A26-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 13, 1996
Pa.DHIA Introduces Internet Services
PAT TORETTI
Pennsylvania DHIA is now
offering Internet services to users
of the Pa. DHIA ARIS system and
its laboratory bulletin boards,
according to Jim Boyer, Pa.
DHIA’s processing center
manager.
“We’re very excited to be able
to extend this kind of service,
because it really positions the
ARIS system where we’ve always
wanted it,” says Boyer.
“Internet access to our main
frame allows us to present things
like news, electronic mail, and file
transfer services to our customers.
These options save us on 1-800
long distance charges while pro
viding significant new functional
ity for our customers.
“For example, an ARIS user
can now receive a notification that
his reports are available via c
mail, without ever having to dial
the mainframe in State Collge.
“He can also pick an option that
allows us to send reports directly
to his e-mail account or Internet
service provider if the provider
offers that kind of feature, or, he
can retrieve the reports via FTP
(file transfer protocol) or the more
conventional ARIS downloads.
“If the customer’s Internet
Terraces Ease
(Continued from Page A 24)
What matters most is "rethink
ing” practices that so many Gar
tners have been accustomed to
over the years. Many would plow
up 20 or more acres of ground, not
thinking about possible erosion
problems. Now it’s safer to work
on 4-5 acres at time, and keep ero
sion controls in place.
In 1980, the Moyers
installed a concrete
bottom, earthen-side
manure holding pit.
Moyer expects to add a
heifer manure holding
pit sometime in the
future. Also, Moyer has
a carefully drawn up
nutrient management
plan for his farm, writ
ten for him by the
district.
Other farms are tak
ing heed. Moyer admit
ted so seeing a “lot of
water being run away”
on nearby farms, but
“there are going to be
more fanners putting
terraces in.”
The Moyers have par
ticipated in an ASCS
cost-share program for
the work of paying for
the heavy earth-moving
equipment and labor to
create the terraces. The
cost-share pays about 80
percent of the terrace
installation fees. With
out that money, Moyer
said he “wouldn’t have
done it.”
Work in the future
will involve turning the
seven acres of pasture
into a rotationally
grazed system.
But the terraces have
proved to be a soil
saver.
“They’re in there
now and 1 know my
ground will be pro
tected," he said. “We
account offers the option, he can
even dial directly into the DHIA
mainframe via telenet at speeds up
to 56 KBPS, or even faster,” Boy
er said.
“We’re looking for dairymen,
vets, and consultants who want to
participate in the program right
now,” Boyer said, “It’s available
to anyone interested.
“For ARIS customers wbo’ve
been meaning to get online with
the Internet, this is a good reason
to start The system is really a
great deal easier to use over a high
speed IP connection than via the
traditional modem-to-mainframe
vehicle. And front-ends like the
Microsoft Internet Explorer,
Mosaic, or Netscape Navigator
make the program easier to use.”
The DHIA processing center
has big plans for exploiting the
information super highway that
has literally exploded in the past
few years.
Pennsylvania will be introduc
ing a home page on the World
Wide Web with links to support
ing industries like breed associa
tions, AI studs, and Gum publica
tions, and will offer news, elec
tronic mail, advertising and other
services to industry cooperators,
consultants, and members in the
coming weeks.
“The real power of the Internet
is in commerce,” Boyer said.
“And a great deal of that capabili
ty remains untapped. But combine
the recent communications dere
gulation, the number of new ven
dors online every day, and
enhanced privacy and security
programs for financial transac
tions with the number of users
plugged into the Internet and we
are talking about some really phe
nomenal opportunities in the com
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ing year,” he said.
“There are millions of people
already connected to this world
via America Online, Com
puServe, or their own local pro
vider. And MCI and AT&T are
even getting into the act”
“We’re just overwhelmed by
the possibilities right now,” said
Dave Slusser, PA DHIA’s general
manager. “At a time when a lot of
people especially those with
their own personal computers
are questioning the value of
DHIA, the new services we’re
implementing showcase the great
benefit of belonging to a coopera
tive association.
“For example, one service we
envision offering would allow
people to offer advertising to
purchases who want heifers. A
dairyman on our heifer program
will be able to hook up with buy
ers literally anywhere in the
world. And by providing a one
stop shopping center with datab
ase capability, those buyers will
be able to fill orders for the exact
kinds of numbers of calves they
want easily and quickly.
“That gives real value to both
the purchases and the seller, and
that’s something you can’t do with
a computer all by yourself,” Sluss
er said.
“I see us being able to connect
dairymen to the right vets, feed
mills, equipment dealers, and
financial consultants to solve the
problem of their individual farms.
That kind of networking operation
just won’t be available to people
who’re isolated from DHIA.”
Hie visual impact of the Web is
expected to help Pennsylvania
DHIA sell and explain new ser
vices like the Milk Urea Nitrogen
testing introduced last October.
THE SEQUENTIAL
TILLAGE PRACTICE.
PROW
118
AgriCenterA
dealer
Professionalism • Servica • Environmental Responsibility
Benchmarks, graphs, and other
explanatory information will be
available online. And the interac
tive nature of the Internet will
allow interested members and
support people to actually walk
through training and educational
materials as they become
available.
‘Tor instance, wc regard perfor
mance economics as being one of
the most important areas for our
farmers as the money situtalion
tightens on so many farms.” Sluss
er said.
“With the right programming
Average Farm Feed
Costs For Handy
Reference
To help fanners across the state
to have handy reference of com
modity input costs in their feeding
operations for DHIA record sheets
or to develop livestock feed cost
data, here’s last week’s average
costs of various ingredients as
compiled from regional reports
across the slate of Pennsylvania.
Remember these are averages so
you will need to adjust your figures
on a web page, we can actually
show a farmer how to use the
information on a 1040 F to fill out
(he DHIA bamsheet to get maxi
mum impact from our Perfor
mance Economics program."
Although the new services will
not be limited to ARIS patrons,
current users of PA DHIA’s ARIS
system who are interested in
accessing ARIS via their Internet
accounts can contact Dan Smith at
1-800-DHI-TEST.
Be sure to let him know your e
mail address and the paitkmlars of
your computer system when you
call
up or down according to your loca
tion and the quality of your crop.
Com, No. 2y-4.11 bu.7.36cwL
Wheat. No. 2 - 4.75 bu. 7.92
cwt
Barley, No. 3 - 3.36 bu. 7.19
cwt.
Oats, No. 2 - 2.27 bu. 7.08 cwt
Soybeans, No. 1 - 7.25 bu. 12.11
cwt
Ear Com 99.60 ton 4.98 cwt
Alfalfa Hay • 120.00 ton 6.0
cwt
Mixed Hay - 126.00 ton 6.30
cwt
Timothy pay -114.75 ton 5.74
cwt
Hardest
PARTNERS.