A24-LancNt*r Farming, Saturday, February 11, 1995 Ag Seminar Provides Education, Opinion, Fellowship VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Farming Staff PRESCOTT (Lebanon Co.) Though bovine somatot ropin (BST) is the most researched and documented safe product ever reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug. Administration, future genetically altered products also should be well researched before being approved, according to a genetic researcher with an institute devoted to researching applica tions of the technique. David Stem, an associate scien tist with the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, located at Cornell University, Itha ca, N.Y. told several hundred farmer-clients of Lebanon Valley National Bank (LVNB) that gene tic engineering is a relatively simple tool for creating new varia tions of plants, but it should be used wisely, and cautiously. Stem, one of several speakers during LVNB’s annual agriculture seminar held Wednesday at the Prescott Fire Hall in eastern Leba non County, explained the basic procedure of genetic engineering to the group, stressing that it is not a cure-all for the world’s prob lems, but that it is a tool for plant and animal development that can eliminate possibly decades of trad itional breeding techinques to arrive at a beneficial variety. He said that it would take him about six months to come up with a new variety of a plant using gene tic engineering techniques, instead of perhaps 10 years. Stem said his job at the not-for profit research institute is to “expand essential knowledge of plants and other q[ganisms for the benefit of man.” He said that his genetics work concentrates more on plant pests and basic research. Basic research results, he said, take 10 to 12 years to show up in actual products. While he had no predictions for how the farm community may be involved in the future of genetic , Fe* t TRADE SHOW North Hall Registration - Door Open to Trade Show 8:00 am SEMINARS Center Hall Morning Session: Moderator Ken Kephart Welcome Ken Kephart 9:30 am Benefits of Multiple Site Production Kirk Clark 9:45 am Keeping Top Notch Employees Gary Maas 10:45 am The Nutrient Management Law: An Update Dennis Zimmerman 11:45 am Afternoon Session Moderator ■ Ken Kephart applications, he said he personally would like to see his research ben efit the world’s poorer nations, by making them less dependent on the products of wealthy nations. In another segment of the day long seminar, a panel addressed the issue of BST, now more than a year in use in the United States. The panel was moderated by Bob Yonkers, Penn State assistant pro fessor of agricultural economics. Also on the panel were dairy men Dennis Drager, of Marietta, Joe Snavely, of Manheim, and Vincent Wagner, of Myerstown area. Veterinarian Lynn Sammons, of Willow Creek Animal Hospital, who also works with Monsanto Cotp. in helping producers use and understand the company’s approved BST product, Posilac, also was on the panel. Yonkers had prepared a number of questions to ask the panel, con cerning there experiences with BST, what responses they have seen, from milk production to ani mal health to economic. According to Yonkers, Monsan to reports that in the first 11 months of its approval for sale, the company has sold 14. S million units of Posilac, with S 3 percent of that coming within the past five months. He said it is estimated that 11 percent of the milk shippers in the U.S. are using the product and. that 30 percent of the people using it bought it for the first time within the past five months, several months after the company’s spe cial introductory price offer ended. All dairymen had self-described family farm operations of medium to small size, though different in feeding, management, and buildings. Wagner had the highest averag ing herd and does not use the pro duct, though he is more involved in marketing Holstein breeding stock than the others. He said his herd average is around 24,000 pounds of milk. According to Wagner he ships SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL 'Stone Pork Febs.s.lS. l Expo Center Lebanon Valley 1:30 pm Public Speaking Contest Winners Host; Bruce Lemmon 1:50 pm Establishing a Marketing Network Tom Congelton 2:45 pm Market Outlook H. Lous Moore JR. PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTEST Lebanon County Extension Office Chairman - Bruce Lemmon Ages 16-19 Ages 12-15 12:30 pm Ages 8-11 KEYSTONE PORK BOWL Lebanon County Extension Office Chairman - 9:30 am 9:30 am 2:00 pm From the left, Bob Yonkers poses a question to a panel of people Involved with dairy production and BST, who are Dennis Drager, Joe Snavely, Vincent Wagner, and Lynn Sammons. his milk to local processor Wengert’s Dairies, in Lebanon County, which is also part of Gray bill’s Dairies in Lancaster. The company (and some other small dairies) had announced last year that it would not accept milk pro duced by cows injected with the BST. However, there’s no way of knowing from testing the milk whether the milk came from a BST-injected or non-BST injected cow. The milk processor does reward its suppliers with a 10-cent per hundredweight premium for not using BST. Its producers can use BST if they want to, but they must forgo the premium, accord ing to Wagner. Snavely said he uses BST and has a small milking herd and has a herd average of about 20,000 pounds of milk. According to panel discussions, in addition to the use of BST, .the major differ ence between Snavely and Wagner in management had to do with Kenneth Winebark Preliminary Eliminations Final Elimination feeding a totally mixed ration (TMR). Snavely said he has old facilities and feeds from a cart, but feeds well. He doesn’t use BST on all of his cows, but he found that it has helped increase his milk produc tion with no noticeable increase in feed, and it gave him flexibility in making certain decisions. For example, while Drager said he doesn’t waste BST on “tail enders” (those cows finishing up a lactation), Snavely said that doing just that helped him bring in cash instead of losing it Snavely said he had some cows that wouldn’t conceive again and were destined for culling. He said with low culling prices, he figured he could make more money using BST to continue milking those cows for awhile, instead of drying them off and selling them for meat at basement prices. As a veterinarian who is on an advisory board to Monsanto Corp., Sammons said that the Willow * * *< LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY FUN AUCTION North Hall To be held Immediately following eeminar program lndustry products will be donated. Auctioneer The ‘94 Auction had some excellent buys. Harry Bachman Don’t miss this year’s auction. PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS Harry Bachman, Auctioneer Annville, PA Abe Fisher, 1994 President Pennsylvania Pork Council Kinzer, PA Kirk Clark, Proffessor of Veterinary Medicine Purdue University West Lafeyette, IN Tom Congelton Marketing Manager Central Kentucky Hog Marketing Association Springfield, KY Kenneth Kephart, Assoc. Professor of Animal Science Pennsylvania State University Bruce Lemmon, Ag Education Instructor Cumberland valley High School Carlisle, PA Gary Mass, President Agri Careers Massena, IA H. Louis Moore, Professor of Agricultural Economics Pennsylvania State University Kenneth Winebark, • Lebanon County Agent Pennsylvania State University Dennis Zimmerman ' Producer, Member Creek Animal Hospital practice actually has the most number of clients using BST in the Northeast. According to Sammons, 6S dif ferent clients are using Posilac and he has had no complaints from problems associated with its use. He said that statewide, he esti mated that four cases were reported to the company in which a client believed some problem on the farm was caused by using BST. But he said he wasn’t familiar with details of those cases, although he said he has had some clients stop using the product for two reasons: too much time involved in giving shots; they couldn’t see the benefits. He said that some people will not see benefits, especially if there are other management deficits to production. First and foremost, Sammons and the producers all seemed to. agree that cow comfort is key to milk production. Sammons said (Turn to Page A3O) Nutrient Mahagbmeht Advisory Board Beaver- Springs, PA “THE OTHER BURGER” WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR LUNCH
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