w ‘"i ih y -- r
(L *
' l ' ,v v> " —> |-T-| Jj NOV '5 1995
<(iihicai.‘> division II 1 "i . •" ***9
WJVLVAHCA STAFF UNIVFKSIIV _, ■ HMi A .uT^l
IV I'AfTi'i LUSRAKY
• lw. ill JM wm* V
1/ I R ill lIIMII
Vol. 40 NO. 52
Both Nay, a ambryo flushing tachMelan with Naxl Qanar
ation, looks through a diaaaoting microaoopa tor fartila
ambryoa to treat, gratia, and frames tor aala ovarsaaa.
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaslre Fanning Staff
LEBANON (Lebanon Co.)
Fly control hat always been a
headache for the poultry and lives
tock producer. Where do produc
ers go to stem the explosion of
those pesky culprits?
At this year’s Housing Expo,
scheduled next Wednesday and
Thursday at the Lebanon Fair
grounds. Penn State will feature
displays of the latest research on
fly control methods, including
some intriguing research'that
could prove beneficial.
The fly problem “is serious, and
traditional chemical controls are
604 Por Copy
Penn State Strives To Get A Handle On Flies
not nearly as effective as they were
at one time,” said Leon Renter.
Kessler, Lancaster County ag
environment agent who deals with
farm/urban interface issues, is
hetying to conduct a Penn State
sponsored study to examine ways
to reduce fly populations in
manure.
One study examines ways to
cover manure with plastic to
reduce fly populations. A poultry
producer makes a 7-8 foot high
manure windrow which is covered
with 6-mil black plastic and cov
ered over, completely sealed like a
trench silo. In it, ammonia gas,
which builds up naturally from the
manure, effectively kills the fly
population.
The Mack plastic could be used
a number of times, which would
make it "worth your money’’said
Ressler. “There’s no reason, as
long as the plastic isn’t tom, why
you couldn’t reuse it’’
The plastic has to be sealed
“pretty well,’’ for two weeks, said
Ressler. Producers must keep the
edges covered to prevent fly popu
lations from escaping.
Pat Shea, who manages 216,000
layers for Wenger’s Feed in Shart
lesville, recently participated in a
Penn Stale-sponsored fly control
study on his farm. In June this year,
after collecting several tons of lay
er manure from his houses, the
manure (at a moisture level of 60
lousing Expo Showcases Research Displays, Demonstrations
Lancaster mining, Saturday, Novambar 4, 1995
Marketing Genetics Through
Flushing, Exporting Embryos
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Fanning Staff
NEWMANSTOWN (Lebanon
Co.) While exporting dairy
cattle and bred heifers is one of the
major way* individual dairy far
mer* can enjoy exporting, others
have found faster turnaround on
investment and ready markets for
high quality frozen embryos.
The number of dairy cattle
breeders who regularly flush heif
ers and sell embryos has been
growing, according to those
involved in the business.
For Kirby and Cheryl Horst of
Newmanstown, flushing and
exporting frozen eggs has helped
their business.
Depending on the index, mark
ets exist for certain combinations
of genetics, and virgin heifers are
even being flushed, depending on
index, and sold because of the
potential value they hold in mak
ing faster leaps in genetic
improvement.
Again, that value is speculative.
There it no guarantee that a reci
pient cow will accept a top quality
fertilized embryo, or that a specific
mix of genes will actually result in
a superior animal.
Therefore, the price negotiated
for an embryo is much less com
pared lo the price for a bred heifer
percent) was moved to a distant
part of his farm, dumped in a row at
the edge of a field and covered
with 6-mil Mack plastic, measur
ing 100 feet by 25 feet, and sealed
over with dirt
Before covering, Penn State
Extension agents inspected the
manure and found many fly larvae
and pupae. Some measurement of
the presence of ammonia was
undertaken. After two weeks, the
plastic was removed, indicating
little odor and the presence of
dead fly material.
Using the Mack plastic to cover
the manure to reduce the fly popu-
(Tum to Pago A 25)
Housing Expo
Schedule Covers
Building Know-How,
Cow Comfort
LEBANON (Lebanon Co.)
The 1995 Animal Housing Expo is
scheduled Nov. 8-9 here at the
Lebanon Fairgrounds.
“The purpose of the expo is to
help farmers in die Northeast learn
more about animal housing con
cerns, ’’ said Dan McFarland, gen
eral chair of the expo and York
County extension agent
Approximately 1,400 people
(Turn to Pago A2l)
of equally high index (some have
suggested a fifth of the price), but
there’s the opportunity to sell
more, have more cash on hand, and
the buyer has the opportunity to
break into ownership of top quality
genetics with less capital
investment
For the Hoists, one of their cur
rent top flushing cows was an
investment made last November,
when they paid $17,000 for Junip
er Mascot Rosebud, with
76-pounds of protein on index.
One of their first flushing
investments was purchased as a
calf and has been flushed 23 times
with 50 embryos sold and about 90
U. of Pa. Holds
New Bolton Open House
KENNETT SQUARE (Chester
Co.) For the first time in many
years. University of Pennsylva
nia’s School of Veterinary Medi
cine held an open house at New
Bolton Center, the school’s rural
campus for large animals.
Although Saturday. September
23. proved to be a cloudy and
somewhat raw day, a record
crowd of more than 6,000 showed
up to tour the hospital facilities.
To monitor thu files, io cards art used per house. One
card observed by Donald Burkholder In Host recently had
hardly any fly markings at all. Fly control research is one of
many programs featured at the Penn State displays at next
week’s Livestock Housing Expo.
Five Sections
percent of those being exported
overseas. Kiitoy said he expected
that she probably will wind up with
40 calves.
Purchased from a Virginia farm
as a 3-month-old calf. Windcrest
Leadman Jessie embryos have
gone to buyers in Australia, Eng
land, France, Holland and Japan.
The (fonts said they credit her
with helping to finance a bam
expansion completed in January.
“She’ll probably wind up with
12 bulls in artificial insemination,”
Kirby said recently. Jessie classi
fied as a Very Good 89 with an
excellent mammary as a 2-year-
(Turn to Pago A3O)
Receiving maps for a self
guided tour, people were treated to
a firsthand look at surgery rooms,
ultrasound/caidiology and radiol
ogy departments, laser surgery,
pool recovery, treadmill, scinti
graphy, and adult intensive care.
Bams of live animals including
several breeds of dairy cows and
horses, mule, llama, miniature
horse, sheep, swine, pot-bellied
(Turn to Pag* A 34)
$29.00 Per Year