Mid-Atlantic Dairy Conference Set For Feb. 24-25 L ‘" c ”* ef
CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin
Co.) Successful dairy produc
ers need a plan to meet the chal
lenges they’ll face in the next
millennium. How can they
develop a workable business
plan and adopt the latest tech
nology? Can it be done without
compromising the family’s val
ues and goals?
The 1999 Mid-Atlantic Dairy
Management Conference,
“Systematic Approach to
Dairying in the Next
Millennium,” promises to be a
valuable conference with practi
cal presentations on Business
Viability, Specialization,
Biosecurity, and Information
and Nutrient Management.
Each topic and speaker was cho
sen to help dairy producers
think through their future busi
ness and family needs. The con
ference, planned by industry
and university representatives
from the Mid-Atlantic region
will be held at the Radisson
Penn Harris Hotel and
Convention Center in Camp
Hill, Pennsylvania on February
24th and 25th, 1999.
The Decision Case “The Final
Permit; Will Environmental
Policy Crack the Retirement
Environmental Issues On Tap
CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin
Co.) A major environmental
concern for dairy farmers is
nutrient pollution of surface
water, but many farmers are
unaware of cost-effective tech
niques available to reduce losses
of these nutrients from farms,
according to Katharine
Knowlton, research scientist at
Virginia Tech Department of
Dairy Science.
“Environmentalists, scien
tists, farmers and the public are
increasingly concerned about
the amount of phosphorus in
surface water such as lakes,
rivers and streams,” says
Growth In Dairy Business
Requires Changes On Farm
CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin
Co) Dairyman Tom Frey of
Frey Dairy Farms Inc. in
Conestoga, Lancaster County, is
no stranger to change. In fact,
he currently is building a new
freestall barn and milking par
lor expected to be completed by
late March 1999.
With the help of 20 full-time
employees, Frey milks 1,000
cows and farms 900 acres. Soon
after construction is completed
>n March, he will begin milking
three times a day. He expects a 6
percent to 8 percent growth in
cow numbers through home
raised replacements.
Frey readily admits that the
approach he has taken to man
aging his farm operation usually
has been in response to a change
'n circumstances or conditions.
I’m in it for the long term,” he
s ays of dairy farming. “If I’m not
Willing to change, then I would
eventually go out of business.”
That’s the philosophy Frey
"ill share with other dairy man-
a gement farmers and industry
leaders at the Mid-Atlantic
Hairy Management Conference
Feb. 24-25 in Camp Hill.
Nest Egg?” will be an integral
part of the conference with the
audience and speakers interact
ing to find the most practical
solution. This is a case of a farm
expanding from a 65-cow
dairy/grain farm in the early
1990 s to possible 525-cow spe
cialized farm by 2007. The case
will be presented at the opening
of the conference and then
speakers will contribute their
expertise to different aspects of
the case. After breakout discus
sion groups and presentations of
possible solutions, a producer
panel will respond to what is
practical from their point of view
and attempt to integrate the bits
of knowledge into a unified solu
tion of the case. Speakers
include dairy producers, indus
try experts and university facul
ty from across the United
States.
Make your plans now to
attend so that you can hear the
latest about nutrient loading,
information management, co
minghng, water quality and con
tracting heifers and forages.
The program has been
approved for American Registry
of Professional Animal
Scientists (ARPAS) credits and
Knowlton, who is researching
the impact of phosphorus in
dairy feeding programs on the
resulting excretion - manure -
and on the environment.
Knowlton, scheduled to speak
at the Mid-Atlantic Dairy
Management Conference Feb.
24-25 in Camp Hill, says dairy
farmers have a real opportunity
to reduce surface water pollu
tion by changing their feeding
programs.
“Most farmers feed phospho
rus in excess of current require
ments,” Knowlton says. “It is
commonly believed that over
feeding phosphorus reduces
Frey began farming with his
brother, Clifton, in 1987 follow
ing the death of their father. In
1992, while constructing a 600-
cow freestall barn, Clifton left
the operation and Tom began
buying out his brother’s share of
the business. This change
“forced the way I do things,”
Frey says
In response, Frey went from
three-times-a-day milking to
milking more cows twice a day.
He also sold some peripheral
real estate and slowed down
aggressive debt payments at the
bank.
Other changes, particularly
in operations management,
were to follow. These included
custom cropping, custom
manure handling and custom
calf raising. The number one
reason for these changes, Frey
says, is labor.
Frey will talk about these
changes and other plans for his
dairy operation at the Mid-
Atlantic Dairy Management
Conference. For more informa
tion or a registration brochure,
contact Beth Moore, conference
coordinator, at 717-375-2639 or
beth@innernet.net.
for Pennsylvania Continuing
Education Credits for
Veterinarians.
The registration fee for the
two-day conference and
tradeshow is $l5O with a $25
reduction for the second person
from the same farm. The fee
includes a copy of the conference
proceedings, three meals and
access to all conference activi
ties. The registration deadline is
February 10th, 1999. For more
information or a registration
brochure contact Beth Moore,
Conference Coordinator by e
mail at beth@innernet.net or
call her at 717-375-2639.
Dairy Farmers Strive For Balance
CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin
Co.) More and more dairy
farmers today are seeking a bal
ance between time spent manag
ing their dairy operations and
time devoted to family and
leisure activities, according to
Joe Conlm of the University of
Minnesota.
“Dairy farmers want more
time off and more quality time
with their family,” Conhn says
“There is a lot of value living in
the country and being your own
reproduction problems in the
dairy herd. However, there is no
research to support such a bene
fit.”
In recent years, excess phos
phorus in water has been pin
pointed as a cause of algae
blooms and fish kills. “We
thought if we controlled soil ero
sion we could control the
amount of phosphorus leaving
the farm,” Knowlton says. “But
we’ve discovered that phospho
rus runoff can occur even with
out erosion in intensive animal
production areas.”
Decreasing the amount of
phosphorus in feed rations by 20
percent to 30 percent will
decrease the amount of phospho
rus excretion per animal by the
same proportion, this directly
reduces the amount of phospho
rus that needs to be land
applied, reducing the risk of
phosphorus runoff.
The obvious beneficiary of
such action is the environment,
but farmers benefit, too.
“Farmers will benefit by reduced
feed costs,” Knowlton says,
adding that phosphorus is the
most expensive feed ingredient.
Savings on feed costs could total
$2,500 per year fqf a 100-cow
farm.
And for farmers facing envi
ronmental regulations in the
next five to six years, there is an
added benefit of reducing phos
phorus in feed. “If we begin
making changes now, it will be
easier to meet the phosphorus
based regulations when they are
imposed,” Knowlton says.
Knowlton will talk in more
detail about “Feeding
Management to Reduce
Nutrient Loading” at the Mid-
Atlantic Dairy Management
Conference. For more informa
tion or a registration brochure,
contact Beth Moore, conference
coordinator, at 717-375-2639 or
beth@innernet.net.
boss, but the constant work can
take its toll ”
Conlm, scheduled to speak at
the Mid-Atlantic Dairy
Management Conference Feb
24-25 in Camp Hill, says growth
in profitability is the key to
striking a balance between farm
and family goals “There are a
lot of opportunities for farmers
to make changes and to improve
profitability,” he says
Among these “opportunities”
are controlling the costs of pro
duction, increasing milk produc
tion and improving labor effi
ciency. A “huge cost,” for exam
ple, is feed “Look at ways to
improve rations and improve
consumption,” Conhn says
“Also consider alternative feed
sources that can be worked into
rations with excellent nutrient
resources ”
Farmers also can consider
Registration Form
Full Namei
Business
Each name as desired on name tag
Address
Cit
State
Telephone ( ).
Walk-in Registration fee is $l7O, $145 for
the second person from the same farm
Please bring this form and your payment to
the registration table at the Radisson Penn
Harris on Wednesday, February 24 th
between 10 AM and noon. A call to Beth
Moore, Conference Coordinator on
Monday or Tuesday would be appreciated
(717) 375-2639; e-mail: beth@innernet.net.
Makes checks payable to:
Dairy Management Conference
February 20, 1999-A37
Management
Conference
increasing their milk produc
tion. This can come in one of two
ways more production per cow
or more cows. “Many herds tend
to be too small to meet lifestyle
goals,” Conhn says “How much
milk does a family need to mar
ket to support those goals 9 ”
Conhn also suggests improv
ing labor efficiency For some
dairy farmers that may mean
moving from a tie-stall to a free
stall barn “A lot of farmers ai e
producing milk in stall barns
that are physically wearing and
tearing them down,” he says
Conhn will address these
issues and others dunng the
“Business Viability Session” of
the Mid-Atlantic Dairy
Management Conference For
more information or a registra
tion brochure, contact Beth
Moore, conference coordinator,
at (717) 375-2639 or email
beth@innernet net
Zip
Mid-Atlantic
Dairy