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PA Game Commission Shifting Active Farming Game Land to Wildlife Habitat Could Be Costly To Farmers | Main Edition | lancasterfarming.com

PA Game Commission Shifting Active Farming Game Land to Wildlife Habitat Could Be Costly To Farmers | Main Edition | lancasterfarming.com

cows on his family farm, and his son wants to become the fifth. But a recent decision by the Pennsylvania Game Commission may change Kilgore’s plans. The Airville, York County, farmer was recently notified by the agency that the approximately 70 acres he farms on two nearby state game land tracts (SGL 83 and SGL 181) will be changing, reverting from a primary use of active agriculture to a focus on wildlife habitat.

Map: Mountain House Trail and North Mountain

Bovine Beauty Queens� | Farmer Tim

Bovine Beauty Queens� | Farmer Tim

They use a hand held computer that has all my cow information on it such as her age, her calving date, how many lactations (time between calves) she’s had and previous scores. Every inch of the cows is graded. They look at everything from the length of her teats and the texture of her udder to the strength of her back and legs.  

   We use this information to breed our cows to a bull that will hopefully improve any traits that are weak. A computer analysis will help us choose the best mate for our cows, or we can pick one from a bull proof chart (also in my photo section). Bulls are also chosen to improve health traits as well as milk, fat and protein production. You can even choose sexed semen to help guarantee a heifer (female) calf. It’s all pretty complex, but it is an important part of our farm.