A32-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 15, 2003 (Continued from Page A3l) Saturday, March 22 Atlantique City Spring Festival, Atlantic City Convention Cen ter, thru March 23. Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., (800) 526-2724. Beginning Beekeepers Seminar, Lysock View Complex, (570) 433-3040. F.M. Brown’s Sons, Inc. Conducts Meetings BIRDSBORO (Berks Co.) F.M. Brown's Sons, Inc. recently con cluded a series of three customer meetings with emphasis placed on dairy nutrition and management. Mark Wagner, director of nutri tion at Brown’s discussed two areas of recent interest at Brown's. The first was the value of sugars in dairy rations. Research has docu mented the positive effects of having 4.5 to 6 percent sugar in dairy ra tions. Ensiled feeds are very low in sugar, as are many of the by-prod ucts being sold as forage substitutes. When these low-sugar rations are fed, the ability of the high-producing cows to digest forages is impeded. Wagner discussed problems asso ciated with current net energy pre diction equations. Most use only acid detergent fiber (ADF) to predict en ergy, but a more accurate system should also include starch, nonstarch carbohydrates, digestible fiber, fat, and protein content of the plant. Brown’s forage analyses provide these important nutrients, but many forage reports do not even look at starch level, which is the most impor tant indicatoi of net energy in corn silage Wagner reviewed a new equa tion from the University of Wiscon sin that incorporates all these values to better estimate corn silage’s true net energy v,jluc for lactation. As part of a "Closer Look" Pro gram, Brown’s gathered water sam ples from more than 75 customers’ wells and. with the help of Agri- Analysis, had these samples analyzed for coliform bacteria, nitrate nitro gen, pH, and 10 major and trace minerals. Taking a closer look at water quality was one of the high lights of the meeting, and Dr. Dana Tomlinson of Zinpro Corporation shared his thoughts on why water quality in dairy herds is important. He stressed that not all water is equal. He also stressed that next to air, water is the most important nu trient we provide for our cows. Tomlinson cited research by En sley from lowa that showed watering space per cow, water trough clean ing, and distance between the feed Affordable Corn Maze Designs Call for Brochure 215-918-2996 or visit www.NewtownGraphics.com Over 10 years experience Shore Medical, Inc. Amish/Mennomte - Prescription & Medical ID Card ■ Bin #: 003650 PCN #: 65 Group #: NSM ID #: 444-23-2526 Name DATE OF BIRTH 'roviders /Parti assistance please call NMHCRx Help Desk at 1-800-645-3332 This is a good official card Check with your Bishoo/Deacon ❖ Farm Calendar ❖ Maple Syrup Production Tour, Bradford-Sullivan Forest Landowners' Association, Dewey Meadow Maple War ren Center, 10 a.m., (570) 746-1844. Pa. Brown Swiss Association Spring Meeting, Bonanza Res taurant, Carlisle, 11 a.m., (717)933-8995. Delaware Valley College Open House, College Student Cen bunk and water source were all cor related with higher milk production. He discussed maximum recommend ed levels for minerals and other com pounds in water. Nutritionally your water may be fine, but because of high content of sulfur, nitrates, manganese, and iron, cows may not want to drink their fill because they dislike the taste. Subse quently, cows do not milk as well as their genetic potential would indi cate. He stated that elements such as calcium, often detected at high amounts in water samples, have little impact on nutrition since the total calcium intake from water is still less then 10 percent of a cow’s minimum daily requirements. Carl Brown, sales manager of F.M. Brown’s Sons, Inc., discussed the re sults of the Brown’s Water Testing Survey of 2003. Seventy-five wells were tested, and 36 wells, or 48 per cent had coliforms higher then 1 col ony per 100 ml. Also 31 percent had nitrate nitrogen greater than 10 ppm, while 12 percent had pH below 6.5. All these levels will interfere with nu trient digestibility and metabolism. Most wells were high in calcium and magnesium, making the water fairly hard. Most wells also had concentra tions of iron and manganese higher than recommended. This gives the water a metallic taste cows don't like, but has little impact in meeting or ex ceeding their nutrient demands for these minerals. Several water-conditioning compa nies were interviewed for this presen tation, and all stated that if water quality is a concern, treat coliforms first. Each farm has a unique set of problems that should be addressed individually. Brown then reviewed the various types of water treatment systems available, including water conditioners, UV lights, chlorine in jectors, chlorine pill dispensers, electronic deposit control systems, and reverse osmosis systems. He re viewed the estimated ■ and prices the advan- Not Insurance For additional information or WATERLESS TOLIETS “SUN-MAR” Composting Toilets Several models available including non-electric • NO Septic System • NO Chemicals Save the Environment l Recycle Back to Nature' FREE: 12 Page Color Catalog We Perform Septic Inspections & Certifications ECO-TECH Call Today 717-337-9325 ter, Doylestown, 10:15 a.m.-2 p.m., (215)489-2211. New Hampshire Maple Week end, New Hampshire Maple Producers Association, Con cord, N.H., thru March 23, (603) 225-3757. Spring Garden Seminar, Govern ment Services Building, West Chester, (610) 696-3500. Introduction to Holistic Manage ment, Hudson, N.Y. Contact Regional Farm and Food Proj ect, (518) 427-6537. Also Sat urday, March 29. Spring Judging Contest, Ag Arena, University Park, (814) 863-3662. Maryland Brown Swiss breeders annual meeting, New Midway Fire Hall, New Midway. Adams County Beef Ball, Bonneauville Fire Company, tages and disadvantages for each sys tem. Dr. Elliot Block, director of re search at Church & Dwight, pres ented a talk on Megalac-R. The title,, “The Effects of Feeding Fat To Dairy Cows On Reproduction: It's Not Just About Energy” neatly sum marized his talk. He discussed why fat should no longer be considered just for its energy value. Fats are made up of fatty acids and each type of fatty acid has a different effect on the rumen. Saturated fatty acids are easy to feed, but are hard for cows to digest. These fats are usually solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats (usually classified as oils) remain liq uid at room temperature and have a high digestibility in the intestine. When oils are fed at high lev els, they interfere with fiber digestion and cause severe milk fat and milk protein de pression. To overcome these negative aspects of adding un saturated fats to the rumen, Megalac was invented. Mega lac helps keep unsaturated fats from interfering with fiber digestion in the rumen while allowing for excellent digestion of these fats in the intestine. Dr. Steve Moreland, DVM, director of technical services for Braes Feed Ingredients, discussed the general concepts of using botanical compounds in feeds. BFI has been a lead er in this area in the past 40 years, and has developed a product called Apex that is added to Brown’s Calf Cox- Guard and Grow-N-Glow to get calves off to a fast healthy start. Apex contains a group of specific herbs that contain aromatic, antiseptic, and anti oxidant properties. When fed to calves, it improves growth and increases feed intake. 4:30 p.m., (717) 338-0894. Sunday, March 23 Sap Boiling Program, Sugar Bush, Knoxville area. Tioga County Woodland Owners As sociation, (814) 326-4802. Perry, Juniata Woodland Owners Association meeting, Bureau of Forestry office in Blaine, 2 p.m., (717) 536-3191. Monday, March 24 Introduction to RUSLE, Dau phin County Ag Center, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Also March 25, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Holmer, Wayne County Grazing School, Part 1 of 3, Mrs. Yod er’s Kitchen, Mt. Hope, Ohio, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., (330) 674-3015. Southeast Pennsylvania Swine meeting, Midway Diner, Rt. 78, Exit 16 (formerly 5), 6 p.m., (610) 378-1327. Tuesday, March 25 PDMP annual meeting and con ference, Holiday Inn, Grant ville, thru March 26, (888) 373-7232. Dauphin County Pesticide Up date, Upper Dauphin High School, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., (717) 921-8803. Pruning Workshop, Central Pa. Institute of Science and Tech nology, Pleasant Gap, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Winemaker Technical Meeting, Lancaster Farm and Home Center, 2 p.m.-5 p.m. Dairy Farmers of America Inc. annual meeting, Hyatt Regen cy Crown Center Hotel, Kan Lancaster Poured f Walls • Agriculture • Commercial • Residential u Call for Prices On: • NRCS approved Manure Storage Pits • Concrete • Basements • Retaining Walls Pumping • Footers • Foundation Walls Customer Satisfaction Is Our Goal Lancaster Poured Walls, Inc. 2542 Horseshoe Rd.» Lancaster, PA 17601 (717) 656-7370 « Fax (717) 656-7350 sas City, Mo., thru March 26, (816) 801-6678. Warren County Ag Day, 4-H Building on Warren County Fairgrounds, Pittsfield, 9:30 a.m., (814) 563-9388. Countywide Farm Safety Night, Lebanon Valley Expo Center, 6:30 p.m. Resources Issues Conference, Nittany Lion Inn, University Park, (814) 863-0401. Lancaster Holstein Club Tour to Mifflin County, leaves Farm and Home Center, Lancaster, 7 a.m., (717)653-2612. Aeration Tillage Field Day, Farm of Forrest Stickler, Werner- sville area, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., (610) 678-7629. Washington, D. C, Legislative Tour thru March 26, bus de parts Pa. Dept, of Ag, 2301 N. Cameron St., Harrisburg, 8:30 a.m. Returns 6 p.m. March 26. Cedar Crest Young Farmers Awards Banquet, Schaeffers town Fire Hall, Schaeffers town, 7 p.m., (717)273-2168. Wednesday, March 26 Workshop: Field Loss and Barn yard Evaluation, Dauphin County Ag Center, Dauphin, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. thru March 27, March 27 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Dauphin County Pesticide Up date, Dauphin County Ag Center, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., (717) 921-8803. Living on a Few Acres Work shop, Soils, Lime and Fertil izer, Neshaminy Center, Doy lestown, Bucks County Extension, (215) 345-3283. Also April 2,9,12,16, 23, 30.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers