Lancaster farming. (Lancaster, Pa., etc.) 1955-current, September 16, 1995, Image 1
i 016192 1299 PERIODICALS DIVISION PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY HI pSt-CTT W 209 PATTEE LIBRARY 11 1 irHPfflnfr ' IeSSSCT' UNIVERSITY PARK PA 16802 Uj p L -f, j I anfastPaKFai^ttima I f .l B iill |( Inlf Vol. 40 NO. 45 Course To Teach Fire , Rescue Personnel About Farm Dangers ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff IRISHTOWN (Adams Co.) When do you start to “play it safe”? I*or Larry Fecser, Jr., it began the day when, as a 14 year old, his tractor almost completely overturned. Luckily, he jumped off the back of it unharmed. When do you learn to play it safe? Ask Larry’s mother, Jean. In August, 1972, her husband, Larry. Sr., was working alone, loading Farmers Risk Silo Fires From Dry Corn Plants UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) This summer’s weather has made com plants drier than usual, posing Arc risks for farmers who wish to ensile the plants for animal feed. At least five Pennsylvania farms have been hit by silo fires in recent weeks, and the conditions asM»*r fect for more silo fires to"Blart, warn experts in Penn State’ffCbF lege of Agricultural Sciences; Why does lack of com moisture increase the risk of silo fires? “When you foment com plants in a silo, the fermentation process generates heat,” said farm safety specialist and professor of agricul (Tum to Pag* A 23) EVERETT NEWSWANGER Managing Editor STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co.) “The best handle on nutri tion and reproduction management can be summed up in one number The York Fair supreme champion breeding sheep were named Monday evening. With the champion ram are from Tim Hall, Judge; Thelma Kitzmiller; Julie Kem, York County Lamb and Wool Queen; and Paul Kitzmiller. The Kitzmillers are from Woolley Breezes farm. See story page A2O. 601 Par Copy National Farm Safety And Health Week Begins Sunda silage. He was standing up against the trough. For some reason, he slipped, and his foot was caught in the auger and started to draw his leg in. Luckily, he grabbed onto a com fork and pushed the off switch to stop the auger. But it was some time many agonizing minutes later until Jean, who was milking cows, found him and was able to use a telephone in the bam to call neigh bors and the fire department. Somehow, the rescue people were able to work the foot out For tunately, the damage wasn’t severe but Jean knows it could have been a lot worse. “His foot was mangled pretty badly.” said Jean. After several months, Larry was able to regain use of the foot. When do you Anally play it safe? Larry recalls recently, when, at a tractor pull at the South Moun tain Fair, several weights were sent flying in the air. Fortunately, the driver escaped serious harm. No hyfetanders were hurt in the inci dent. But it has the Feesers worried that something far more cata strophic could occur, and how much are fire companies and rescue people prepared? “The fire service does care, and we’re out there for farmers, as well as anybody involved in a vehicle accident,” said Larry Jr. “We basi cally want to learn as much as we Pennsylvania DHIA Brings New Technology, Latest Management Tool Online on the DHIA monthly report to farmers.” This is what officials of Pennsyl vania DHIA are calling the new mint urea nitrogen (MUN) testing capabilities they are introducing to I uuimAm Pajmlkji 4a uncasi* rinnnQi miQifi Mpwnßii ii| imb possibly can about the different styles and different types of farm machinery and how to handle the farm accident if it occurs.” As a seven-year member of the Irishtown Fire Department, Larry cooperated with the Adams Coun- “I could talk to 200 tamers and all 200 tamers could give me a farm-related acci dent,” said Feeser. “Fire fighters are no different. They’ve seen things, they have done things, In the past, and they can insert at any time In a situation to handle It.” the state dairy industry starting on October 1. "Milk urea testing gives us the opportunity to have an on-going method of consulting directly with the cow to take a look at the link between reproduction and nutri tion management,” said Dave Slusser, manager. Urea nitrogen is the waste product from excess pro tein in the feed. But the test will also show if you are underfeeding the cow. My prediction is that the MUN test will end up affecting the dairy more than somatic cell counts have.” While scientific research on MUN tests is limited, a Cornell Gov. Ridge Announces New Export Emphasis At 1996 Pennsylvania Farm Show EVERETT NEWSW ANGER Managing Editor HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) To help reach a goal to increase exports of farm and agri business products produced in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Ridge announced a new international day as part of the 1996 Farm Show in January. Ridge made the announcement in an appearance at the monthly Ag Issues Forum usu ally held in Lancaster County but moved to the Pennsylvania Depart ty Farm Bureau when they paid for a special course to learn about farm accident rescue and recovery. In mid-April this year, Larry attended a 416 day course at Alfred State College to teach and train rescue personnel in the tactics of farm University video presented to a group of veterinarians and DHIA personnel last week confirmed that the new testing technology gives a direct way to analyze the relation ship between protein and energy in the ration for dairy cows. Excess protein costs extra money and puts stress on the cow. It can hurt per formance and hurt the environment when excess nutrients pass through the cow and enter the air as ammo nia or enter the streams and under ground water supplies as nitrates. At the same time if the cow is underfed, production suffers and the cow becomes thin. MUN test ing gives dairy farmers a new to ment of Agriculture (PDA) build ing to accommodate Gov. Ridge and provide an opportunity for interaction with PDA representatives. “Wc have decided as part of our marketing and export efforts to introduce an International Day as part of the Farm Show,” Ridge said. “We want to welcome these international visitors and provide the opportunity for these interna tional visitors to meet with appro priate agricultural leaders in the Four SeeMone ' rescue. The course, called FARMEDIC, instructed 22 fire company rep resentatives from Pennsylvania and other states in the tactics and strategies used to rescue and (Turn to Pag* A 24) “fine tune” their nutrition prog rams to meet each cow’s needs. In test herds, researchers have determined that following recom mendations based on MUN tests have substantial returns on invest ment to get the milk sample tested. In examples given in the video, reduced days open and increased milk production gave a 10 to 1 retym on investment in the 100 cow herd used in the example. At Pennsylvania DHIA the program to members will be introduced ini tially at .15 per cow provided the entire herd is done, and the mem ber’s herd is being tested for fat, (Turn to Pago A2S) setting of excitement that is part of the farm show. I feel strongly that the PDA must be aggressive in exporting our goods. “We need to make agriculture more profitable. You can hear all the speeches about the demise of the family farm. But if we just help farming to be more profitable, you will not need to worry about this demise. “What do we need to do in Pen nsylvania to make production agn- (Turn to Pag* A2S) $25.00 Par Yaw