Lancaster DHIA Celebrates 10 Years Of Growth
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
SMOKETOWN (Lancaster
Co.) The continued growth of
Lancaster DHIA is an exception
to the trend found in dairy herd
improvement associations across
the country, according to Steve
Hershey, president.
Officers at Lancaster DHIA’s
annual banquet in Smoketown on
Tuesday reported 146,483 cows
on test, an 11 percent increase
from last year and about three
times as many cows as the organ
ization serviced when it first
started in 1992.
“That is not normal for DHIA
affiliates in America,” Hershey
said. He reported seeing lacklus-
Production award winners at the Lancaster DHIA ban
quet are, from left, Don and Pam Gable, Ayrshire, Elver
son; Jennifer Lawrence, Jersey, Tol-Je-So Farm, Md.;
Marvin Stoitzfus, Holstein, Leola; Dick Linde, for Millie
and Jim Widmann, Kirkwood; and Jenny Bowman, low
SCC count, Quarryville.
Coming Soon from Mid-Atlantic: N A*L AN t • .
A new and extended line
of feed equipment from
VflLfnETflL | Liquid Waste Equipment Specialists
800-222-2948 *717-529-2782 • www.midatlanticagri.com
ter growth and depressed work
ing environments in his visits to
affiliates in other areas.
At Lancaster DHIA, however,
“From top to bottom, the attitude
is positive,” Hershey said.
This year, 211 new herds
signed up for service, making a
total of 2,350 herds in 24 counties
in Pennsylvania and counties in
Maryland and several other
neighboring states. New testing
circuits were begun in Bradford
and Bedford counties.
In another highlight of the
year. Jay Mylin, Lancaster DHIA
manager, was named winner of
the Martin A. Wilson Manage
ment Award.
Presented by the National
DHIA last March, the award rec
ognized Mylin’s excellence in
managing Lancaster DHIA
through its first decade.
Jay Mylin, right, is con
gratulated by Steve Her
shey, Lancaster DHIA pres
ident, for winning the
Martin Wilson DHIA Manag
er of the Year Award, pres
ented last March by the Na
tional DHIA.
Mylin praised the team of 44
DHIA technicians as well as
dairy farmers, Lancaster DHIA’s
“loyal customers,” for their con
tribution to the success of the or
ganization.
“There is one core value that
we come back to, and that is rela
tionships,” Mylin said.
John Clay, director of Dairy
Record Management Service
(DRMS), the company based in
Raleigh, N.C. that manages Lan
caster DHIA’s herd records, was
featured speaker for the day. He
called Lancaster DHIA a
“model” of commitment to its
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 14, 2002-A33
farmers.
“I’m not aware of a service af
filiate that takes a more aggres
sive approach to educating its
members,” he said.
One innovation available to
members in recent years is the
Pocket Dairy handheld comput
er, along with the PC Dart dairy
herd management system.
Clay noted that Lancaster
DHIA was the the fastest DRMS
affiliate in turnaround time from
the date when cows are tested to
when the data is mailed, and
within the top three affiliates for
laboratory turnaround time.
Lancaster DHIA also honored
Glenn Shirk, recently retired
Lancaster County dairy agent,
for his close work with Lancaster
DHIA from even before its offi
cial beginning in 1992 to the pres
ent.
“You have what you enjoy
now because of the efforts of the
(reorganization) team,” Shirk
said. “It did not come without a a
lot of effort and a lot of alli
ances.”
Top production herd awards
by breed were named as follows:
• Holstein; Marvin Stoltzfus,
Leola, 33,698 pounds milk, and
top protein at 961 pounds.
• Jersey: Tol-Je-So Farm 1,
Port Deposit, Md., 20,047 pounds
milk.
• Brown Swiss: Jobo Holstein
Farm, Gettysburg, 21,592 pounds
milk.
• Ayrshire: Don and Pam
Gable, Elverson, 19,715 pounds
milk.
• Guernsey: Millie and Jim
Widmann, Kirkwood. 18,236
pounds milk.
o
o
the
Our Dry-Trak™ surface provides your livestock with optimum
traction and movement,achieved through the proper balance of
mat thickness and durometer (indentation or imprinting) as well
-high grade input materials.
-exclusive interlock design.
-specialized Pro-Slider™ cleaning equipment
-Slat-Lok™ non invasive anchors for slatted flioors
COMPONENTS OF A PROVEN SYSTEM
wwwanimatonlmecom
folkema@sympatico ca -/
Gary Johnson
Box 154 Church St
Spnngville Pa
(570)965-2613
: TIRED OF THRU WINTER? *
♦ Have Map y iZ6S 0
: ,£o?\ mw rww
♦ y,y ■ ,n Stock
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
♦
#
*
Ladder Style
For The Foil
CHAIN
Paul B.
5O Woodcorner Rd., Lititz, PA 17543
!=—! 1 Miles West of Ephrata
lupsj (717)738-7350
• H4RDWVRF • F\RM SI'PPI IPS • C'R VNP SFR\ K P
■¥ •# -¥• # -M ¥ ¥• •¥ -V ¥ -¥ ¥ ¥-•¥•¥ -V * '• •* ■»■ •+
John Clay, director of Dairy
Records Management Serv
ice, Raleigh, N.C., praises
the Lancaster DHIA for its
high level of service.
• Low SCC herd award went
to Gary and Jenny Bowman,
Quarryville, for a somatic ceil
count of 60,000.
TM
system...
-A Proven Success
• Tractors
• Pick-ups
• Cars
• Garden Tractors
SDDQinaaEQ
TOTAL
INTERLOCKED
RUBBER
FLOORING
>win
Duo Grip
Quik-Gnp
1(01 US
Mon 1 luns In < S id
1(K s WJ , *0
S It 7 4 OH