BIRD-IN-HAND (Lancaster
Co.) Pennfiled dairy days are
being held throughout Pennsylva
nia and Maryland during January
and February. Dairy farmer cus
tomers with quilifying production
are being honored and many nutri
tional and herd health topics are
being discussed.
At the Good ‘N Plenty Restaur
ant, Thursday, Dr. Randy Shaver,
dairy extension specialist from the
University of Wisconsin at Madi
son presented ideas about how to
feed high producing cows
economically.
“The big difference in high pro
ducing cows and herds over others
is the ability to have a high intake
level of feed, ” Shaver said. “This is
so, because it is the amount of pro
tein and energy the cow takes in
that drives production and body
conditioning.
“In rumen digestion, the little
bacteria produce acids that really
stimulate milk sugar that stimu
lates milk fat production. Those
bacteria produce the main and the
most economical source of ameno
acids. As we look to the future and
New Ag Secretary Nominee
(Continued from Pago A 1)
had announced his choices of peo
ple to fill 13 of the 18 department
and cabinet-level positions he is to
select.
The governor’s nominees must
then be confirmed by the state
Senate.
“Most (of the positions) have
been filled,” Taylor said. “The
nominations have been sent to the
Senate. The Senate has been hold
ing hearings. Many (of the selec
tions) have been approved by com
mittees. I don’t think any have
been confirmed by full Senate,”
Taylor said.
According to Taylor, the next
announcement of a selection for an
administration department head
should be the agriculture secretary,
although Taylor said he cpuld not
know when that will be.
According to Taylor, the gover
nor and the transition team want to
make sure they have the bestpossi
ble person to lead the department
“I’m sure, in this particular post
as with the others, the governor is
wanting to take his time to consid
er the various candidates and make
his choice,” Taylor said. “In the
meantime, the day-to-day opera
tion (of the agriculture depart
ment) is going on as ususal under
an acting secretary.”
Although not mentioned by
Taylor, the new secretary will have
to have, or quickly get, an under
standing of the various duties,
agencies, and programs that the
department has had, lost, changed,
or developed during the past
administration.
Also, whomever is selected will
have to be able to guide the depart
ment well in adopting new respon
sibilities which have been either
added under new laws, or which
are expected to come with the gov
ernor’s proposed restructuring of
the state Department of Environ
mental Resources.
Among those responsibilities is
the administration of the state’s
Nutrient Management Act, which
was made into law early last sum
mer by former Gov. Robert Casey.
A timetable has been set by law
for the law to take effect and for
regulations to be made and
approved.
While the State Conservation
Commission (SCC) an auton
Regional Dairy Days B
high production, we look toward
feeding the rumen bacteria. Main
taining a health rumen and main
taining good output of energy and
protein from the rumen bugs is the
cheepest source of nutrients for
those high producing cows.
“I always like to look at starch,
degradable soulable protein to try
to optimize the output of the rumen
bugs.” Snyder said.
Snyder said that a cow that is
milking 100 lbs. per day will spend
four hours each day eating and 7 or
8 hours chewing her cud. Most of
the cud chewing is done at night.
Not only does cud chewing rewet
the bolice that is regulated it also
produces a buffer that is important
to rumen health.
Dr. Timothy Snyder, manager
of dairy nutrition for Pennfield
said that while dairy farming is not
easy, the company tries to help
make it a little easier. “Althoug I
would point out that if you through
in good forages, it makes it a lot
easier for us to help you take away
a lot of milk.”
Snyder illustrated some of the
feeding programs they produce for
omous commission that oversees
operation of the multi-agency,
multi-government supported
county conservation districts
has been charged with imple-
menting the Nutrient Management
Act, the department of agriculture
has a major role in its development
and administration, specifically
with certification procedures.
Yesterday, after presstime, the
Nutrient Management Advisory
Board was to have met and was
expected to have approved a num
ber of regulatory aspects of the
law, bringing the act closer to
being completed according to the
timetable, as set by law.
The board has been approving
regulations without specific direc
tion from the new administration
as to how authority between the
two departments most involved
with carrying out the nutrient man
agement act will be divided, if at
all. Those agencies are the depart
ment of agriculture and the state
DER.
Last month, after Gov. Ridge
took his oath of office, the advis
ory board had contacted the transi
tion team and the governor's office
for a meeting to seek probable
direction of the new administra
tion. so that board member's work
would not become idled, or made
obsolete, after more than a year
working out details of the law.
According to a report during an
earlier advisory board meeting, the
transition team had directed the
board to continue its work, though
with the knowledge that some
minor changes may have to be
made later in the law to reflect pos
sible changes in governmental
organization.
However, the Penn State Uni
versity Cooperative Extension
Service has been charged with
creating and delivering education
al programs. Much of the liming of
public education is tied into when
the regulations have been
finalized.
If there are significant altera
tions to the regulations made after
they have been finalized, it could
mean significant costs in money
and time to the Penn State
Cooperative Extension Service to
reconstruct an educational
program.
dairy farmers. These programs are'
changed according to production
level. And he said the best grains to
use depends on the types of forages
and the number of times you are
feeding your cows each day. If you
slug feed two time per day, the
ration would favor ear com to
bring along some of the cob to
reduce the quickly fermenting
material. If you are feeding many
times per day, or with TMR, the
more quickly formented starch in
shelled com may be more appro
priate. The main thing is to match
the grain source to the forages on
the farm.
Pennfields newest production
equipment to produce their trade
named “Super Flake” is up and test
running. According to Don Mah
landt, manager, dairy and livestock
feed sales, the two big crimpers
and the conditioning unit are
installed. With the old steem
rolled process, the grains of com
were process-flattened to dime or
quarter size. With the new flakeing
machines the grain will roll out
completly flat to the size of a quar
ter. The further processing is done
to get the most response from the
dairy cows.
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