Restructured
Holstein Herdbook
\
BRATTLEBORO, Vt Alan
Koepke can remember a time
when he had a high cull rate, low
merchandising figures and low
classification scores on his dairy
farm. But a new era, since 1989,
has brought lower culling, in
creased income, and improved
type traits.
The difference, he said he be
lieves, comes from Officially
Identified Holsteins and programs
offered by the Holstein Associa
tion.
With the Holstein Association’s
newly structured herdbook, ap
proved by delegates at their an
nual meeting in June, many com
mercial dairy producers will be
able to see the same returns on in
vestment that Keopke has. That’s
because all Holsteins are now eli
gible to be registered in the herd
book. USDA research in 1996
showed that Registered Holsteins
return $242 more during their life
time than unidentified Holsteins,
based on increased milk produc
tion and longer herd life.
Koepke said he estimates that
with classification and identifica
tion, he’s invested $3,500. Re
turns, however, have been ap
proximately $35,000. “That’s why
we bother with the Registered
Holsteins,” he said, “and we’re
not talking about some elite ones
coming through the system. Any
commercial person that wants to
be in the business for several years
can benefit from the Holstein As-
sedation's programs.”
“In the first era, we were ship
ping 28 percent to the stockyard,
and breeding sales only made up 9
percent of income,” the Ocono
mowoc, Wis., producer said. “And
those basically came off the bot
tom of the herd.” The cull rate is
now down to 21 percent Sales of
breeding stock have increased to
24 percent And the income over
the last few years has increased
dramatically. The milking herd
has remained at 240 cows since
1989.
Identification was not a high
priority when Alan started farm
ing in 1963. “We were in the busi
ness of selling milk,” he said. “But
then identification became a prior
ity we had always used DHI
and when the Identified Holstein
Female (IHF) program became
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ciation we started using that too.”
Having IHFs and Qualified
Holsteins paid off, he said. “We
now get a couple hundred dollars
more than we were originally,” he
said, “it’s well above feed costs
and another way to merchandise
genetics. It all adds up.”
Each animal in the Holstein As
sociation’s newly restructured
herdbook will have calculated, re
corded and reported a percentage
“Registered Holstein Ancestry” or
“RHA.” This percentage will be
calculated by averaging the per
cent RHA of the parents and then
rounding down to the nearest
whole number.
Regular registration fees are the
same as for the previous Regis
tered and Qualified programs.
These are based on the animal’s
age and membership status of the
applicant. Animals whose ances
tors are currently recorded in the
herdbook are subject to these fees.
As an incentive for those inter
ested in registering their grade
Holsteins, there is a special start
up pricing program. With start-up
pricing, a producer can submit ap
plications on one or several
generations for a fee of $6 each.
For example, a producer could
apply to register a calf, her dam
and grandam. These animals, if all
are out of 100 percent RHA sires,
would be 87 percent RHA, 75 per
cent RHA and SO percent RHA re
spectively. The calf, at 87 percent
RHA, would be eligible for all
Holstein Association programs.
Koepke has sold both Regis
tered and Qualified bulls to local
producers and to bull sales. Buy
ers want to know they are buying
quality animals and are interested
in the pedigree as well, he added.
“I think of Official Identifica
tion as another part of enterpris
ing,” he said. “It takes more time
to market, communicate, go to
meetings, but it’s a long-term in
vestment After all, it take two to
three generations, to see improve
ment”
For more information about the
Holstein Association’s herdbook,
call the Member Services Unit at
1-800-952-5200.
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New Holland
Holds Dairy
NEW HOLLAND (Lancaster
Co.) Stonehurst Farm of Stras
burg last week showed the grand
champion of the annual New Hol
land Sales Stables Dairy Show and
Sale.
The annual show of 2-year-old
and older dairy cattle was judged
by Norman Hill of Woodbine
Maryland, and has been a long
time event of the sales stables.
After the show, the animals are
then sold at auction. The sale
totalled SSI,27S on 3S animals.
Excluding the two champions, it
averaged $1,356.82 on 33 animals.
Larry Charles purchased the
champion cow for $3,800.
James Hostetter of Annville
showed the reserve grand champ
ion, a 3-year-old fresh cow, which
was purchased $2,700 by die Peila
Brothers.
The show offers eight
categories mixed breed dry
cow and mixed breed fresh cow;
2- dry Holstein, 2-ycar
old fresh Holstein, 3-year-old dry,
3- fresh, and mature dry
and mature fresh.
(Continued from Pago A 33)
problem with the property.
Nine years ago, die family
offered and had accepted into the
USDA Conservation Reserve
Program 73 acres of their farm.
The bare-earth, steep Helds
were transformed through the
planting of 38,000 tree seedlings
on S 6 acres; die planting of wild
life cover plants on other acres;
some Helds of native grasses;
seven wildlife food plots (one acre
planted for birds with sunflowers,
one with buckwheat, others with
sorghum and millet.
Fruit-and food-bearing trees,
shrubs and bushes have also been
planted, and family members said
that the farm has become a dream
come true.
For the first time in years, they
are occasionally waking to the
sound of a ringnecked pheasant
cackling, though they noted that
wild reproduction doesn’t seem to
have taken hold, blaming it on pre
dation by birds and some furbear-
Belts - Pulleys
Chain - Sprockets
Sales Stables
Show, Sale
While the grand and reserve
grand champions respectively
brought the two' highest prices,
Larry Charles also purchased the
first place 2-year-old dry cow for
$2,600, and the third place dry
2- for $2,000. Julia Stover
purchased the second-place dry
3- from Fred Potteiger for
$2,000.
NEW HOLLAND
SALES STABLES
1997 Dairy
Show & Sale
MIXED BREED, DRY: I.Water Rlimt;
2.Fred Pottaigar.
MIXED BREED. FRESH: 1 Jamas Hostattar;
2.Walter Rissar; S.Dannii Kolb.
2-YR-OLD, DRY: I.Stonahurst Farm; 2.Fiad
Pottiagar; S.Stonahurst Farm.
2- FRESH: I.Sandy Thomas;
2.Waltsr Rissar; S.Frad Pottaigar.
3- DRY: I.Ftad Pottaigar; 2.Fiad
Pottaigar; S.Marvin Eshlamons.
3-YR-OLD, FRESH: 1 Jamas Hostattar;
2.Mal Paifar; SJamas Hostattar.
MATURE DRY COW: t.Duana Richard;
2Joa Kolb; S.Frad Pottaigar.
MATURE FRESH COW: 1 .Slonahurst Farm;
2.Frad Pottaigar, S.Dala Hostattar.
Conservation Efforts
ere, not really certain why the buds milled an application to be consid
theyhavc stocked over the years credforanotherlo years under the
(1,000 over eight years) seem to current round 0 f the revised CRP
disappear from one year to the
next program.
Slide photographs taken by the ,
family £id discussed by family hnd f°* c US .P A
members noted the work that ini- erosion rate of the soil was not only
tially went in to the plantings and considered highly credible, but
the cultivation of the plants (they was considered three times more
did spray to protect the tree see- ?°^ l I^ c wlu t would be pro
dlings until they reached a size "tra.
where they could compete more Though the profitability of the
easily with other plants). * and ca " no J lon B er Ixs compared in
The growth of the different terms of tradition crops, the family
species -larch, some hard- the sentiment that it has
woods, some pines, etc.-was become more valuable than it ever
also demonstrated with the photo- w “’ or 00111(1 *“ an y other fo ™‘
graphs. While the family has one “formation on the
10 go under its ciurent CRP
contract, Althea has already sub- Wem at 7171
Bearings
Good Receives
agents without ever having been
one and for promoting the family
unit to make and keep the home the
strength of our nation.
According to Trudy Dougherty,
vice president, the state honorary
award is not given annually but
only occasionally to a person who
works toward the same ideals as
the extension family living agents.
Lou Ann was cited for her fea
ture stories on families, food and
nutrition articles, and reporting on
extension family living programs.
Lou Ann has been a staff writer
for Lancaster Farming for 10
years. She and her husband Parke
reside in Lititz and have four mar
ried children and four grandchil
dren.
Additional coverage of the
awards presented to agents at the
Pennsylvania Extension Associa
tion of Family and Consumer Sci
ences and the Pennsylvania Asso
ciation of County Agricultural
Agents will be in next week’s
issue.
Honorary
Award
(Continued from Pago 1)