Shorthorns
(Continuedfrom Page E 2)
well to get the most out of the breeding
program. These include uterine im
plants to synchronize female heats,
and computer-signaling heat detectors
glued onto cows’ rumps.
About half of of the calves bom on
the farm are halter-broke each year.
Masonic Homes exhibits its Shorthorns
at various shows, including the Penn
sylvania Farm Show, the Keystone In
ternational Livestock Exhibition, the
North American International Live
stock Exhibition, and the Maryland
Eastern, ( Regional Show. Showing
helps establish buyer contacts from
across the country.
“'Pi(5-only reason we show is to mar
ket Stoltzfus said. The farm
has soldf stock to buyers as
far away as Texas and Nebraska.
Masonic Homes is part of a four
farm Shorthorn marketing arrange
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ment called Mid-Atlantic Genetics.
One of the partners in this venture is
the McElhaney farm of western Penn
sylvania. The group also includes a
farm from Maryland and one from
Ohio.
“The four of us cooperate together
in marketing semen and bulls,” Stoltz
fus said, noting that the group is also
beginning to work together on selling
freezer beef. “It’s a real loosely made
arrangement. It’s done on a hand
shake.”
A regular marketing event put on by
the co-op is what they call their Pre
ferred Stock Sale. It has taken place
on the first Saturday after Labor Day
for the past seven years, with all inten
tions to continue into the future.
More than 30 females and about a
dozen bulls are sold for production per
year, plus about IS head that go to
club youth.
Shorthorns are known for easygoing
temperaments. Their colors range
from dark red to roan to white, show
ing any amount of variegation among
them. Many Shorthorns are actually
hornless.
“Polled Shorthorns sounds like an
oxymoron,” Stoltzfus said. “But there
are more polled than homed.”
Beside one full-time employee on
Masonic Homes farm, some part-time
help is needed to prepare calves for the
show ring. Elyssa Hevner from Union
Bridge, Md., is an education major at
nearby Elizabethtown College. She
helps halter-break calves at Masonic
Homes during her free time on spring
afternoons.
The farm gives her a chance to keep
up one of her favorite hobbies while in
college, said Hevner, who raises Short
horns on her grandfather’s farm in
Maryland.
Along with the farm’s commitment
to youth and good Shorthorn breeding
and marketing, grassland manage
ment is becoming integral to the Ma
sonic Homes’ practice of looking to
ward the future.
According to Director Tracy, “Graz
ing is part of our long-range plan
ning.”
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 19, 2003, Foraging Around-E3
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(Continued from Page El)
meat and milk. We have been given
grass, legumes and other plants
which stabilize the soil and, most
importantly, feed our livestock
which in turn feed us.
What a great system that we
have been blessed with. The cow
and other ruminants really are the
backbone of our food system. But
for some reason, many producers
have removed their livestock from
pasture over the years.
The cow was created to be on
pasture. Of course pasture growth
does not occur all year long and she
does need stored feed for several
months. But why do many farms
feed large quantities of relatively
low quality stored feed when dur
ing over half the year the cow can
harvest her own feed? High quality
pasture is extremely close to a bal
anced TMR ration and it only costs
about 2 cents per pound of dry
matter.
At the same time, while the cow
is working for you to harvest her
own forage, she is also in a clean
environment. That is assuming the
farm manager is managing his pas
tures. Ah hah! Here lies the answer
that many farmers and the support
industry including many in the
universities have forgotten about
pasture.
While U.S. agriculture put its ef
forts into mechanized systems fo
cusing on com, beans, alfalfa and
other grains, we simply forgot
about pasture. However, in many
other parts of the world, advance
ments in pasture management over
the last several decades have been
huge.
How can New Zealand ship milk
around the world without subsi
dies? The answer is in the efficien
cy of the pasture system! Yes, we
are not in New Zealand, but we can
take advantage of many aspects of
their system others around the
world. Managed pasture systems
offer huge potential for strengthen
ing our dairy and livestock econo
my. In fact, managed grazing is
now rapidly moving into the early
adoption stage of acceptance.
Many farmers are making graz
ing work very well, but just think
how much more we can improve.
We need the industry and the uni
versities to support its advance
ment. Graziers are just learning to
walk. Think of the potential when
all the pieces of the puzzle come to
gether for our part of the world.
I am very excited about the fu
ture of the dairy industry in Penn
sylvania. The potential is huge! To
quote Dr. John Roche of Dexcel, a
New Zealand applied research or
ganization, “Pennsylvania dairy
farmers have the potential to have
dairy profits above $l,OOO per cow
at $l2 milk.”
Managed grazing systems will be
the backbone of making it happen.
Stored forage systems will always
be needed but should be used to
supplement the primary grazing
system. John Roche and his brother
Tom from Ireland were featured
speakers at The Pennsylvania
Grazing Conferences in March. We
have much to learn from around
the world and from each other. The
Pennsylvania Forage and Grass
land Council hopes to be part of
President's Corner ♦