(Continued from Page A 26)
Hon. Men. Walk-Le Encore Amy
Greg Walker, Thomasville
JUNIOR 3-YEAR-OLD
All-PA Dochaven Skybuck Sandi
Andrew McKissick, New Castle
Reserve Jericho Dairy Flip Bogart
Scott Woodmansee, Lake Como
Hon. Men. Dar-Dale Skybuck Melissa
Daphne Doll, Glen Rock
SENIOR 3-YEAR-OLD
All-PA Dalee-Bred Counselor Posie
Timothy Vail, Lebanon
Dairy Management Column
GEORGE F.W. HAENLEIN
Extension Dairy Specialist
University of Delaware
An Update On Selenium
I continue to receive inquiries
about selenium from cow, goat
and sheep farmers, so an update
seems in order. If you live in one
of the following areas of the
United Slates, you live on selen
ium-deficient soils; Delmarva,
New England, New York, New
Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania,
Maryland, West Virginia, Florida,
Ohio. Indiana, Illinois. Michigan,
Wisconsin, Washington State,
Oregon, and the coastal regions of
Virginia, Carolina! and Georgia
(see figure 1). Dairy farmers in
these areas should be concerned
shout supplementing their animal
feeds and, possibly, treating ani
mals with selenium to prevent the
symptoms that occur as the result
1997 Junior All-Pennsylvania Winners
Reserve Rocky-Side Star Laur Lurece
Nominated Jr. All-American
Eric Hixson, Connellsvitle
Hon. Men. Woodbine Elijah Vernia
Chnsti Knight, Airville
4-YEAR-OLD
m
All-PA Windy-Knoll-View Krisma
Amanda Cessna, Everett
Reserve Keystone Highlight Lake
Sara Hlavaty, Easton
bill
Hon. Men. SWJ Inspir Vini
Dawn Jones, Neelyton
of subclinical and clinical selen
ium deficiencies.
Selenium is also found in ex
cess of the needs of healthy plants
and animals in ceitain spotty areas
of the northwestern and midwest
em United States (figure 1), espe
cially on desert soils. As rainfall
increases, it produces in soils sel
enium deficiencies for plants and
animals, although water itself is a
poor source of selenium.
Human needs for selenium are
supplied mainly by plant foods,
but also, to some extent, by sea
food and certain meats. While se
lenium serves some industrial use,
its primary use is in the prevention
of selenium deficiency in animals
and people.
Selenium-deficiency symptoms
in livestock (and primates) include
cataracts, underdevelopment of
Mood and lymph systems, loss of
’ Pennsylvania Junior Holstein Convention
hair, weight loss, weakness, lack
of growth, liver failure, skin disor
ders and reproductive failures
(usually in females, but also ab
normal functioning in semen). In
chickens, reduced egg production,
less halchability and degeneration
of the pancreas also occur.
Selenium is an essential ele
ment for normal health and func
tioning of farm animals, and its
necessity has been documented
for human nutrition in 1976, in
cluding a possible role in aging,
anticarcinogenic properties and
blood clotting.
Crops will be low in selenium
when grown in areas with low se
lenium contents in the soil. People
living mainly on crops from such
areas arc at risk for low selenium
intake. Research with selenium
supplementation to malnourished
children resulted in significant
5-YEAR-OLD
All-PA Windy-Knoll-View CC Pear-ET
Nominated Jr. All-American
Justin Burdette, Mercersburg
Reserve Dar-Dale Vanguard Val
Daphne Doll, Glen Rock
Hon. Men. A-Jay Lead Bell Hart
Joel Alsdorf, Spartansburg
125,000 POUND COW
All-PA Jethro Dairy FPMT Diane Dixie
Shelly Woodmansee, Lake Como
Tin' 1 S)!)S Pennsylvania .himoi Holstein ( im\enlion vmII be
held Felmiaiy (i-S, I<>!>B at the Holiday Inn. I montown PA
The .lumoi memhi'is ol the Southwest Distm t ha\e put
togelhei an e\c client piogiam ol ediualion and inn lot
.Illinois of all ages
The hit times at the Holiday Inn nu hide an nulooi swim
ming pool and many activities in the llohdome Heiiealion
Aiea Some new at li\ Hies this yeai will mi hide the "Holstein
Feud” Contest, the all new Speech Contest plus the Dam
Bowl ( onlost
Educational opportunities will include woikshops on heal
detection and hieedmg cows including hands-on woik with
leproductive Pacts and getting a “feel’ loi breeding tows
The tom on Satmday will include a \isil to the Chitsten
Klay Winery This Jl5 ac le winery nu hides the uneyaids and
processing loom The gift shop will have giape limes,
cheeses, etc for pm chase and sampling
We will heai (he top speeches delneied on Sal in day night
and enjoy a dam e to end an action-packed day on Satinday
At the Awaids Piogiani on Sunday we will piesent awaids
to Juniors in many contest aieas including Distimtuished
Junioi Menibei and Scholaislup wmneis Kmt Angle, a FliK)
Olympic Gold Medalist will speak to us about Ins prepaialion
for Olympic Competition and how it helped him piepaie lor
his future
Flan tojom the Southwest Juniors and find out why “We’ie
So Great, We Couldn’t W:ut” and be in I 'niontow n February (With
weight gains. Within the United
States, low levels of selenium
have been found in breast milk
and in babies’ blood serum selen
ium contents from mothers living
in areas with low selenium crops
and soils.
Selenium contents of cow, goat
or sheep milk are hard to estimate
from food content tables or text-
Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, January 31, 1998-A27
'* •< '
'■-Am
Reserve Globe-Run Sexy Darlene
Charann Foster, Petersburg
AGED COW
All-PA Ray-Anthony Valiant Chipper
Andrew McKissick, New Castle
Reserve C-Pineriver Jethro Gretta
Timothy Vail, Lebanon
books, in part because of varia
bility, depending on feed and food
contents. Selenium is readily ex
creted in milk, thus milk contents
are good indicators of the nutri
tional selenium status. Selenium
should be part of baby formula,
food and feed supplementation. In
addition, vitamin E and selenium
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