C2-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Juna 6. 1998
Lancaster Farming Pages D 2 to D 4 June 6, 1998 Issue Vol. 12 No. 1
DAVE SLUSSER
General Manager
STATE COLLEGE (Centre
Co ) - PA DHIA has developed a
Strategic Long Range 5 years
Plan that is being implemented
and adjusted for these fast
changing times The Board and
Staff reviews the changes in the
industry and the needs of our
Members every six months, then
adjusts and adds to the Strate
gic Plan You might say our Plan
is like a rolling herd average. We
are making projections in needs
based on a moving target When
you project the future you will
make mistakes, however with
out a vision you will be a victim
of change
Cur Futures Report includes
Prdßuct Development, Market
ing, Education, Partnering, and
Operations In each area you
will be able to read a summary
of our present and future devel
opments
I. Product Development
Current and new Product
Development is a necessary con
tinuing long-term investment
The Board’s commitment to
operate our own Dairy Records
Processing Center (DRPC) has
given us the opportunity to
develop new programs and be
innovative. If we depended on
others for that service our new
program would be tied to that
source limiting our innovation
and raising our cost
A Heifer 98 is a heifer man
agement program for any one
who raises dairy heifers Pic
tures of the animals can be
entered into the program by
scanning the picture or with a
digital camera It ties into the
Holstein Association “Easy” pro
gram, PaDHIA’s Data Base,
PaDHIA’s “Heifer Net”, and the
“Heifer 98” program on your
PaDHIA’s Technicians laptop
B heifer Net will be a data
base of members cattle that are
available for sale domestically
or internationally This data
base will be marketed all over
the World Heifers, Bulls,
Embryos, or Cows will be locat-
Pennsylvania Dairy Herd Improvement Association, DHIA Service Center, Orchard Road, University Park, PA 16802
PA DHIA Futures Report To The Members
ed by herd code number that
meet the buyers specks
C Comprehensive Farm
Management Program will
include Herd Management,
Heifer 98, crop management,
and finances The Herd Manage
ment program will be available
the summer of 1998.
D Complete Mainframe Con
version will be complete in the
Fall of 1998. All processing will
be done on PC’s after that, and
the Mainframe will be done
E MUN, True Protein, and
the Nitrogen Management
Report have been available,
however through research being
done with New Bolton Center,
Penn State and others more
information will be available on
evaluating your ration program
F. Expanded Lab Services
will be available through part
nering with other Laboratories
and our truck routes
Marketing has taking new
dimensions in recent years due
to new product development,
competition, expanding mar
kets, and the need for growth
PaDHIA has eight competitors
Not too many years ago, we had
none Our future marketing
plans include traditional ser
vice, new product, and interna
tional.
A. Traditional Service Mar
keting involves continued pro
grams to help our field techni
cians learn skills to get new
herds on test Our Marketing
Manager will spend time with
each technician visiting herds to
help them get more herds and
teaching them how to market
themselves A new Owner Sam
pler program has been devel
oped to meet the needs of a very
important market. This will also
provide more opportunity for
technicians to expand their ser
vice.
B New Product Marketing
will include advertising, educa
tional meetings, news articles,
and display booths at field days
and fairs. The new Heifer Pro
gram and Herd Management
11. Marketing
Program will be on the field
technicians laptops. They will be
using these programs daily
therefore they will have a work
ing knowledge of how to use
them. Members using these
New Programs will be able to
ask their technician for help if
necessary.
C. International Marketing is
a new dimension to DHIA. The
dairy industry is growing
through the World as people
want dairy products. Most of the
world’s dairymen do not have
the management topis provided
Pennsylvania dairymen. We are
attempting to market our PaD
HIA technology in farm man
agement, Lab operations, Data
Processing, and efficient high
quality milk production.
Through the use of Heifer 98,
and Heifer Net, we will be able
to locate high quality dairy cat
tle with accurate PaDHIA
records for export sales. Then
we will back those sales up with
instructor, and technology so the
foreign buyers can get the effi
cient production that American
Dairy Farmers get.
111. Educational Programs
During the last few years,'
PaDHIA has conducted educa
tional meeting and seminars for
Veterinarians, Nutritionist,
Consultants, and Dairy Farm
ers. This last winter we conduct
ed over 30 meetings with record
attendance. The most successful
meets were on the use of your
MUN information, and your
PaDHIA management reports.
To meet the increasing educa
tional needs of farm managers,
and herd consultants to use
DHIA information, PaDHIA will
increase our educational pro
grams
A Meetings will be held this
coming winter to help Dairymen
and their consultants use MUN,
True Protein, and our DHIA
Reports to be better managers
and efficient producers.
B. We will have educational
meeting on how to use Heifer 98,
and our Herd Management Pro
gram. The meetings will include
use of the Internet to retrieve
PA DHIA Management Informa
tion into their new programs,
and the use of “Windows 95-98”
for which these programs are
written.
C Educational visits and
meetings will be conducted with
herd consultants so they can
better use PA DHIA Reports to
help our members.
D. An expert will make on
farm visits for our members and
their consultants who request it,
so both understand our man
agement reports and MUN
results.
E. Educational meetings will
be conducted for PaDHIA Tech
nicians, A.I Technicians, and
Milk Company Fieldmen on
DHIA management reports and
programs
IV. Partnering
Partnering with other cooper
atives, farm organizations, pri
vate companies, and Universi
ties will provide new services,
operating efficiencies, and bet
ter educational services.
A. We are working with sev
eral Milk Cooperatives with our
truck routes to ship payment
samples and PaDHIA samples.
NDHIA Scholarship
Program Available
National Dairy Herd Improvement Association (NDHIA) is
now collecting applications for their annual scholarship.
NDHIA began offering these scholarships in 1996 and have
since awarded over $13,000 to 27 recipients.
All young adults who’s parents are members of a Dairy Herd
Improvement Association/Gooperative (producer) or is an
employee of such organizations are eligible These scholarships
are available to incoming freshmen and currently enrolled stu
dents at both four-year and two-year colleges and institutions.
Don’t miss your chance to qualify. Applications for the 1999
National DHIA Scholarship Program are available on the
Internet at WWW.DHIA.ORG or by contacting Laurie Lancast
er at (208) 736-3600. Applications can also be obtained by call
ing PA DHIA at (800) 344-8378 before September 14, 1998.
Applications received by NDHIA post-marked on or before
October 2, 1998 will be considered in their next selection
process. All applicants regardless of their current academic
level must provide a high school GPAand either an SAT or ACT
score.
B. Two A.I. Cooperatives are
working together in sparse cow
areas to provide DHIA service
and A.I. Service.
C. An Owner Sampler Pro
gram was developed for A.I
Technicians.
D. We are working with sev
eral Universities and private
companies in research both in
the field and with our Data
Base.
E. We are partnering with
Penn State, and seeking cooper
ation with other cooperatives in
our International Marketing
program.
F. Efforts are being made to
work with state and national
farmers associations to provide
better services as efficiently as
possible.
G. Through National DHIA
we are urging better cooperation
between the DHIAs in America
V. Operations
Major changes have occurred
and are occurring in internal
operations. This part of the
cooperative is less visible but
not less in importance.
A. PaDHIA is leasing more
equipment rather than owning
(Turn lo Pag* C 4)