Love for animals goes a long way By DIKTKR KKIKXi .AKKLSBURG - With a doll house for a , and borrowed money from her parents, - Andrlen started her own dairy herd c 10 Now. at age 16, she and her : cr brothers own 35 head of prizc ;ng registered dairy cattle and arc lly debt-free at makes the success story of the icn children even more unusual is the that they have neither a farm ground nor a farm of their own The ' they come to it is a 12-acrc patch of md they proudly call “Shady-Hill-Side and a 50-acre parcel of land which amily rents for raising feed "We call it VHIU-Side Farm" because it’s ail .* due to the trees," joked 14-year old :e dryly. ,ruce and Denise have been showing their -ys for five and six years, respectively, even such distinguished affairs as the msylvania Junior Dairy Show, which held here this week at the Farm Show ,g, is not out of their class. The ;r and sister team qualified with 12 unals and a reserve grand champion was ig their winnings. They were com against the best youngsters in the To be eligible for this affair, which 652 entries, each animal must have tously won a blue ribbon at its : district show. •wing cattle is just part of the fun and Bruce are experiencing. Both liastically affirm that they love every of their fanning operation and that they wouldn’t be happy living iiere but on a farm. Although they t have a real farm of their own, they live the outskirts of Downingtown, where father, a contractor, has 12 acres of nd. ly father was employed on a gen ian’s farm when he was single,” Denise led, ‘‘but other than that neither he my mother have a farm background.” Andrien, in fact, had never lived ./here but in apartments and housing 'tolopmenta the famfly’ajnoving je fringes of the r‘. ral area. “We’ve been looking around for a farm,’’ Denise acknowledged, in refcrente to a question about the problems she and her brothers might be encountering with their enterprise. Denise was the first of the three children to get herself involved with Jerseys - and more recently a couple of Guernseys. She claims to have had a* love for animals since she was a small child, and for that reason also has ambitions for becoming a veterinarian some day. “We had a dog once ncrease cow t USED FORAGE WAGONS l-BADGER - 2-Gehl - 1-John Deere Colebrook Rd. Dari-Kool Bou-Matic Automated Herringbone Systems +Automatic Back-up Gate +Automatic Entrance and Exit Gates +Feed Bowl Covers SALES - SERVICE - INSTALLATION CARL L. SHIRK How to farm without a farm *4 •• y Animals are a way of life for the Andrien children when I was little, and it had distemper and died - ever since then I’ve wanted to do something to help animals,” she explained while fondly petting her Irish Setter, “Jamie.” A sensitive and unpretentious young lady, Denise stepped into the world of Jerseys by way of the Chester Valley 4-H Club. A Jersey breeder, Mildred Seeds, was the leader and she soon convinced the 10-year old girl to accept a Jersey calf as a 4-Hproject. Denise gladly accepted and so her doll house became a calf pen. It was just a month later before she purchased her second calf. She kept the second animal for a year, then gave it to her brother who began to share her interest in calves. Although the money for the original put with less labor roug RDS, Lebanon, PA ♦ % iS2Sf r t#' * +Automatic Teat Cup Detachers +Heavy Duty Stalls - 44" Wide +Low Level Bou-Matic Milking System 1000 GAL VACUUM LIQUID MANURE TANK Phone 717-274-1436 purchases was borrowed, it has all been payed back through the premium monies the kids earn at fairs and shows. Other portions of the ledger remain in balance due to agreements which in essence trade milk and cheese for feed. A valuable contribution made by Mr. Andrien four years ago was the construction of a small bam which contains nine stalls. “That’s all we were going to have,” Denise grinned. As it turned out, it was their father :vho ended up breaking the agreement to sell the animals when they matured and became of milking age. They haven’t sold one yet. “The whole family enjoys it and we all want to go into fanning,” Denise said in her own tender way. L*fK4iUr Farming. Saturday, Scot 75.1976 69 ■ r Due to Impressive fuel economy, Jptnl is an investment that can pay for itself over the first winter. jotuL No 118 is a big dependable woodburning stove with high heating capacity and a really attractive appearance Can be fired with 24’ logs • Many Models to Choose From • Exceptionally Long Burning Time The responsibilities involved in taking rare of animal* l» something live Andrlrn rhildrrn are very familiar with Vtr have a lot of thing* at home." Bruce commented Included among the thing*" arc goats, horse*, chickens rabbits, and 'Jamie ‘ Thr vounge.st brother. I/inn. is primaril> with live goats and rabbits Aside from their genuine lave (or r nimals and a life on the farm. Hruce and Denise agree wholehearted!) that their un dertakings are most educational, and it gives them something to do ’ I wish ever) body who doesn't live on a (arm could get to sec some of the stuff that I've seen and all that comes from a farm." said Bruce in a convincing tone of voice Denise nodded in agreement, and said ' this Ls more educational than school " Unlike his sister, who dreams of being a veterinarian some day, Bruce is not exactly sure of what he’d like for a career But one thing Is definite it’ll have to be something which relates closely to agriculture In acquiring their herd of dairy cattle, the Andriens have had their share of problems as a result of it, and there have even been a few fights between Bruce and Denise "But it seems to always come out for the better,” Bruce revealed. The major problem (which has been with them since the very begin ning), is the lack of space. They’ve con tinually outgrown their modest facilities and fdr that reason have had to turn the milking herd over to a farmer-friend in Berks County. The Andriens’ Jerseys are milked and cared for there without charge, but neither are they receiving anything for the milk. Prior to the initiation of this arrangement, the Andriens milked their cows themselves, with the children taking care of most chores. Their father took care of the morning milkings. Just about every calf that is bom is allowed to live for at least a year. Young bulla which are “half-way decent for shows” are kept for that purpose and later sold for meat. Both Denise and Bruce are determined to stay with their young business in spite of the “lots of problems” that are connected with it. Denise says she can’t picture herself without her cows, and Bruce firmly added: “I’m going to keep it; I can’t stand to just sit around. I like all kinds of farm work - it’s good for you.” “We started ‘this mess’ so we have to keep it up,” Denise concluded. Economical round-the-clock heating with one of Jotul’s cast iron woodburning stoves! “THE COMBI-FIRE” The Freestanding Fireplace That Converts To A Stove' • Simple draft and temp, control Showroom at STILLWATER POND Off Rt. 501 between Brickerville and Schaefferstown Ph. 717-949-3002 ' 1 • Practical and efficient • Lasts a lifetime
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