WEST CHESTER (Chester
Co.) —Penn State University
presented a three-day teleconfer
ence via satellite in many Pennsyl
vania counties, including Chester
County, in early February.
It was also picked up by several
states in the Northeast and Mid
west. Local extension agents coor
dinated the workshops and con
ducted 14 activity sessions over
the three days.
It was an excellent program to
educate farmers about the basics
and current research in dairy
nutrition.
A few of the highlights of the
workshop were emphasized sever
al times, and the following points
can be helpful to all dairy farmers.'
• Your finely tuned, computer
generated dairy nutrition program
is only accurate if you or your
nutritionist has taken truly rep
resentative samples of your forage.
Samples should be taken every
time hay or silage quality changes.
Also, several samples of a particu
lar forage should be taken and mix
ed together to get a true sample for
the lab.
• Be sure you have an accurate
determination of the dry matter for
each forage. A change of just a
couple percent either way can
drastically affect the ration balance
and, ultimately, milk production,
and herd health
• Do you it* :.y know how much
your cows are actually consum
ing? Determine accurate weights
for each forage that is fed and,
most importantly, deduct the
amount that is refused. Mixing a
TMR for a certain level of intake is
New 332’ Heifer Facility Featuring 8’ Deep x 12’ Wide Manure Storage
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Retaining Walls • Bunker Silos • Manure Storage, Etc.
Authorized Dealer For
KEYSTONE CONCRETE PRODUCTS
• H-Bunks
• Trench
Silo Walls
Chester County
Dairy Milk Lines
Walter Wurster
Extension
Dairy Agent
• J-Bunks
• Hog &
Cattle Slats
fine, if the cows eat all of it. How
ever, if some is refused, the entire
ration becomes out of balance.
• When asked what your cows’
body weights are, do you automat
ically say 1,300 pounds? This is
another area that affects the ration
that is required to reach peak pro
duction. If yourradon is calculated
for a 1,300-pound cow and your
average body weight is really
1,400 pounds, your cows are get
ting short-changed.
• Different rations for different
groups..We, in human nutrition,
don* t eat or need the same nutrition
at 10-years-old as we do at 25, or at
60! Cows are similar, with diffe
rent nutritional needs based on
their age and stage of lactation.
The ideal setup would be to have
separate rations for the following
groups: first calf heifers; early dry
cows (1 to 40 days); close-up dry
cows (two weeks before calving);
transitional group (first two weeks
after calving); high group for pro
duction; middle group for produc
tion; low group for production.
If you have 500 cows, you prob
ably can create a system close to
this, depending on your facilities.
However, for the majority of
farms, a high group, low group,
and one ex' two dry cow rations
could produce positive returns for
production and herd health.
• The dry cow programs on
many farms are often neglected,
whereas these should be top priori
ty. What the cow does during the
next lactation is largely reflected
by her care and feeding during the
dry period.
These six points can be easily
accomplished by all dairy farmers,
and the results will be more profit.
That is what the business of dairy
farming is all about
Chester County DHIA February 1995
Joseph & Sandra Lusby
Gwen
Timbcrview Farm
Snuggle
Jessica
Marilyn & Duane Hershey
Amelia
Lolly
Gerald L. Kijlp Sons
177
229
241
E. Kent High Jr.
23
Merle J. King
Flower
Mable
Levi S. King
Josie
Harold & Glenn Ranck
Elmae
Beatric
Dunwood Farm
Saturn
Hanna
Vanessa
Paula
Chester & Rebecca Stoltzfus
Sue
Richard Hoover
29
122
Century Oak Farm
Lilac
Jody
Herman Stoltzfus
Jane
Richard Hostetter
3
Thunder Valley Farm
98
Milky
Mark & Melody Stoltzfus
Fire
Wilkinson Farm 1
3058
3108
77
2695
George Strutynski & Sons
28
David F. King
Jody 92
New Bolton Ctr Unit
173
Ar Joy II
Judy
Melwood Farm
Windy
Victory
Cinamon
Breck-A-De Farm
194
Pei-Valley Farm
95
Sizes And Layouts
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 11,1W5-825
Cows producing over 800 lbs. protein
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28,231
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33,773
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29,307
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25,371
22,603
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