Al2—lancastar Fararing, Saturday, January 5, Eastern Regional Agri-business Degree
Arlen Keener’s
BY DEBRA STRICKLEK
RHEEMS - “I’d like to be
a herdsman on a dairy farm
and have the opportunity to
keep a couple of Holsteins of
my own,” Arlen Keener told
Lancaster Farming two
years ago.
His past desire has
become a present reality.
This week he will receive
the Eastern Regional Star
Agri-business Degree at the
State Future Farmers of
America convention.
At the State Farm Show,
Arlen will also be showing
his own Holsteins.
Alien is a full - time
herdsman on the Penn
Springs Farm, owned by
Robert and Mim Kauffman
of R 1 Elizabethtown.
His daily responsibilities
include checking the herd,
milking the cows and
keeping the barn in order.
Arlen recently attended the
ABS school to learn the
techniques of artificial in
semination. He assists Bob
in breeding the cows.
In addition to being herd
sman, Arlen owns a small
dairy herd which includes
two Holstein cows and five
heifers.
Arlen is especially proud
of August Hill Roekman
Leseyla, a two year old.
After a first place finish in
March’s State Holstein Show
and a top honor earner in
other shows, Leseyla was
recently named the 1979 All-
Pennsylvania Two-Year-Old
Heifer.
Arlen explains, “after the
show season is over, I
submitted a complete record
including Leseyla’s show
and production records and
a picture. A panel of six
LEON B. HERSHEY
Box 265 Paradise, PA
717-442-4807
B. RUSSELLSAUDER ■, up, wiiupuipi pc
R 5, « J A R 1 ’ Washington Boroi ra
717-665-4153 717-684-5783
JASON E. MILLER
169 Strasburg Pike
Lancaster, PA
717-393-7244
judges chose her as the All-
Pennsylvania two-year-old
heifer.
“Next week, I’ll try again
at the Farm Show,” Arlen
adds.
This year Leyseyla will be
competing in the three year
old class competition.
Leseyla’s production
record is as impressive as
her show honors. In 295 days
of testing, she produced
17,595 pounds of milk at 3.7
percent to yield 657 pounds of
butterfat. Before the years
end, she will top the 20,000
pound mark.
Arlen purchased the
outstanding female from
Robert Young, a neighbor
and former employer.
He finds it ironic, that he
bought Leseyla for the least
amount of money, and she is
doing the best.
He has had a number of
misfortunes with the first
heifers he showed.
The Kauffman’s provided
Arlen with a heifer the first
year he showed in 4-H
competition. He earned a
blue ribbon at the County
show, but lost the heifer the
day before the District Show.
His second heifer was sold
to buyers from Africa.
In 1976 be bought his own
heifer at a state calf sale.
This heifer was due to
calve at the Farm Show. The
Kauffman’s encouraged
Arlen to enter the heifer and
have a farm show calf. The
heifer had difficulties in its
labor. The Valley Animal
Hospital performed a
cesanan, however the calf
was lossed. Unfortunately,
the cow never recovered
either.
Although similiar ex-
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT YOUR LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES LISTED BELOW
past desires are present realities
periences may have caused
many young people to give
up hope, Arlen continues to
improve his herd.
He contemplates buying
more heifers, although he is
not so sure about the future.
“I like to live one day at a
time, I was never a person
that set many goals.”
He modestly comments, I
never expected to own the
1979 All-Pennsylvania Two -
Year - Old or earn the
Eastern Regional Star Agri
business degree.
“I always do the best I
can, I try to do it right, and
then wait to see what hap
pens.
This Summer Arlen placed
third in the State 4-H Dairy
Judging Contest. He then
competed in Madison,
Wisconsin during the World
Dairy Expo.
In the breed he knows best,
Holsteins, Arlen took the”
first place national honors.
He earned sixth place in
reasons, and placed nineth in
the individual competition.
The Pennsylvania team
placed twelth m the nation.
As a FFA member at
Elizabethtown High School,
Arlen’s projects did not only
include dairy. He had a
swine project with a friend.
“We didn’t make any
money, but we had a lot of
fun,” Arlen says.
As the son of Mr. and Mrs.
Walter Keener, Arlen does
not reside on a farm. He can
remember raising broiler in
a shed behind their home.
“I caught a pig at the Soil
Conservation Service field
day, and kept it in the
backyard too,” he added.
Asked why he decided to
maintain his dairy herd,
SEE US AT THE FARM SHOW-DAIRY BARN #33
WM. J. YODER
Rt 2, Box 367
Narvon, PA 17555
717-354-0497
AMOSHURSH
Lititz RD#4, PA 17543
717-733-6776
Figure it for yourself.
When you shortchange their
nutrition, you shortchange yourself.
Looking for ways to cut on down on out-of-pocket
feed costs without cutting down on milk production?
Cutting production costs will backfire if you end
up shortchanging your herd’s nutrition in the
process.
But you can cut those costs safely by feeding
homegrown grains and grain silage fortified with
tiie right Vigortone Dairy Pre-Mix. These potent
pre-mixes contain the proper levels of vitamins,
calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals needed to
balance your farm’s feedstuffs.
Vigortone Dairy Pre-Mixes can be mixed in or
metered on any palatable gram or roughage. This
lets you change ration content to fit the supplies you
have on hand without risking herd performance.
Better herd nutrition means a bigger milk check.
Minimum out-of-pocket feed costs mean more in
your pocket.
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RALPHE.BRUNGART
Loganton, PA
717-725-2355
WERTZ BROTHERS
R 5 Danville, PA
717-275-4407
CHESTER SOLTYS. JR.
Spring City, PA
215-948-3647
Arlen Keener is proud of Leseyla. She was recently named the 1979 All-
Pennsylvania Two Year Old Heifer. This week begins a new show year at the
State Farm Show.
Arlen will receive his Star Regional Agri-business Degree during the FFA
Convention.
Arlen replies, “I have the
most interest in dairy and I
have the most invested here.
While m high school, Arlen
worked for many neigh
boring farmers. He really
appreciates the opportunity
he had to work for different
people.
There were times when he
was expected at more than
one place at the same time.
“I have to keep busy, if I
have five minutes with
nothing to do,'-1 get very
bored/’
Now, he is busy doing odd
jobs in preparation for
showing at the Farm Show.
JAMES STUTZMAN SONS
RSKutztown, PA
215-683-7198
215-682-2624
WILMER J. WEAVER
Rl Fredericksburg, PA
717-865-6710
J. CLYDE BRUBAKER
2418 Harrisburg Pike
Lancaster, PA
7i7*-898-8984
His evenings are often
booked with dub meetings.
He is presently serving as a
director of die Lancaster
County Junior Holstein Club.
He is president of the Lan
caster County 4-H Club.and
is a member of the State and
National Junior Holstein
Associations. He is active m
the Elizabethtown Men
nonite Youth Fellowship.
Arlen is appreciative of
the support of William
Erickson, the Elizabethtown
FFA Advisor. He en
couraged me to complete the
Keystone Degree form.
It is also obvious that
Your figures will prove it.
Dry cow nutrition
pays future profits.
Shortchanging your dry cow’s nutrition can be risky
too. Most problems dairymen experience in getting
cows back in the string can be traced to careless
treatment during the dry period.
Keep them in top condition until their next lac
tation. To help you do it, Vigortone has developed
unique dairy pre-mixes specially concentrated for
dry cow rations.
Now is the time to compare.
See your Vigortone dealer soon. He’s ready to
compare the performance of Vigortone’s cost
saving dairy feeding programs with any other you
name.
Alien is appreciative of the
Kauffman family. They have
encouraged him as a young
boy and have employed him
as a young man.
Without a doubt, the
Kauffman’s have con
tributed to Arlen’s desire to
show cattle, begin his own
herd, work as a herdsman,
and his present honor - the
Eastern Regional Agri
business Degree.
ELAMG. HOOVER
R 2, Box 531 Reading, PA
215-926-2908
ELWIN H. REAM -
Hughesville, PA
717-584-4085
RON HERSHEY
RD#2 Gap, PA 17527
717-442-8573