Berks DHIA Reviews Heifer 98 Program, Awards Members
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Fanning Staff
LEESPORT (Berks Co.)
Even more than dry cows, heifers
can be the most “neglected and for
gotten animals on the farm,” said
George Cudoc, a consulting dairy
man for the PaDHIA.
Cudoc spoke about the new state
DHIA Heifer 98 computer prog
ram, which he introduced as one
more tool to manage, evaluate,
breed, and market dairy heifers.
Cudoc addressed 100 Berks
County DHIA members, family,
and friends Tuesday afternoon at
the Berks County Ag Center in
Lcesport at the group’s annual
awards presentation banquet.
The Heifer 98 database program
can be customized to meet a wide
variety of heifer management
needs, which can be transferred to
spreadsheet. The computer prog
ram can enable daily farmers to get
a complete transcript of what heif
ers there are mi the farm, how 'hey
are feeding, what health mainte
nance steps have been taken in
short, a complete nutritional and
health history of each animal.
The records on each heifer can
be sorted by groups or individual
ly. Cudoc demonstrated the menu
driven program at the DHIA ban
quet. The software, which operates
personal computers equipped
with Windows 95, costs $29.95.
Cudoc, who was herdsman at
Marburger Farm Dairy in Valcncia
a number of years, said he has been
a dairyman and understands what a
dairy manager is looking for. The
program fits the needs of the dairy
man because it can be selective and
individually programmed. Heifers
can be selected by herd or indivi
dually by age, size, body condi
tioning, or weight.
Breed criteria, such as the
registration of dam and sire, can
follow tight along with other infor
mation. Also, an electronic snap
shot of the heifer can be scanned in
and appear right next to the data in
the entry. An entry can be high
lighted, and events including
pregnancy checking can be
noted to help the dairy farmer keep
track of that essential chore.
In the end, dairy farmers ran
analyze every heifer to see the
“good doers or not good doers,” he
noted. Information can be sorted
by various means to get a complete
overview of the farm’s heifer
program.
All event data entered into the
program “follows through” the life
of the heifer. The event data that
In high individual lactation, all separate awards for milk,
protein, and fat went to Plushanski Farms, represented by
Clyde Plushsnskl, left. At right is Ken Sanner, chairman of
the Berks DHIA.
can be stored is limited not neces
sarily by today’s computer size or
storage capacity, but by the imagi
nation of the herd manager.
“It’s the best buy on the mark
et," Cudoc noted. “It’s a very good
educational tool."
For more information about the
Heifer 98 program, written by
Pa.DHIA, contact Cudoc toll-free
at (800) 344-8378.
The consulting dairyman for
PaDHIA also spoke about the
extensive uses and benefits to
which users can derive the Milk
Urea Nitrogen (MUN) program at
the state DHIA. He told dairy far
mers that the number one input
cost is feed, and the MUN helps
track the protein portion of the feed
costs.
The MUN program carefully
tracks the protein usage of the
dairy animals on the farm. Are the
animals using nitrogen efficiently?
And what ways can producers util
ize protein more efficiently, there
by, in ways, cutting production
costs?
In several cases, Cudoc helped
identify where herd managers
were underfeeding protein. Cudoc
noted that people should use MUN
“every month mi farms.” The use
of MUN depends on a lot of fac
tors, including age of cows, types
of diet, etc. It is one of the services
state DHIA membership offers
and if those reports are prepared, it
only makes sense for DHIA mem
bers to use them.
“We ate in the business to help
people troubleshoot a situation and
make best use of DHIA records,”
he said. “We can show you how the
cows tell you what is going on in
dairy farm.”
Also at the banquet, Berks
County agent Clyde Myers pre
sented a slide show on the 1997
Herd Management Farm Award
Winner, Hiddenview Holsteins,
operated by Tim and Teresa Kis
sling, Robesonia.
“This farm has always been
noted for its quality animals and
high production," said Myers.
Last year, according to-the
agent, the farm saw their score in
the herd management area increase
by 143 points and present a rolling
herd average of 29,210 pounds
milk, 985 pounds fat, and 931
pounds of protein. “This shows
their productive management con
tinues,” said Myers.
Hiddcnview Farm includes 65
head of registered Holstcins plus
replacements on the 144-acre
farm, with 92 tillable acres.
An additional 120 tillable acres
are rented. Crops grown include 60
acres of hay for hay and haylagc
and 105 acres for com silage and
grain.
When Myers asked the keys to
success of their herd, Tim and
Teresa replied, “feed management,
genetics, and cow care and com
fort" Above and beyond these is
doing the little things and “paying
attention to details,” Myers noted.
“These are the real differences
between success and failure.”
Nutrition is a key ingredient in
production. The Kisslings feed a
two-group TMR of 75 and 95
pounds. Topdressing is done in
both groups. Sixty percent of the
forage in the ration is alfalfa hayl
age and 40 percent of the radon’s
forage is com silage with the rest,
high moisture ear com. A 21 per
cent protein complete feed is used
as a topdress.
The Kisslings check moisture
levels. Haylage is checked twice
■per week, or everyday if changes
are obvious, Myers noted.
Tim believes using a Koster tes
ter is easier and more accurate than
using a microwave.
Pieces of plastic are used to
show new cuttings. Cows are fed
for a 55-pound diy matter intake.
For the Kisslings, it is essential to
watch consumption and digestive
changes, as in fecal consistency.
The Kisslings believe that cows
always milk best on first-cutting
haylage.
“The base of any successful
herd is genetics," Myers said.
Because of good breeding, it has
not been necessary to beef cows
because of low production. Sire
selection is based on high compo
nent, milk, and type.
Via ET work the last several
years, 75 percent of the herd’s
genetic base is from two cow fami
lies. Many bulls have been
selected by the commercial studs
from these two cow families. But
ET work is used to market animals,
not improve milk production.
Teresa cautions that farms
should not completely rely on ET
work to improve genetics. Until
sexing is perfected, Myers noted,
the costs of ET work “is too
expensive."
The top 25 TPI bulls are used.
Milk and type are the most impor
tant traits. Having excellent type,
Myers noted, means cows stay in
the herd longer.
Watching the repeatability of
bulls is also important In the type
area, udder characteristics are the
top priority, followed by feet, legs,
and frame. Teresa strongly
believes that prt duction follows
frame and size. Using bulls from
different studs while analyzing
cow type helps build a good gene
tic base.
The last important area, Myers
said, is cow comfort and care. In
the Kiss lings’ opinion, stall com
fort is the ’’number one factor in
cow cate and comfort," said
Myers. This includes a stall size of
70 inches by 51 inches, mattress
plus bedding, or a bedding saver
plus lots of bedding.
Ventilation, comprised of
smaller inlets and fans (for winter)
and tunnel for summer, has elimi
nated cow summer slumps.
And herd health, including a
vaccination program for each cow,
is critical. Vaccinations include a
nine-way vaccine with the five
way Lepto, BVD, IBR, PD, and
Hemophilus Somnus. Clostridium
also used.
Mastitis is managed through the
somatic cell count program. Moni-
George Cudoc, left, spoke about the new state DHIA Heif
er 98 computer program, which he introduced as one more
tool to manage, evaluate, breed, and market dairy heifers.
Cudoc explains the program to a Berks DHIA member Tues
day afternoon at the Berks County Ag Center in Leesport at
the group’s annual awards presentation banquet.
toring cows with high counts is
essential. If fresh cows are high,
Myers noted, they arc treated
immediately, as well as any cow
with clinical mastitis. Oxytocin is
used when cows ate treated. J 5 col
iform vaccine has reduced the inci
dence of coliform mastitis. Cows
ate vaccinated when they arc dried
off and a booster is given three
weeks later. Heifers are vaccinated
when they calve and with a booster
three weeks later. Dry treatments
ate rotated as well as teat dips.
lodine is used in the summer and
when cows are on pasture. Cholor
ixdene is used in the winter.
Changes to help labor efficiency
ate always taking place, Myers
said. A new eight-month manure
storage of 96,000 cubic feet is
being erected for manure from 65
cows and 80 heifers and milkhouse
wastes. A push-off ramp from the
heifer area and gravity pipe from
the stall bam moves the manure to
the storage.
"Cost sharing was received,"
Myers said. "Other farmers in the
Tully should consider taking
advantage of these funds to help
improve water quality in the
watershed.”
Herd and co\ / awards were pre
sented at the banquet by Paul Hart
man, Berks County DHIA secret-
Lancaster County Eligible
for Disaster Relief
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Congressman Joseph R. Pitts’
office (PA-16) announced today
that Lancaster County has been
declared one of several contigu
ous disaster areas by the
Department of Agriculture
(USDA) as a result of losses due
to hail, heavy rainfall and torna
do winds which occurred in June
2, 1998.
This declaration allows fami
ly-sized farm operators who
have experienced significant
damage to be eligible for low
interest emergency loans from
the Farm Service Agency (FSA).
The FSA considers each loan
application separately and will
Where's your mustache? “
ary, and Baity Gauker. For the
herds, separate awards for high
herd milk, protein, and butterfat
were presented to Fantasyland
Holsteins, Robcsonia. In high herd
milk, Fantasyland was 30,468
pounds, protein 979 pounds, and
butterfat, 1,074 pounds.
Most improved herd for milk, at
+4,328 pounds, went to Dana and
Debra Stoudt, Bemvilie. The
Stoudts also won most improved
herd for protein, at +l5l pounds.
Most improved herd for fat went to
Ring-Kul Farm, Fleetwood, at
+l5l pounds. Lowest herd somatic
cell count went to Knauer
Brothers, Robcsonia, at 150,000
SCC.
The herd management award
went to Ring-Kul Farm at 144
points.
In the cow awards category,
high lifetime milk at 322,039
pounds and high lifetime protein at
10,340 pounds went to Reu-Hel
Farms, Mohrsvillc. High lifetime
fat at 12,278 pounds went to
Plushanski Farms, Kutztown.
In high individual lactation, all
separate awards for milk, protein,
and fat went to Plusbansld Farms.
In the milk category, Plushanski
won at 42,606 pounds, protein at
1,465 pounds, and fat at 1,612
pounds.
make its decision based on sev
eral criteria including the extent
of the losses, security available,
and repayment ability.
Pitts’ spokeswoman Tonya
Neff Klause hailed the declara
tion as important for farms that
have sustained heavy storm
damage. She said, “We are
pleased that the Secretary of
Agriculture included Lancaster
County in his list of disaster
areas that can now recover some
of the serious costs that resulted
from the storms of the summer
of 1998. Now several of our fam
ily farms will be able to receive
some much needed relief.”
MILK