A3B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 8, 1996
Innovation Helps Keep
Family Dairy Competitive
(Continued from Pago A3O)
constantly.
In 1994 corn in the com silage was
too hard and passing through the
herd undigested. A simple device
installed on the silo unloader
helped to crack most of the com
kernels, allowing the rumen bac
teria tQ utilize the corn’s carbohy
drates more effectively.
The device was made and
welded into place by Tom, who
also discovered that increasing fan
speed made the system work well.
Another aspect of the farm’s
uniqueness is a mile of permanent
fencing made by Krall. He used
2Vi -inch pipe purchased inexpen
sively from Cleaver Brooks
Inc.-Lebanon Plant (a maker of
industrial boilers) before it closed
operations.
With help, Tom erected the
fence with 8-foot wooden posts,
sunk 4-feet deep, spaced 8 feet
apart
The sturdiness of the fence gives
the farm a little more of a “park”
finish. Shirley said that some of the
youth from innercities who have
visited the farm have referred to
the farm as a park.
In addition to the fence’s attrac
tive appearance, Tom said that
since it was installed seven years
ago, he has not had any cattle break
out, or any problems with keeping
the herd separated.
On the approach to the farm, a
fenced-in pastured slope going up
to the back of the cow and heifer
bams contains a llama, some pyg
my goats, and a sheep.
Landscaping also enhances the
aesthetics of the farm flower
and ornamentals occupy a short,
rock-walled bed on the slope
between the farm lane and the old
bank bam.
The lower bank bam is used for
a holding area for the 38-year-old
parlor, which has been remodeled
and functions well. And the bank
bam also holds four maternity
pens.
The children have a play area
behind the house. The lawn is also
landscaped and well-kept.
A feeling of satisfaction comes
from being in a beautiful place,
especially when most of life’s
events happen there. But the place
is regularly made open to the
public touring groups from
other counties, states, or nations,
as well as groups from elementary
schools.
They said they are grateful for
the opportunities they have and
sharing knowledge is part of bene
fiting from it Also, they learn from
it.
The Kralls focus is upon selling
milk, and strive to get a good
return on their farm investments.
They don’t sell bulls to artificial
insemination studs, or market
breeding stock or embryos.
Since they can’t do much more
to affect the price of milk than
open their farm to the public for
education, voice their opinions on
public policy, and support milk
promotions through the mandatory
assessment, they concentrate on
reducing their operating costs and
making good milk.
Tom has also come up with a
feeding innovation, that may result
in a patent.
Using a device he invented,
Tom can separate his silage into
two groups one group high in
grains and energy, the other pro
viding good feed for heifers.
The theory of using it is to be
able to chop more acres of com in
September for silage and then dou
ble crop that acreage with rye, or
barley, instead of letting the com
stay in the field and shelling it.
The test value of the finer parti
culate is comparable to a rough
earn com feed called, “snaplage.”
Snaplagc includes ear com and
some husk, but not stalk.
According to Tom, the reason
ing behind his invention was this:
“Com silage is a mixture of
shelled com and stalk or grass.
“Our theory is to separate the
two after it has been chopped,
rolled, applied with anhydrous
ammonia, and fermented, thus
maximizing quality and minimiz
ing losses of com plant nutrients.
“This would possibly allow us
to chop more acres of com and to
plant more double crop acres; pro
duce a better, less expensive heifer
feed; produce more milk from the
more soluable starch from the
separated material; and have more
efficient use of equipment”
On top of this, Krall said there
are other considerations
parameters of an acceptable farm
practical concept
He said that if a separator is
developed and installed it must
make a consistent feed, be simple
to operate, require as little invest
ment as possible, and must not
slow up feeding.
He said that separating has
allowed him to cut down on shell
com or barley use by 20 to 25
percent
Howevei, last year he went
against tradition, and with the
approval of nutritionist-consultant
Timothy Kissling, he fed barley as
his main grain source for 11
months.
Currently, he feeds five pounds
of the silage fines, on a dry matter
basis, per cow, per day.
The Krall’s herd currently aver
ages 25,003 pounds of milk, 847
pounds of fat and 826 pounds of
protein.
As far as experimenting, Krall
doesn’t jump into a project without
thinking it through. And then it
must meet a test of what it can or
cannot do, before it can be claimed
a success.
Some people don’t do this,
instead taking only the Basics of a
concept and concluding, “It must
work!”
While success can result from
such raw adventurism, it doesn’t
normally. Mainly because such
off-the-cuff projects don’t have
built-in reduced risk or fore
thought in determining what areas
are critical, and where and what
possible minor adjustments can be
made to make the project work to
its full potential.
The mental and drawing board
work Krall does, along with
assessing materials and tools and
then envisioning the actual project
operation, allows him to “see”
many potential problems that
become otherwise obvious once
work is underway.
“It’s good to have brakes and a
throttle,” he said of how he and
Shirley approach most and all
major farm projects. “I not only
have to convince myself, but Shir
ley too.”
In the end, with a project that
has been well thought out, but still
doesn’t achieve the desired goal,
Krall said, “Even if it doesn’t
work, you leam through it.”
Tom said he didn’t really do
well in school, and it was a fifth
grade teacher at the South Lebanon
Elementary School who brought
Inside his 38-year-old milking parlor, Tom Krall walks past his breeding cycle board
while members of a group of animal specialists from Spain peer in through the
windows.
out his self-confidence to think for
himself. He credited her with help
ing bring out his creative abilities
at the same time. “She taught me
there is more than one way to look
at things,” he said.
Tom chairs the research com
mittee of his Young Fanners chap
ter. Most projects he’s involved
Just Another Day On The Farm
SHIRLEY KRALL
REXMONT (Lebanon
Co.) Just another day on the
farm.
Those words are never spoken
on most farm homesteads. It’s nev
er just another day.
There is always a new
adventure a new calf, a new
field to plow, a new breakdown, a
new challenge.
When you have children, there
is even more truth to that
statement
Greetings from the Krall Farm.
We milk 90 cows in a milking
parlor. We have that many replace
ment heifers, and a Llama, pygmy
goats, one sheep, two dogs and
numerous cats add a little flavor on
the farm.
It puts me in awe to see the per
centage of unemployment in our
country.
A farmer has so many job
descriptions, it would surprise
himself to write them all down.
Tom is the father, husband and
head of the home. He is also the
tractor driver, mixes feed for the
animals, is a welder, milker,
repairman, and our visionary in the
family.
I am the wife, mother, second in
command, and also milk, breed
cows, feed calves, do the book
work, and keep everything
presentable.
Joel and Travis are 13- and
12-years-old and have come up the
ranks very nicely.
Joel has mastered the feed cart
and now can do the feeding. He
also scrapes manure after the cows
go to milk. He is learning to drive
tractor and make practical
decisions.
Travis too is learning how to
operate the skid loader and does a
wonderful job mowing the lawn
and feeding heifers.
Joel and Travis also do a fantas
tic job filling in as babysitter for
their two younger siblings; Marlin,
3, and Louise, 2.
June is dairy month and we
would like to salute the farm fami
lies who are making milk.
There is some dismal outlook
being written about the dairy
industry, but we would like to
focus on the positive.
farming any other way.
"in general, most fanners »e telp lreep oe,
innovative. What works on one «< a . » Tran « a iH
(farm) necessariiy work on tben , s nQ doubt about it . s
another, he said. a day-to-day commitment by the
family team, including the use of
consultants, that makes a
difference.”
with are done on the farm.
“You have a problem, think
about it until you figure it out.”
Krall said that he couldn’t see
Make no mistake, there are days
that arc not rosey. Extra break
downs, a dead calf, husband and
wife do not share the same outlook
some days, but there are three
things that keep me going;
• God is in charge. No matter
what is happening, there is a rea
son for it, and we hope we will be
better people after the situation.
• There will always be a need for
milk. I can not see anywhere down
the road, a society that does not
need milk for cereal or babies, and
that doesn’t need milk for cheeses.
• Our farm children are getting
an education that will never be
Ag Progress
Dates Announced
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) Planting crops by the no
till method has become an
accepted soil conservation prac
tice. But for commercial tomato
growers, no-till is still a relatively
new technique.
Tomato growers can compare
no-till with other planting and
growing methods by attending
Penn State’s Ag Progress Days,
August 13-15.
A new tomato planting and
yield demonstration heads the list
of production-related attractions
at this year’s event, said Ag Prog
ress Days manager Robert
Oberheim.
“Growers will be able to see
and evaluate a tomato crop
planted in late May,” Oberheim
said. “We’ll have no-till and con
ventional plots, with and without
trickle irrigation, as well as plots
where the tomatoes were planted
through black plastic mulch and
irrigated by the trickle method.
This will enable growers to com
pare yields from five different sets
of growing conditions.”
A no-till planter will also be
demonstrated each day of the
event. Visitors will see the
machine in action planting toma
toes and a cole crop such as cab
bage or cauliflower.
A new spring wheat combine
harvesting demonstration also is
taught anywhere else. They have
acquired the foundation needed to
succeed in any occupation. They
know honesty, integrity, hard
work, working as a team, and deci
sion making. They know prosperi
ty, and most importantly, how to
pinch a penny.
It is no wonder that people look
at farm families and say it must be
wonderful to raise your children on
the farm.
I proudly nod, with a tear in my
eye, in knowing that there are
times I take this wonderful gift for
granted.
Dairy farmers, you are special.
planned. Oberheim said other
popular Held demonstrations will
be back, including hay mowing,
baling, round bale handling, and
composting.
Odter exhibits, tours, and work
shops will highlight the latest
research and information on crops
and soils, dairy and livestock pro
duction, integrated pest manage
ment, conservation practices, and
woodlot management More than
300 commercial and noncommer
cial exhibitors will be on hand to
display the newest goods and
services.
In addition, a variety of family
oriented attractions are planned,
including storytelling, horse
exhibitions, an insect zoo, live
animal displays, antique and craft
exhibits and SciQ, a TV-style
game show.
Penn State’s Ag Progress Days
features more than 500 acres of
educational and.commercial exhi
bits. tpurs and machinery demon
strations. It is held at the Russell
E. Larson Agricultural Research
Center at Rocksprings, nine miles
southwest of State College on
Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5
p.m.,Tucsday and Thursday, with
extended hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
on Wednesday. Admission and
parking are free.
For more information, call
(800) PSU-1010 toll-free from
July 15 to August 15.