nd annu
al performance testing bull program and the
swine progeny testing program.
The Center is accepting nominations from
progressive beef and swine producers to partici
pate in the respective testing programs.
The bull testing program will accept bull
calves bom January 1, 1994 through April IS,
1994. These bulls must be eligible for registry
with their national breed associations.
The bulls will be delivered October 18 and
undergo a 21-day adjustment period before being
weighed on test November 8 for the 112-day test
ing period. These bulls will be weighed every 28
days and average daily gain will be calculated.
Individual feed efficiencies will be kept on all
bulls. After completion of the testing period, the
bulls will be semen-collected and checked and be
ultrasonically scanned to determine backfat
thickness and loineye area.
Adjusted yearling weights and lifetime weight
per day of age will be calculated. Hip height,
scrotal circumference, and pelvic areas will be
measured and provided.
After all the information is gathered and the
bulls are indexed, a sale committee of particip
ants will meet and select approximately the top
75 percent of the bulls to be offered for sale in the
Pennsylvania 22nd Performance Tested Bull
Sale scheduled for March 31, 1995.
The swine progeny testing program is set up to
evaluate 4 to 6 pigs out of one sire and as many
sows as is convenient These pigs can be any
combination of barrows and gilts and can be
purebred, commercial, or composite. These pigs
should be bom on or after July 7,1994 and need
to be delivered to the test station while they are
weighing between 40 and 65 pounds.
The pigs are put on test after a seven-day
adjustment period and will be taken off test when
the pen averages 230 pounds. Some of the data to
be secured from the test are rate of gain, feed effi
ciency, and days of age to reach 230 pounds.
All pigs will be scanned ultrasonically to
determine backfat thickness and loineye area.
The Center will also attempt to have all the pigs
slaughtered and carcass measurements collected.
Both of these programs provide valuable
information to assist herd owners in improving
their herds at minimal cost.
For more information, to request a copy of the
rules, or to nominate animals to either the bull
test or swine progeny test, contact Glenn Eberly,
Director, Meat Animal Evaluation Center, 6SI
Fox Hollow Road, State College, PA 16803,
(814) 238-2527. To leave a message or to send a
fax. call (814) 865-5857.
Chester County Holstein Breeders Hold Field Day
“We like to let the 2-year-old be
a 2-ycar-old.” Wood said. “We
want them to grow up and, some
where between 5 and 10 years of
age, become 30,000-pound cows.
As long as we can keep the old
cows around, we have a replace
ment heifer to sell. We expect them
to milk a long time.”
He said their advertising prog
ram in “Profiles” has be very bene
ficial and said that showing was a
hobby that has helped them to meet
a lot of nice people.
The have used their own bulls
from cow families that have good
production and four to six genera
tions of excellent or very good
cows in the pedigree.
Wood said that farmers are a
tough lot of people who rejuvinate
each spring. And he said that it has
always been part of his family’s
thinking that there is nothing better
than a good cow.
Walt Wurster, Chester County
agent, complimented the Chester
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WeSTFAUA
Quotes ha two otour satisfied customers:
Roy Hoover & Son
Call Us To See How We Can Meet Your Milking Equipment Needs and
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Chester County Holstein breeders gather to hear the placings in the Judging contest
at their field day at the Harry Troop farm on Thursday.
County dairy industry for the sup- he believes young people have as
port of the new 4-H center. He said many problems now with $11.41
the net from the auction was milk as they had at $6.00 milk
$29,000 with expenses of about years ago.
$5OO. He said the 4-H program was He said that years ago, a slogan
quite active and that SO animals that was used to promote milk said,
were scheduled to be shown in the “You can whip our cream, but you
district show at Kutztown. Show can’t beat our milk.” But now the
animals need two BVD shots to consumer at the store is buying the
qualify to go to the show and he two percent milk and butterfat does
recommended that farmers begin not make it (sell).”
tovaciniateforßVDiftheyarenot Clarence Stauffer, representa
doing this now. live for the National Holstein
Leon Wilkerson, Chester Coun- Association, said now is the time to
ty dairyman who chairs the Pen- catch up on registrations of over
nsylvania Milk Commission, said age animals because there is a half-
Leola, Pa
PARLOR
VISOTRON
Albert Martin
price reduction on animals over
two years old. Of course, the ani
mals should be registered as
calves. But if there has been a laps
in getting the job done, you should
bring registrations up to date now.
In the judging contest the top
placings are as'follows;
MEN: l.Tim Barlow. 2. John St
John. 3. Ed Breckbill.
WOMEN: 1. Sharon Nolan. 2.
Margret Meily. 3. Judy Hostetler,
Nori King, and Linda Sloltzfus.
. JUNIORS: 1. Rodney Hostetler.
2. Jesse Martin. 3. Marilyn
Stoltzfus.
Lititz, Pa
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