— Uncaster July 8, 1976 16 Getting caf.'es and heifers m their places is all in a days work for Schwartzbeck on the farm she and husband Joe own west of Baltimore Maryland Dawn finds the workday of Joe and Nona Schwartzbeck already two hours old as the young Maryland couple move their herd of nearly 90 dairy cows on the first of two daily trips through the milking parlor Across America, another 300,000 dairy farmers, under 300,000 different circumstances, have started their days also Within hours, 3 1 /2 million gallons of milk and milk products will be delivered to children and their parents in cities, large and small, across the country Dairying ties people down The cows be milked twico-||ciay, 365 £ Between milkings there’s what most folks would_ consider a full days work Depending on the season, it’s either planting corn, making hay, or harvesting gram Repairing and cleaning equipment Tending the animals Plowing to raise a new crop of feed. And dairying takes a big investment The average family dairy operation has more cows than one of a generation ago And more mech anization Expensive mechanization The Schwartzbecks have five tractors, seven hay wagons, three -siiage wagonsr two Trucks, and various planters, mulchers, lifters, spreaders, dryers, balers, and rakes Altogether—land, Dairy keeps him busy Drs. William S. Gardner, Christopher Carroll Barton and Robert J. Munson Are pleased to announce the formations of a group practice limited to large animaj* medicine and surgery. 717-569-5650 717-397-7885 buildings, animals, and equipment—they have about $300,000 rnvested in dairying While this is above the national average of $175,000 total investment on a U S dairy farm, it is rep resentative of the future direction many dairymen will be going Why do people stay in dairying where the in vestment and risks are high, the hours are long, and work goes on 365 days a year'? They stay, they say, because it’s a way of life, not a j-gb, A good way of life They like .working for themselves They think it’s a good way to bring up kids But no matter how they feel about the virtues of thedifestyle, they have to make a living at dairying in order to stay If they can’t make a living, they have to-quit and go into something else. And that will mean less milk and milk products coming into cities Many, like the Schwartzbecks find that by using their income to pay interest on their in debtedness for land and equipment, by nibbling away at their mortgage, they some day expect to be able to pass on a considerable equity to their children —depending on the weather, good management, and adequate prices for their milk ~ - n. » n c £ l* > l< * i Sb x. s' £^f Indians used .to’believe that eating milkweed roots would help them hunt deer. JK> \ * 7— ; -S’ cd cr-^X c
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers