16802 056034 023899 PER I QD I <"AL 1 DWjHION 048 H- — k PENN STATE ON X VLR3 ITT I W 209 PAT TT I IBRARY I I UNIV PARI PA 16 803 vtj V 01.44 No. 18 Industrial pollution in the water supply around McCon r.ellsburg has raised questions about the future for the next generation, including Caitlin Glazier, almost 4 years old. Caitlin holds some of the prize-winning corn from the field of her grandfather, Kenneth L. Glazier. Read more about the Glazier’s plight in the section, Corn Talk, in this issue. Photo by DavU Hlobort Reasons For Biosecurity Won’t Wait For Dairy Industry To Act VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Fanning Staff CAMP HILL (Cumberland Co.) The laissez-faire attitude of many dairy producers toward biosecurity is potentially one of the most serious business risks faced by the industry today. It is also a major drain on dairy farming operational costs. According to David Tomsche, DVM, with Veterinary Associates Walter Wurster, left, retired Chester County agent, receives the Clyde S. Robinson leadership award from Ed Kulp at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania DHIA. Given for overall achievement and contribution to the dairy pro ducer industry, the Robinson award is the highest honor given by the state association. Five Sections of Mclrose-Albany-Upsala, in Melrose, Minnesota, current prac tices of the dairy cow fanning industry are inadequate to deal with the threat of infectious disease. “To say the least, there is signif icant room for improvement rela tive to the current state of the heifer replacement business in the United States,” Tomsche said. He was one of 15 speakers who Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 6, 1999 Generation After Generation, Cattle Leant To ‘Weed Out y Best Forages ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff GRANTVELLE (Dauphin Co.) Animals on pasture have been working for millennia to perfect the process of forage selection at ground level, while university research on the process stretches back only about 50 years. Determining exactly how a grazing animal can select for plant parts with protein levels differing sometimes to a minuscule percen tage as part of the their genetic programming continues to receive university attention, according to a forage expert who spoke Wednes day morning. “I put a lot of confidence in ani mals, in what they can do,” said Jim Gerrish of the Forage Systems Research Center of the University of Missouri. Gerrish noted the grazing animals develop almost a “business sense” of how to select for improved nutrient value among the forages in the field, generation after generation. And scientists are still trying to understand how. In the meantime, work on improving forage quality con tinues at the university. Gerrish, an experienced grazier for a beef cow/calf and finish herd, gave presentations as part of the two-day 1999 Mid-Atlantic Dairy Management Conference, held Feb. 24-25 at the Radisson Penn Harris conference center in Camp Hill. The conference is a cooperative venture between Monsanto Dairy Business, Purina Mills Inc., Pa. Farm Bureau, Land O’ Lakes Inc., and seven universities Penn State University, University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, University of Delaware, Universi ty of Maryland, Virginia Tech University, and West Virginia University. Speakers* topics ranged from Pennsylvania DHIA Holds Annual Meeting JUDY PATTON Union Co. Correspondent STATE COLLEGE (Centre Co ) - The Pennsylvania DHIA presented herd management awards to its top members in the state, as well as the Clyde Robison Award for service at its recent annual awards banquet in State College The herd management awards tor highest production went to the top three herds m each breed, including mixed breed, goats and Red & White Holsteins, as well as the herd with the lowest average somatic cell count for 1998 $29.50 Per Year spoke at the two-day Pennsylvania Grazing and Forage Conference at the Holiday Inn, Grantville. More than 130 producers and agri industty representatives attended the event Wednesday and Thurs day this week. A PFGC Special Award for forage and grazing contribu tions to the industry was presented to Larry Muller, Penn State Dairy and Animal Science Department, left, at the Pen nsylvania Grazing and Forage Conference. Paul Craig pre sented the award. Photo by Andy Andrews business considerations when increasing the operational size of a business, to environmental con cerns for dairying, and the feeding and health care of dairy animals. An 140-page compilation of presentations, including speaker biographies, was made available to those who attended the event. For the most part, the speakers closely followed the printed version of their presentations. However, cer tain speakers, such as Tomsche, provided additional information, opinions and anecdotal informa tion that gave the material a per spective and emphasis impossible to gamer from the printed version. Top overall managers were Karl and Daniel Brandt of Lebanon County, who milk 100 Holsteins three times a day and raise feed on 100 acres The breed winners were Holsteins (1) Karl & Daniel Brandt. Lebanon County. (2) Carl A Farms, Inc , Schuylkill County, and (3) MeKin & Judy Peachey Mifflin County Guernseys (1) John & JE Marchezak, Washington County. (2) Richard O Smith, Bucks County' and (3) Roger A Garber. Franklin County Jerseys (1) Ralame Jersey Farm, Bedford County, (2) 60C Per Copy During Wednesday’s session, Gerrish spoke about steps to obtain and maintain pasture quality. Gerrish noted that he had recen tly returned from a national sym posium on forage quality. He exa- (Turn to Page A 22) The Mid-Atlantic Dairy Confer ence arose out of a need for a higher-level intensity educational program by the state’s dairy pro duction community, in addition to the highly regarded, but less tech nical, traditional Extension educa tional programs. The Mid-Atlantic Dairy Confer ence provides a forum for receiv ing continuing education of research-based information and pratical business experience discoveries. Tomsche’s presentation was included in a time block dedicated to information management and (Turn to Page A2l) Rodney Swope, Fulton County, and (3-lie) Maran-atha Farm, Somerset County, and Jemi Jerseys. Cumberland County Mixed Breed (1) Cahin Hostetter. York County. (2) Glen & Dawn Anderson York County and (3-tie) Rebecca Darling. Lackawanna County, and Dane Yeager. Mercer County Ayrshires (I) Dean E Varner Huntingdon County. (2) Dale & Paine Mayfair, Lebanon County, and (3) Don Gable Chester County Brown Swiss One Hill Farm - Moyer, Berks County. (2) Dean & (Turn to Page A 32)
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