Lancaster Holstein Enthusiasts Ttpr Chester County
(Continued from Pago AM)
During the Dunwood dispersal,
Melvin and Alvin each bought
seven head of the herd to start up
again.
Alvin said be was planning to
build up the herd, when John Stolt
zfus, not a family member, saw all
the empty stalls and asked if he
could bring a couple cows in to be
milked and cared for, and he would
bring potential buyers.
According to Alvin, John
brought seven to eight cows at a
time into the herd. “We sold more
cows that following year than we
did at the sale,” he said. M I almost
felt like a dealer, and I wanted to be
a breeder,” Alvin said.
He said people brought in to
look at John’s animals also got a
took at the main herd, and that sti
mulated additional sales that may
never have happened otherwise.
Alvin said that the experience
has helped him tremendously in
being able to sell and price ani
mals. In fact, he said every cow in
the herd has an price established,
even if it is not for sale.
SRBC Holds Hearing,
Approves Projects
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
The Susquehanna River Basin
Commission held its bi-monthly
meeting on March 9 at the Radis
son-Penn Harris Hotel and Con
vention Cqnter, Camp Hill.
In addition to regular business
activities, the Commission held a
final public hearing on the non
consumptive use portion of the
omnibus package of regulatory re
visions, a rule making action of
the Commission that has been
pending since May 1994.
After reviewing the comments
received at this hearing, the Com
mission will consider adoption of
the non-consumptive use package
at its May 199 S meeting.
Eight previous public hearings
were held on the package during
June and July of 1994. As a result
of comments received at those
hearings, die Commission decided
to defer action on the portion of
the proposed rules dealing with
the consumptive use of water. The
existing consumptive use regula
tion, found at 18 CFR
§803.61, will be retain
ed and a suspension of
that regulation for agri
culture will remain in
effect.
The rule making
package implements a
number of much needed
administrative and or
ganizational improve
ments.
The package also
contains new require
ments for approval of
new surface water tak
ings in excess of
100.000 gpd and regis
tration of water with
drawals in excess of
10.000 gpd.
Special efforts will be
made during the next
two months to work
with the New York State
Farm Bureau on its ob
jections to the registra
tion requirements.
In other meeting ac
tion, the Commission
adopted a resolution
Just prior to the tour, Alvin said
group of buyers from Brazil had
come to see. the herd, and after
experiencing the sales generated
through the arrangement with John
Stoltzfus, he said he felt more con
fident talking with potential
buyers.
Alvin said he does buy some
calves and will bring them into the
herd, with a mind that it may be
sold later. He said that he buys
calves, because the investment is
relatively small compared to
potential outcome, and even if the
calf doesn’t pan out, he can still
sell her as a milking animal with
out losing money.
“I do buy calves and seldom a
cow. The reason is the heifer bam
will hold mote than I can milk.
When I have extra heifers, it’s
easier to sell when (buyers) comes
in.”
Alvin said always having ani
mals for sale helps sell animals. It
is a strong marketing tool, adding
that during the three years the herd
was closed, the traffic of buyers
slowed, and sales slowed, even
though the quality of cattle
remained.
supporting full funding of the Sus
quehanna River Basin Flood Fore
cast and Warning System often re
ferred to as the “Susquehanna
Initiative.” The President’s pro
posed budget contains $669,000
for the system, but about $1.3 mil
lion will be needed to maintain the
system’s viability.
The Commission also approved
an application of J. Makowski As
sociates, Inc. for a natural gas stor
age project near Avoca, N.Y. The
project will draw three million
gallons per day (mgd) from
ground water which will be used
to solution-mine gas storage
chambers from underlying salt
formations.
As a condition of approval, the
Commission imposed pumping
restrictions to protect local
streams during periods of low
flow and other restrictions to pro
tect existing well owners.
Other projects approved by the
(Turn to Pago ASS)
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Alvin also reviewed some of the
changes implemented on the farm
over the years, and how each
change resulted in an increase in
milk production. For example, he
said that in 1981 they incoiporated
high moisture com. in 1984 a silo,
in 1988 an invitational sale, in
1992 a mixer to make totally mix
ed rations (TMRs), and last year
they had die bam outfitted with a
tunnel ventilation system.
"The point is we keep doing
things very carefully and our prflP
duction responds. (With each
change) Every time the production
increased,” Alvin said. "Right
now, I don’t know how we got
along without tunnel ventilation.”
Alvin said he has been using a
similar breeding strategy to that of
his father’s, called the “AAA” sys
tem which rates types.
“We breed back and forth, and
shoot for the center or balance,
when mating. Helps to use the top
TPI bulls without seeing the
daughters.” Alvin said, explaining
that saleability of ofipsring is the
reason for using the top IS TPI
bulls.
Alvin also keeps some bulls at
the farm sometimes for bull studs.
During the tour had two housed
there, one with awaidng a proof
and the other being looked at by a
bull stud.
Something else unique about
Dunwood is that they are currently
involved in an experiment with a
device that its attatched to the
milking unit that is to test milk and
tell whether or not the cow is
cycling or not.
At another invitational sale at
the farm in 1988, at which time
Melvin dispersed his herd, there
were 60 members of the Golden
family included.
Presently, there are about 40
members of the family in the herd,
representing the 13th generation at
the farm. GMT those 40, one was a
3-year-old Southwind daughter
that freshened February and is
milking about 100 pounds of milk
per day.
The herd also included cows
such as Cherio, a Tradition daught
er out of Dunwood Proud Cherry,
that is an Excellent-91 with her last
three 365-day lacations at more
than 30,000 pounds of milk. On a
chart above her stall was posted a
10-10 lactation with 34,194
pounds of milk, and 1,264 pounds
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Thl» group of heifers at the Dunwood Farm is kept in
loose housing with a clean bedded pack of straw and
sawdust.
of butterfat in 365 days.
Melwood Holstelns
The Melwood farm is home for
Melvin, his wife Mary Ellen, and
their seven children.
After Melvin got back into
dairying, he bought some cow*
from surrounding farms, and got a
group from Dunwood. In recogni
tion of his brother’s management.
Alvin said that he sent a couple of
cows over to Melvin that Alvin
thought he got to produce about as
much as he could.
Under Melvin’s program, which
is called a type of organic dairying,
production increased. Alvin said
he intended to use the same type of
management at his farm, and it)
fact hired the consultant that has
been working with Melvin in the
organic use.
The organic dairying at Mel
vin’s 4S-cow operation is based on
not using pesticides, and also feed
ing a TMR with a supplement that
includes lacto-bacteria to boost
populations in the rumen.
The herd averages 26,278
pounds of milk, 1,038 pounds of
fat, and 861 pounds of protein.
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Melvin’s herd is genetically
sound, with five Blackstar daug
thers, and five Leadman daughters,
including a Leadman from the
Cola/Carmel family fresh at.. 3
years, and milking 143 pounds
milk.
In addition, the farm has a “New
York” style heifer raising facility.
Currently, the milk is being sold
as milk, though the consultant,
who was on hand said that organic
milk buyers are growing, primarily
in the cities. Melvin said he hopes
to supply the niche market which
pays more for milk.
Melvin said that he has a half
dozen cows in his herd that he
intends to breed for cow families,
while others were brought in for
milking.
“Eighteen years ago I started
with Dunwood’s Cola and a group
from Maryland that I paid $350
each. They really milked. You
want to be careful buying high
priced breeding stock,” he advised.
Melvin also talked about the
Cleitus daughters and the high pro
duction he has gotten from them.
“Atlantic Dairy Cooperative has
marketed ourfamily's milk since 191 7.
The cooperative provides us a
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we know our milk check is going to come
every month. ”
—-John Frederick
New Hope , PA