Top Pennsylvania DHIA Cows By Breed The top protein producing cows in Pennsylvania DHIA Herds for July are listed by breed as follows: AYRSHIRE Fan Haae DOR GAELS 15 33 ROBERT-SHAROR ROLAN 15 676 DON GABLE 15 33 DOR GABLE 15 33 DOR GABLE 15 33 DOR GABLE DOR GABLE DOR GAEL'S DON GABLE 3TEHART FARR AYRSHIR 08 1378 DON GABLE 15 33 DOR GABLE 15 33 DOR GABLE 15 33 DON GABLE IS 33 DOR GABLE 15 33 DOR GABLE 15 33 PAUL R IBMERER k SON 65 200 HAROLD R RDLP 15 775 DOR GABLE 15 33 CHARLBS+DSBRA YOUNG 15 993 DALEtPATTIE KAULFAIR 38 525 DOR GABLE 15 33 DOR GABLE 15 33 DOR GABLE 15 33 DOR GABLE 15 33 TROTACRE FARM 37 TROTACRK FARM 37 AN APPENDIX If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade. Tom Peters Al limes I get this awfully pain ful burning sensation in my belly. Sometimes the pain flares up shortly after I’ve eaten a large bowl of spaghetti or lasagna with garlic salt That’s when I take a couple of antacid tablets to reduce the severity of my heartburn. On the other hand, the intense burning sensation happened the other day out of the blue. I hadn’t eaten any spicy food, so I ruled out heartburn. Then it occurred to me that maybe I had a problem with my appendix. Yes, my appendix; the narrow, blind tube usually about three or four inches long that extends from the cecum in the low er right hand part of the abdomen. Maybe the only solution was to have an appendectomy, and the thought of surgery made shivers go up and down my spine. Well, enough about me, and you’re probably wondering where all of this is leading. Which two of the following are true? 1) For a period during the 1980 s, the American Shorthorn Associa tion opened their herdbooks, ena bling the appendix registry of Shorthorn-crossbred cattle. 2) From 1983 to 1990, Dorset breeders were able to register Dorset x Columbia crossbred sheep with the Continental Dorset Co Herd Index Barn Rate 15 33 15 33 15 33 15 33 GUERNSEY 438 MERCURY 95/01/02 03-07 448 4 STAR 94/12/15 03-03 Club provided that Columbia influence did not exceed 50 per cent and Dorset breed type was maintained. 3) From 1988 to 1992, Landrace and Chester While crossbred pigs were registered with the Landrace and Chester White swine breed associations in a cross-referenced appendix registry program. 4) As of March 1, 1996, the National Spotted Swine Registry (NSSR) began accepting fullblood Pietrain x Spotted pigs in an appendix registry, provided that the hogs conform to Spotted breed characteristics (ears down and of reasonable size, black and white or any combination, etc.), and a few other specified regulations. Numbers 2) and 3) are FALSE! Numbers 1) and 4) are TRUE! Simply because numbers 2) and 3) arc false does not mean that they did not occur. What are the differences among the four scenarios? For scenarios 1) and 4). registra tion of crossbred animals was or is legal as specified by the respective breed associations; whereas, for 2) and 3), appendix registrations did not exist; therefore, registration of crossbred animals was dishonest, unethical, and illegal. Why do we sometimes have appendix registries? A few reasons come to mind: 1) close ancestral heritage, 2) poor performance compared with other breeds, 3) renew interest in and increase income for the breed association. -Actual Production Milk Prot Prot Fat Fat Lbs \ Lbs I Lbs 26761 3.5 933 4.2 1113 29115 3.2 919 3.3 962 26382 3.3 867 3.6 960 25636 3.4 864 3.7 944 25878 3.2 827 3.4 882 24525 3.3 813 3.6 880 25429 3.1 799 3.6 920 23909 3.3 790 3.6 865 24117 3.2 778 3.6 857 23473 3.3 W 4.2 982 24499 3.1 768 3.6 877 22193 3.4 765 3.7 813 23234 3.3 759 3.6 845 23581 3.2 757 3.6 852 22337 3.4 755 4.0 898 22579 3.3 745 3.7 844 24067 3.1 737 3.7 892 22269 3.3 736 4.0 896 22507 3.3 732 3.7 839 21476 3.4 731 4.0 855 22187 3.3 729 3.8 836 20598 3.5 724 3.2 662 21509 3.4 723 3.6 784 20433 3.5 719 4.2 860 20690 3.5 716 4.1 841 Age Yr-Mo Date Calved 94/10/31 06-10 95/04/03 04-11 94/12/31 06-02 95/01/28 06-05 95/07/20 04-09 04-07 95/04/09 95/06/05 05-05 95-/09/03 03-01 94/11/17 05-10 94/10/08 94/11/08 08-11 04-02 95/06/06 05-03 94/10/03 07-03 95/04/24 07-10 94/12/03 04-08 95/07/30 03-01 95/02/11 06-00 94/07/16 04-11 95/06/21 03-06 95/09/11 03-07 95/06/12 95/07/22 04- 05- 95/03/07 04-11 95/03/09 03-03 95/01/10 04-10 27379 26750 LISBTEfi FARM ROTTER BROS ROTTER BROS ROTTER BEOS RICBARD 0 SMITH ROBERT LYDIC LISBTER FARR RICBARD 0 SMITH ROTTER BROS ROTTER BROS SNIDER HOMESTEAD RICHARD 0 SMITH ROTTER BROS JOHN HORROR THOMAS E HALIER ROTTER BROS TROTACRE FARM BARREN D PIPER SBIOER HOMESTEAD MARI GARBER JOHH HORROR LISBTER FARM BARREN D PIPER MEADOR SPRING BOLSTR MEADOR SPRING HOLSTN SCOT LYR DAIRY MEADOR SPRING HOLST* MEADOW SPRING HOLST* CROSS COUNTRY FARMS SCOT LYN DAIRY STAR ROCK FARMS MEADOR SPRING HOLSTN MEADOR SPRING HOLST* PLUSBANSKI FARMS INC DAVID BRANDT i SONS 3.8 1050 3.7 1003 and 4) to legalize past, current, and future mating schemes among breeds of similar physical charac teristics and markings. First, in certain breeds with rela tively few breeders and a limited purebred genetic pool, there may come a time when a considerable percentage of the animals in that breed become closely related. With the negative impact of inbreeding on certain production traits, outcrossing is necessary. If outcrossing within the breed is not possible, then legalized crossbreeding may be one of a lim ited number of alternatives. One example of what I would term as “outcrossing within a breed” is the recent influx of European and Canadian genetics into American swine breeding programs. European Large White pigs or semen was imported and used on American Yorkshires. This influx of new genetic resources provided a “boost” to American Yorkshires, and effectively represented legal ized crossbreeding (or lifte cross ing) of two unrelated strains/lines within the same breed. The same example could be made for Cana dian Durocs, Swedish Hamp shires, German Landracc, and a few cattle and sheep breeds, also. Second, an appendix registra tion program may be employed as a tool to improve performance of animals compared with other breeds. For instance. Pietrain swine are extremely lean and heav ily muscled: whereas the lean com position of Spotted swine has not maintained its competitiveness with other more popular and numerous breeds where selection pressure is more intense and gene tic diversity within a breed is mote extreme. So the “opening to Pietrain” of the NSSR herdbook may improve performance of Spotted hogs com pared with other breeds, and improve purebred market share of the breed. 30 BOBBIE 95/01/17 05-11 1044 LESLIE 94/11/03 08-02 1137 STOBMT 95/07/22 04-04 1054 SILKY 95/01/10 08-04 904 SUNBEAM 95/01/29 03-09 8 36 95/02/11 05-11 51 HATYABB 95/06/13 04-06 841 SOTBEAB 94/12/06 05-02 1143 HICEI 95/04/30 \O3-09 1125 SISSY 95/02/11 04-07 523 BBLODY 95/02/13 05-04 902 JELLO 94/10/14 03-03 1116 WINNIE 94/12/19 04-10 421 276 95/01/30 06-05 103 PAMELA 94/09/21 06-11 1136 DAPHIB 95/05/29 04-04 445 SMOKBY 94/10/11 03-01 185 APPLE 94/11/21 08-03 521 AGGIE 95/02/17 04-11 68 48 95/07/13 03-00 459 338 94/10/14 04-06 32 LASS 94/09/25 06-00 301 HOMEY 95/04/03 03-04 HOLSTEIN 349 123 95/05/23 03-03 310 80 94/11/27 04-01 131 KIMBBR 95/03/19 07-07 297 8 94/10/29 04-01 325 133 95/07/13 04-05 668 420 95/02/10 04-04 150 HBNRYET 94/12/24 06-02 4 193 94/12/14 06-04 258 11 95/09/14 06-02 239 106 95/06/24 06-07 1314 PARMA 94/12/15 03-09 667 86 95/06/05 04-04 (Turn to Page D 3) Third, some purebred breed associations are not as financially sound as they once woe. An infu sion of funds for registration of crossbred hogs for a limited period may be needed to keep the breed registry financially solvent. As performance of the “legal ized crossbred” pigs improves, so too should interest in and use of the breed in traditional crossbreeding programs. These may be the only means of saving the breed and its association or registry. Fourth, if two distinctly diffe rent breeds have similar distin guishing characteristics (for exam ple, Dorsets and Columbias, Piet rains, and Spots, etc.) there are those few unethical breeders (I refuse to refer to them as “purebred breeders”) who will knowingly and intentionally crossbreed ani mals to gain a competitive and monetary advantage. A noted, outstanding and well respected breeder, of purebred Farm .Safety At Young Farmer EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.) Did you know that there were 210 farm production work accidents from 1990-1994? Bob Anderson from the Penn State Cooperative Extension gave a refresher course to approximate ly 35 Ephrata area young farmers on Tuesday, Aug. 20, at Fred and Tammy Weaver’s Farm. Anderson emphasized to the EAYF how dangerous agricultural farming can be and how important farm safety is. Anderson distributed to Penn For July swine once told me that “the pedi gree and registration papers of an animal are only as legitimate and honest as the person who com pleted the paperwork.” What function does an appendix have? In the human body, I’m not sure that anybody knows what functions are performed by that “blind, narrow” tube. If your appendix-flares up or ruptures, you’ll need an appendectomy. In a purebred breed association, the functions and purposes of an appendix registry are many. Some may view an appendix registry as a “blind, narrowly focused" attempt toward some other goal. Still, others may view it with optimism and enthusiasm. It may be simply to legalize current practices or legalize the inevitable, but in either case we don’t necessarily need an appendectomy, we need to breed better purebred livestock and maintain honesty and ethics in doing so. Meeting State Cooperative Extension Cir cular 424. The circular illustrates the most common and dangerous accidents that occur each year and how to avoid them. The publica tion is available to the public by contacting the extension office at (717) 394-6851. The next EAYF meeting is Tuesday, Sept 10, at the Ephrata Senior High School. All EAYF events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dori C. Brunken, coordinator, at (717) 859-3276. 807 4.6 1075 805 5.3 1101 791 4.6 1043 789 4.8 1064 756 4.2 973 749 3.4 803 744 4.3 904 737 4.1 922 725 4.3 811 714 4.4 897 710 3.9 812 704 4.8 929 697 4.9 975 694 3.8 862 682 5.0 971 681 4.9 976 679 4.8 980 674 4.5 836 670 3.3 719 668 3.3 712 662 5.3 902 660 4.1 809 660 4.0 745 3.2 1416 2.3 1033 2.9 1408 1.9 917 3.1 1404 3.4 1552 3.0 1352 2.6 1177 3.2 1324 3.1 1288 3.2 1309 3,2 1319 3.0 1302 4,2 1779 2.9 1284 5.7 2575 3.1 1273 3.6 1463 3.2 1264 3.4 1335 3.4 1251 3.9 1420 3.4 124'' 3.8 1427