ilB-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 29,2001 A' Cattle feeders with questions and concerns regarding recent changes in Pennsylvania’s beef packing industry, should plan to attend the annual Lancaster Cattle Feeder’s Day. Scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 29 at the Lancaster Farm and Home Center, the event will fea ture information presented by procurement personnel regard ing Smithfield Food’s acquisi tion of Moyer Packing in Souderton. Pending completion of Excel’s agreement with Taylor Packing in Wyalusing, plans are for Excel representa tives to also participate in this educational event. Cattle Feeder’s Day will also include presentations related to custom feeding, economics, and crop insurance. Winter Feed Requirements Of Beef Cows Following are three basic rules to evaluate the feed re quirements of beef cows during the winter, according to Dr. John Comerford, Penn State Ex tension beef specialist. 1. Maintenance energy re quirements increase by about one percent for each I°F. below 32°F. The energy for mainte nance for beef cows in the last Vi of pregnancy is about 11 mega calories per day. With an air temperature in dry air and no wind of 22°F., this means there is a 10 percent greater energy re quirement. This 1.1 megacalo ries of energy needed is equivalent to about one pound OBtam Mites (ta|(»CHnKRU ApUtanUhne im/Aws Premium Agricultural Building Offer $ 21,140 (2) Slider Doors an aids fabral ww*d Mms faoaw* *nd sang (WSSER (l) Solid Steel, fentty Door SSSXSSSKSS* W^% 2’ Side Light - both sides 12" Vented Have and Gable Overiiangs Uo^yis.2oo2. .5Ss3 CONESTOGA 1 O/Vl KAA *\A(\A Buildings HRArS'n /HOH 202 Orfaw Road New Hoflwid, PA17557 of corn or two pounds of or chardgrass hay. 2. The rule for accounting for wind chill is to use the wind chill temperature to adjust feed energy. For example, if the wind chill is zero°F., then the cow re quires 32 percent more energy. This is about three pounds of com or five to six pounds of or chardgrass hay. 3. The most serious condition is when the animal gets wet be cause the hair and hide lose their insulation capacity. The rule to use when the cattle are wet is to use S9°F. as the starting point and change the feed needs by two percent for each degree below 59°F. For example, if the cattle are wet and the wind chill is 9°F., the energy requirement is 100 percent higher. This is equivalent to feeding an addi tional 20 pounds of corn or 40 pounds of hay to a cow each day. Obviously, most cows could not consume enough feed to keep them at maintenance under these conditions, so they will start losing body condition. A windbreak or shelter from the rain is economically feasible as well as good animal husbandry. New Swine Finishing Barn Several 2,000 head finishing barns recently constructed in Pennsylvania provide open housing for pigs, and nearly eliminate labor associated with sorting hogs for market. These “self-sorting” barns contain four large pens housing approxi mately 500 pigs each. Large pens containing many pigs reduce fighting and social com petition common to pigs housed in smaller groups. Gates separate a small section of each pen into a feeding area. For pigs to reach the feeding area, they must travel through a set of automatic scales. After eating at the automatic feeding stations, pigs return to the loaf ing area via a one-way gate. As pigs approach market weight, the scale computer individually weighs each pig as it enters the feeding area. If the pig exceeds the minimum weight for slaugh ter, the exit gate from the scale directs the pig into a “sorted” pen of pigs heavy enough for slaughter. Pigs that do not exceed the minimum weight enter the feeding area as usual. Sorted pigs can then be loaded onto trucks with minimal time and labor. An additional potential ad vantage to the system is to have the scales track the number of pigs within 10 to IS pounds of the minimum weight. This infor mation could be used to estimate how many hogs would be avail able for slaughter the following week. Eliminating Scrapie Recently, the U.S. Secretary of' Agriculture announced an important new program to ac celerate the eradication of the fatal brain disease, scrapie, from the nation’s sheep flocks and goat herds. Scrapie is a fatal, degenera tive disease affecting the central nervous system. An abnormal protein, called a prion, is associ ated with the disease. Transmis sion primarily occurs at lambing/kidding through expo sure of a ewe’s/doe’s offspring and other animals to an infected female’s birth fluids and pla centa; thus the emphasis placed on breeding animals in the erad ication program. Scrapie is in a class of diseases known as transmissible spongi form encephalopathies (TSEs). Other diseases in this class in clude bovine spongiform en cephalopathy (BSE) in cattle Don’t Settle for a “stock" building Purchase a Custom Post-Frame Building by Conestoga Buildings Call today for your free estimate and brochures Company Employed Crews for Construction Maintenanca-frae Painted Steal with 25-Yaar Warranty - your choica of painted color on roofing, siding, and trim) - Othar options availabla and Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer and elk. Recent publicity surrounding TSEs, and limited knowledge about these diseases, has heightened public concern. Extensive epi demiological research has shown no evidence that scrapie can be transmitted to humans. In order to eradicate scrapie among sheep and goats, meth ods for identifying infected and exposed animals must be cre ated. Therefore, sheep and goats not enrolled in the Voluntary Scrapie Flock Certification Pro gram (VSFCP) will be subject to new identification requirements before they change ownership and/or enter into interstate com merce. The following animals will need ear tags or tattoos: All sheep 18 months and older; all breeding sheep; all scrapie ex posed, suspect, test-positive and high-risk animals; breeding goats, except low-risk commer cial goats; and all sheep and goats for exhibition. For the 2002 Pennsylvania Farm Show, officials will not expect sheep to bear official USDA ear tags. As for the identification pro cess, the U.S. Department of Ag riculture (USDA) will provide ear tags, without charge, to pro ducers. Tags will be available through the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services (VS Area Office and/or the State Veterinarian’s office in each state). Metal ear tags are pre ferred because of their low cost and durability; however, plastic ear tags may be provided when requested. Sheep producers who prefer to use a different type of tag may purchase official tags through specified, approved tag compa nies. A list of approved tag com panies and tag types will be maintained on the APHIS scra pie web page, www.aphis.usda .gov/vs/scrapie. Producers will be required to keep identification records for five years after the animal has left the flock/herd. In addition to official identifi cation, each breeding sheep or goat crossing state lines or enter ing into interstate commerce must be accompanied by an offi cial Certificate of Veterinary In spection (health certificate) issued by an accredited veteri narian. The American Sheep Industry Association estimates that scra pie costs the industry over $2O million each year in lost export sales, disposal costs for offal, and lost productivity. Even though research studies have shown that scrapie is not a public health risk, public per ception may one day dictate eradication of all TSEs. There fore, it is in the industry’s best interest to eliminate scrapie in the U.S. For more information regard ing scrapie eradication in Penn sylvania, call (717) 782-3442 or (610)944-5962. Winter Care For Horses According to Dr. Ann Swinker, Penn State Extension equine specialist, neglect is the worse thing that happens to a horse during the winter months. Most horses are turned out to pasture and we only see them in the dark at feeding time. In the summer months, it is easy to provide loving care for the horse, when we are riding every day and want to make certain the horse is fit and in good health. About the worst thing for a horse during the winter months is ice; most importantly, the ice that covers the watering trough or water bucket. Water for the horse during cold weather is too often overlooked. The water may freeze up making it inac cessible to the horse. Mature horses need about 10 gallons of water a day. To keep the horse healthy during freezing weather owners should make sure an ample supply of fresh water, is always available. Excessively cold water will decrease the horses’ consumption of water. Ideally, water should be main- tained at a temperature of 40°F, When the horse drinks less water, feed intake will decrease. A reduction in feed intake results in less energy being available to maintain body temperature and body weight during the cold months. Reduced feed and water intake could lead to colic and an im pacted intestinal tract in the horse. To help prevent water consumption prob lems in the winter, water should be made as accessible to the horse as possible. Heat§d waterers are one way to assure your horse an ample supply of drinking water. If electric water heaters are used, the water tank should be checked every day to insure that the heater is not shorting out and shocking the horse. An electric shock would prevent the horse from drinking. (Turn to Page Al 9) 3K Is ) '- •:, * % ••,-, ’ ’ i pHpMriixr; .*• ■*■■ •■*£."s* -f ».i I A ': I—'VM -* *'| Formerly Aaron Fisher - NRCS Approved Manure Storage Pits - Foundation Walls, Retaining^^Hs^^^^^^^^ 133 Maxwell Hill Road Morgantown, PA 19543 610*286*9217 Leave Message ►> it •K -(**
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