JAMES BOYER
DRPC Manager
Pennsylvania DHIA’s DRPC
has become the first dairy records
processing center in the nation to
provide reports for Milk Urea Ni
trogen (MUN) testing.
“While other DHIA labs have
offered MUN testing for several
months, none of them are provid
ing MUN testing as an integral
part of their DHIA program,” said
Joe Hayes, the project leader
responsible for the implementa
tion of MUN in Pennsylvania’s
DRPC.
Hayes, a former Clinton County
dairy fanner who has worked for
Pennsylvania DHIA for the last
quarter century, is no stranger to
innovations in the computer
industry.
He was involved in the conver
sion that brought the first com
puterized laboratory in the nation
to Pennsylvania during the
1970’5.
Hayes was the project manager
for the program which made
Pennsylvania DHIA the first and
only processing center in the
country to provide both protein
and non-fat milk solids analysis
through! its DPRC.
And Hayes was an important
contributor to the project that gave
Pennsylvania the first lab in the
country that replaced large,
expensive computers in its DHIA
lab with networked PC’s.
“An important part of MUN
testing is the analysis done by a
vet practitioner or feed dealer in
consultation with the herd owner,”
Hayes said. “Our MUN report is
an effort to support that process.
“The other DHIA’s dial are
testing for MUN right now don’t
really offer any analysis, because
they’re basically just lists that are
printed off the lab machines that
don’t go through the Processing
Center,” he said. “As a result they
simply don’t have access to the
kind of data we do to cross tabu
late MUN results against lactation
number, days in milk, herd group
ing. and so on.
“We offer a MUN report that
looks, acts and feels like the Herd
Summary that our farmers are
already comfortable with. A
stand-alone DHIA lab can’t pro
duce that kind of information.
“For individual animals, we
also show the MUN results right
on the monthly report along with
all of the cow’s other vital stats.
Again, if you’re just printing com
ponents off a printer in the lab you
can’t offer that kind of complex,
convenient service,” Hayes saio.
MUN analysis is also available
in electronic form through Pa.
DHIA’s ARIS program, and on
Pennsylvania DHIA’s electronic
lab bulletin board. For LER herds,
or herds using a DII compliant
program (such as Westfalia’s
Dairyplan, or de Leval’s Herd-
Master Galaxy) the DRPC also
offers an option to make lab
results, including MUN, available
on diskette in a form that can be
brought directly into a herd own
er’s on-farm computer.
“Unlike most other DHIA labs,
we aren’t just a front end that
feeds numbers into a processing
center hundreds or thousands of
miles away.” said Dixie Burris,
Pa. DHIA’s lab manager.
“Because Pa. DHIA controls
and owns its own processing cen
ter, we’ve historically had a much
tighter integration between our lab
and DRPC,” Bums said. “And if
you look at our track record of
innovations, that close working
relationship has always paid big
dividends to our farmers, who get
the benefits of new laboratory
technology first”
Pennsylvania DHIA introduced
MUN testing the first of October.
The service, including the new
report, is available on a Hist come,
first served basis to DHIA mem
bers for an additional charge of IS
cents per cow.
Nonmembers can also make use
of the new service.
Interested dairymen should ask
their Pa. DHIA technicians for
more information, or call the
DHIA service center at
1-800-DHI-TEST.
&
HEAT LAMPS
and
125 W & 175 W
Bulbs
THERMOSTATS
*22°°
Pa.
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co.) The new Pennsylvania
Holstein Association membership
year changed Oct Land members
who have not renewed should do
so by Nov. 1 to enjoy a discount
According to a news release, all
current members of PHA were
recently mailed a renewal applica
tion. Those without application
forms can contact the association
at (814) 234-0364, or write to the
Pa. Holstein Astoication, 839 Ben
ner Pike, State College, PA 16801.
The annual membership is $25.
Each member who also is a mem
ber of National Holstein receives a
$6 savings for each registration of
a calf under three months old, a
subscription to the organizations
periodical Pennsylvania Holstein
Profiles, a subscription to Farms
hine newspaper, and participation
in educational, promotional and
service programs.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 21, 1995-A3l
Holstein Association
Offers Early
Membership Discount
MEWS
There are local, district and state
level events such as bam meetings,
tours, picnics, annual' meetings,
shows, sales (domestic and inter
national) and a strong youth prog
ram, second to none.
The association also has a strong
marketing program and has been
acting as an agent to market thou
sands of registered Holsteins all
over the world. It also owns and
operates a farm at Middletown,
near the Harrisburg Airport and
major routes, that serves as a stag
ing area for cattle to be sold or held
for export
According to the news release,
“Possibly the most important ben
efit of all is the fact you can share
your thoughts and concerns with
other Holstein dairymen. You
don’t have to have a bam full of
registered cows to take part and
enjoy the fellowship that comes
with being a member of Pennsyl
vania Holstein Association.”