Home of Outstanding Young Farmer
• l
*
Those driving north on Highway 222
where it crosses the Pequesf Creek just
north of Refton, often select this farm
Penn Del as one of the outstanding in
the- community. It’s the farm of Raymond
F. Witmer, named Friday night as Lan-
* *
Raymond Witmer Named Lancaster
County’s Outstanding Young Farmer
(Continued from ipage one)
tim&r Pastures are, clipped, then
irrigated, with a Chrysler in
dustrial V-8 engine pulling water
from Pequea Creek. No dam was
constructed, as the flow during
the summer months was suf
ficient to meet his needs Skin
ner Sprinkler nozzle poured 800
to 900 gallons of-water per min
ute on grasses and alfalfa.
Each time a plot was irrigated,
fertilizer was applied In the
course of a season, 1200 lbs
might be applied per acre,
usually around 300 lbs prece-
each application of water.
Pumps run five to eight hours
on a setting, and two men can
easily change locations of the
lightweight, durable aluminum
Pipe.
Grass Stands Ten Days
After irrigation, Mr. Witmer
lets the grass grow ten days be
fore he clips it for cattle,-thus
preventing diarrhea or “wash
ing ”
Here is an excellent example
of a farm producing what its
livestock will consume, ignoring
corn, and livestock - consuming
what the farm produces.
Assisting Mr. Witmer in this
practical, down-to-earth opera
tion is Elwin Smoker. Soon there
will be more help, as you’re apt
to find son Peter, three-years
and-a-half, trailing his father’s
footsteps. Then there’s Mark,
one year old. who will probably
Silage Pays at Penn Del
Elwin Smoker here shovels grass silage in the barn on
Penn Del Farm into sacks held by Mr. Witmer Lancas
ter County’s Outstanding Young Farmer for delivery to
Guernsey heifers. Looking on, at the cameraman, is son
Peter, three and one-half. (Lancaster Farming Staff
Photo).
caster County’s Outstanding Young Farm
er, by the Lancaster Junior Chamber of
Commerce. At the extreme left center is
the new Pequea Creek bridge (Lancas
ter Farming Staff Photo).
*; • * jCiH
follow the same pattern.
Not only -is Mr. Witmer’s side
of the' family backed by a long
history of dairying The same
applies to Mrs Witmer —Louise
—the daughter of Peter Zeitler,
who operates a 700-acre farm
with 100 milking cows, a total
of 250 head, near Newark, Del
Breed 9 “Guernseys olf course,”
Mrs Witmer told.
In 1955 Mr Witmer’s herd
produced >an average of 500 lbs
of fat, J. 0,600 lbs of milk He has
increased yearly average pro
duction in .his herd by 2,187 lbs
of milk, 109 lbs butterfat in
three years This year that fi
gures may be upped by 400 lbs
of milk, 35 lbs butterfat
Heads Guernsey Club
In less than four years, Mr.
Witmer has built into Penn Del
an outstanding record. But his
activities go beyond the limits
of the farm He’s president of
the Lancaster County Guernsey
Club, a director in the Dairy
Herd Improvement Association,
and an elder m First Presbyte
rian Church, Strasburg.
For five years he was leader
of the Lancaster County 4-H
Guernsey Calf Club, for three
years secretary of the Lancaster
County Guernsey Breeders as
sociation before being named
president
Mrs Witmer too is active in
social work, a member of the
Presbyterian Women’s Associa
tion at Strasburg, and the Lan
caster County Agricultural Ex
tension Association. But her pri
mary interest is the attractive,
aged and well-kept 11-room
house and those two young sons.
Uses Hay Drying
Looking over his record, and
the complicated questionnaire he
had.to complete for his award,
it’s easy to see why he was
named He dries his hay by heat,
using an oil burner .with a 36-
mch fan “This is a portable
model which I rent, “Mr Witmer
told, since an investment in hay
drying equipment would be size
able.
Much has happened in those
years since he graduated in 1942
In 19JSs,he Started his first vo
cational agriculture project, the
Four-H dairy calf club Home
improvement has been a primary
project Two years ago he tore
out the iinside of his barn and,
starting from scratch, remodeled
it into one of the outstanding
examples of first-class dairying
His farm has been countour
stnpped since 1939,' and he has
used zero pasture For a while,
rye was used for early and late
pasture, before and after ladino
brome combination was at its
peak.
Mr Witmer keeps records on
all his cows—production records,
feed cost records Soil testing,
constant fertilization, all keep
pastures m top-notch shape
He was selected from a group
that included Stanley E. Kreider,
Drumore, Roy H. Book, Rl,
Ronks, J Everet Kreider and
Robert C. Groff of Quarryville,
competing for this year’s title
Members of the committee who
weighed each individual’s ques
tionnaire and actual operations,
were A G Bucher, Lancaster
County National Bank; Levi H-
Brubaker, president of the Lan
caster Poultry Exchange, and
Amos Funk, prominent Millers
ville farmer.
Receipts, Expenses up
M M Smith, Lancaster county
agricultural agent, told the ban
quet at the Stevens House m
Lancaster, that “Today it is more
difficult than ever before to be
come 'an outstanding farmer.”
Since 1940, farm receipts have
gained 261 per cent, but farm
expenses have gone up 266 per
cent, and the farmer is caught
in the squeeze.
“If anyone could come up with
the answer to this, "Mr. Smith
added, “we could use him in
Washington ”
The Witmers received a
plaque, and, should he wuf the
State contest, he and his wife
will be guests of the United
States Junior Chamber of Com
merce for a national awards
dinner next month. Naming the
four top farmers m the nation
will be the American Petroleum
Institute and the U.S. JayCees.
Local merchants provided gifts
for the Witmers, and should he
Sweeps*
Penn Manor in
FFA Prelims
Athletic teams of the Solanco
Ground Hog Chapter of Future
Farmers pL America next, week,
take on Cooahco Union after
making a clean sweep of Penn
Manor’s FFA Tuesday night m
the preliminary Lancaster Coun
ty Future Farmers of America
Tournament playoffs County
teams are preparing for the state
tournament during the annual
convention.
. "Coaches Luther D. Peck and
Jackson H. Owen advise the
Ground Hogs topped Penn Man
or in two volley ball games, by
the score of 15 to 3 in one, and
when substitutes were put into
action, by 15 to 13 in the second.
Solanco Ground Hogs won the
three-game ping pong prelim,
21 to 14, 21 to 15 and 21 to 14.
The story was the same in bas
ketball, when the Ground Hogs
overcame an early deficit and
won 48 to 37, with Calvin Keene,
guard, scoring 17 points, Richard
Hastings, forward, and Stanley
Moore, guard, scoring nine
points each
Say It !
New Coxswain I’m cox’n of
this boat, and what I say goes
Motor Boat Engineer The,n
would you mind saying “engine”
a few times 9
not win the state finals, he will
receive a weekend trip to the
Junior Chamber of Commeice
national convention
Penn Del is losing 3 6 acres
to the new highway 222 and
Pequea Creek bridge His yard
will be trimmed a bit, some of
the neat buildings will be more
near the highway, yet the brick
Witmer home and the frame
tenant home will still remain
outstanding, well painted, well
kept, practical, attractive, and
homey
Try WIRTHMORE
14 Fitting Ration
You can’t beat this feed for fitting your cows. A 149 protein
ration available with or without pellets, it contains all of the
top quality ingredients needed to fit your cows and keep them
in perfect health.
Year after year, on hundreds of farms and with every breed,
Wirthmore Fitting Ration is building record-smashing herds
in production and in showing.
Why not try it and check the results for yourself 7
WIRTHMORE
CLEM;E. BOBBER ;
tg, Friday, March 9, 1956
Remedied Dairy
Barns on Tour
(Continued from page one)
-stalls in remodled barn, push
type gutter cleaner m L-shaped
bam, separate calf barn;
New Barn, Milk House
Afternoon stops and features
included. David D. Sharp Farm,
on St. Mary’s (Warwick)-Bull
town Road, pipe line milker in
stanchion barn emptying directly
into bulk tank, tie 18 cows at
one time, loafing shed; Tkaczuk
Bros, Farm, just north of Turn
pike service station, remodled
barn for 50 stalls, six rows of
cattle, hydraulic barn cleaner,
chain ties and stanchions;
Elmer B. Stoltzfus Farm, west
of Loags Corner, new barn with
.40 chain ties, raised feed alleys,
new milk house, and the final
stop, the Don'ald Cassel Farm
near the intersection of Routes
82 and 322, glass-lined solo, barn
remodled into loafing area, milk
ing parlor, silo unloader that un
loads from the bottom into a
chain driven feed bunk
Girl—Did anyone ever tell you
how wonderful you are’
iGob—Don't believe they did-
Girl —Then “ where’d you get
the idea?
No Need to Worry
“Say mistress, is this veal or
pork’”
“Can’t you taste the differ
ence’”
“No I can’t”
“Well, then, why worry what
it is’” - ,
I 24-Hour Service p
| TAGS |
H EDWARD G. WILSON H
•« Notary Public JJ
f* 16 S, lime St Lancaster, Fa, *j
Intercourie
Ph. 8-3431
BIESTAND, INC.
Marietta
Ph-6-9301
Where?
FEEDS
LeROY H. SENSENIG
Hinkletown
Ph, Ephrata 3-2009
GLENN H. HERR
Manbeim RDl f
It Ph..LanditTille^3S47
3