f Center Preserves Virginia’s Agriculture, Wildlife Legacy (Continued from Page A2B) the 43 acres that later became a commercial beef and poultry op eration for two educators. Planners recognize the integral value of intertwining fun with facts. So while the entire family is absorbing the reasons why agri culture was, is, and always will be life-sustaining, they will be enter tained and amused participants. They will have an opportunity to get “up close and personal” with livestock species and small ani mals. Just try milking a cow by hand, or gathering delicate fresh eggs, for instance. Or touch the hurry animals, pet or brush their coats. Besides entry gates, biosecurity measures prior to and following any contact with the animals will include disinfecting hands at dis to milk a pair of female goats of tals, and passmg through a foot . ;ff t anr i two other bath that aUows ones shoes to be aittwent breeds and two other cleaned breeds will represent meat goats. Among the species at the cen- * Sheep six breeds will show ter: how the contribution of sheep to • Hogs —no males, but four society is primarily wool and sows of different breeds and in meat. various stages of gestation and * Rabbits their value as fur farrowing. Piglets will be kept producers and meat animals, with their mothers until they are • Poultry six to 12 laying weaned. hens and broilers of varying ages. • Goats guests will be able Also turkey poults and pullets. r Wood • Oil • Gas “Buying a Classic Central Boiler is one of the best decisions I have made...l have a free supply of wood so my heat and hot water cost me zero. Since installing the boiler I saved between $3OO and $4OO per month..." Don R- CT Lawn Care of PA 311 Willow St., Terre Hill, PA 17581 (717) 445-8431 www.centralboiler.com Promoting tho Virginia Agriculture and Nature Centers promotional T-shirt, from left, Linda Cox, Susan Alien, and Eugenia Nelson. Photo by Gay Brownlee, Virginia Corre spondent. CLASSIC Outdoor Wood Furnace with Dual Fuel Option • Operates using the economical choice of wood and/or the convenience of oil, LP or natural gas. • Our exclusive Ripple Top* and Heat Lock Baffle” system optimizes combustion and heat transfer for maximum efficiency and low wood consumption. • Dairy during the calving season March to November cows will be at the center. A big black and white Holstein milked with automatic equipment will exhibit the modem methods, but confident visitors may try their skill at extracting milk by hand from the more sedate Jersey or Guernsey cow. • Beef two breeds of beef cows will be represented and al- temativc animals will in clude emu, llama, and beefa lo. There will be an emphasis on the environment, water, crops and wildlife. In the off-season, staff will conduct visitations to nurs ing homes, civic organiza tions and schools, taking smaller species. The petting zoo and walking trail will be closed in the off-season from November to March. Guest David Liskey, presi dent of the Spotswood FFA, announced the Spotswood Chapter is constructing a progress sign for the founda tion. “We are glad to come and help sponsor this event,” he said. “We would like to get more involved in the com munity.” For more information, call (540) 289-5052 or e-mail vaagandnature@aol.com. J" Lapp’s Little Red Wagons "J I BRAKES included on #630 * #330 20”+40” $159 | Model #630 24”+48” $179 * #5OO 22”+40” $164 | Also a large selection of other Wagons, Models, Sizes and Options | 3-Different model Hikes & Mini Carts available. | ■ Lapp Welding Shop (717) 733-2117 . ■ Dealer Inquiries Wslcomel * k______ ______J WATERLESS TOILETS Poly wood Bed Available “SUN-MAR” Field Day Examines How To Breed A Top Dairy Herd LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) More than 120 farmers attend ed the “Breeding for a Top Dairy Herd” Field Day on Nov. 19 at Mar-R farms, the home of Mar vin and Ruth Stoltzfus and their six children. The program was provided by Penn State Coopera tive Extension in Lancaster County. The Stoltzfus family milks 50 cows, with the distinction of holding one of the highest rolling herd averages in Lancaster Coun ty. The farm’s November test showed 33,000 pounds of milk, with 1,213 pounds of butterfat and 947 pounds of protein. When asked the secret of the farm’s success, Stoltzfus gives credit to plenty of high quality forages. He keeps fresh feed in front of the cows at all times, feeding 6-8 times each day. The farm milks the cows on a 10- hour schedule. By including one 8-hour interval weekly, they can keep the same milking time on a given day of the week during the year. All of the milking is done by the family. In selecting bulls, Stoltzfus se lects primarily on TPI and life time net merit, while keeping strength in the dairy herd. He prefers to use bulls at least + .00 on strength, and emphasizes the Penn State Pesticide Education Gamers National Recognition UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) Penn State’s Pesticide Ed ucation Program recently was one of four such state programs to be recognized as models by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In its publication, “Helping People Use Pesticides Safely,” USDA’s Cooperative State Re search, Education, and Extension Service highlighted the pesticide safety education programs at Penn State, Purdue University, North Carolina State University and Washington State Universi ty, saying that the programs “demonstrate the commitment to excellence shared by most pesti cide safety education programs.” Nationally, pesticide safety ed ucation training is coordinated by USDA-CSREES at land-grant universities. Funding is provided by the U.S. Environmental Pro tection Agency, state govern ments and other sources. Led by John Ayers, professor of plant pathology, the Penn State pro gram was cited for making “great importance of longevity in the herd. Several topics were covered in the program, including “Choos ing Bulls for Your Dairy Herd,” “Type and Profitability,” and “Systematic AI Programs.” Speakers included Dr. Stephen Foulke of Ag Vet Associates in Manheim, Dr. Barry Harris of Smoketown Veterinarians, Dr. Chad Dechow from Penn State, Douglas Speicher from Cenex/ CRI, and Jeff Myers and Beth Grove of Penn State Cooperative Extension. Dechow presented a talk on “Crossbreeding in the Dairy Herd.” He explained reasons why dairy producers would consider crossbreeding, including the pos sibility of increased fertility or longevity in a herd. Dechow also discussed the concept of “hetero sis” or the additional production yield (about 5 percent) expected in a cross between two distinct breeds. He also spoke about some foreign breeds which may be con sidered in an effective crossbreed ing scheme, including the Scandi navian Red. After the morning’s program, attendees were treated to a barbe que chicken meal and tour of the facilities. strides in addressing urban con cerns about pesticide issues.” The publication noted the program’s outreach initiatives and its lead ership of Penn State’s West Nile Virus educational efforts. The program also was lauded for producing a series of consum er fact sheets, and for creating educational materials aimed at children including a computer based game featuring the car toon character, D.B. Pest. Kerry Richards, manager of the pro gram’s Pest Management In formation Center, developed D.B. Pest to teach such concepts as integrated pest management, alternatives to pesticide use and safe use of pesticides when neces sary. In 2002, Penn State’s Pesticide Education Program trained more than 5,200 new pesticide applica tors and recertified another 25,600. In addition, the program reached more than 45,000 people through educational sessions for consumer groups, 4-H youth, school children, educators. Mas ter Gardeners and others. Presentation On Scrapie Control Available BOWLING GREEN, Ky. A Power Point presentation that explains how and when pro ducers can use genetics to control scrapie is now available and was introduced at the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Annual Con vention in July. The title of the presentation is “Genotyping A new Tool for Producers.” “This presentation has been designed for di rect use by producers or by veterinarians, profes sors, extension agents, youth program leaders, and others who may be addressing producer groups,” explains Dr. Cindy Wolf, a small rumi nant specialist at the University of Minnesota and Chair of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture’s (NIAA) Sheep Health Committee. The presentation has an extensive notes sec tion, a glossary and an appendix that were devel oped to assist the presenter with their presenta tion. The presentation is available for viewing or downloading at www.animalagriculture.org/ scrapie, or as a compact disc (CD) through NIAA.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers