C24—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 15,1980
The out-of-state visitors were welcomed by some of Beechdale Farms’ new
born calves.
Dr. Thomas Conrad talks to the group about his
purebred Simmental operation.
Greystone Manor Farms
(Continued from Page C 22)
yields roughly 24
silage per acre.
In addition to raising com,
the farm also raises 100
acres of alfalfa every year,
primarily for haylage.
Firestone noted they feed
hay only when the cattle first
arrive atthe farm
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ton
Greystone Farms also
feeds 500 head of hogs and
keep 40 brood sows. They
have a boarding business for
about 50 horses at another
farm, but they no longer
raise Thoroughbreds,
Firestone noted
Beechdale Farms
(Continued from Page C 22)
semen from the best bulls
available.
His present herd consists
of three-quarter blooded
Sunmentals, purebreds, and
full bloods.
Conrad also told the group
that Beechdale Farms does
not show their cattle, but
sells primarily for the
commercial breeders.
The visitors were able to
tour the bull barn and take a
look at the cow-calf herd. As
a matter of fact, some of
Conrads cows were grazing
around the stone home’s
lawn, unconcerned with the
160 people wandering about
them.
Beechdale Farms even
gives a guarantee to its
customers. It says, “As long
' as you are our customer, we
will assist you in your
breeding plans, feeding
formulas, herd health,
record keeping, per
formance testing,
marketing, and registering
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m M enta/s Reading PA 19604 U / D'UUuD
MANHEIM The visitors
were in for a unique
operation at the Forry farm.
Here they saw a housing
engineering set-up totally
different from any previous
stop on the trip.
Under one roof, Forry
fattens 850 steers each year.
These steers are housed on
top of an 8 foot deep manure
pit, one area measuring
104 feet by 50 feet, and the
other measuring 50 feet by 50
feet for two additional
sections.
The walls of the manure
pit are ten inches thick,
Forry added. He said he
prefers the two smaller
sections over the one large
manure pit because he
doesn’t have to set up his
pump as often to agitate the
manure.
Before pumping out the
manure, Forry said he adds
2000 gallons of water to the
manure to help to liquify it.
He pointed out that you can’t
add the water too fast
because it creates too many
gases.
your animals. If you are not
satisfied, we will refund your
money or furnish another
animal of like kind. ”
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See Us First.
WE'VE GOT WHAT YOU NEED
940 Cornwall Road AAPn
mjNLIMITEO Lebanon PA 17042 £ f C'^DUO
A closer look at Forry Farm
One of the visitors asked
Forry how he checks the gas
level before he goes down
into the pit. He said he had a
steer fall through the slats
one time, and smce the steer
didn’t die, he said he figures
it’s okay.
The steers walk on top of
slatted concrete floors wluch
allow the manure and urine
to drop down into the pit. The
slatted floors are made up of
poured sections with slats 5
inches wide with a 1% inch
space between the slats.
Forry said lus building
was designed to give each
steer 20 square feet of space,
at maximum capacity of 500
head.
The only problem he said
he had with the design was
the open peak of the roof that
runs the length of the
building.
He told the visitors he once
tried to put a section of roof
over the space and found he
had air circulation
problems. So he removed his
attempt to remodel the
design, and puts up with the
little bit of ram and snow
that falls through the space.
Forry pointed out that the
older budding in the feedlot
was constructed in 1973. In
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720 N Prince St Lancaster PA 17603 UUU >, | /Ul
this bam, they installed
styrofoam on the inside of
the roof. He pointed out that
this side of the barn still
“sweats”, so they
eliminated this in the newer
section built in 1975
The Manheim cattleman
continued to dazzle his
audience when he told them
his feeding program put his
60,000 layers and 62,000
broilers to work in feeding
his cattle
Forry told them how he
for This Area!
We rent trucks of all sizes.
from pick-ups and Econo
lines to vans, stake body and
dump trucks. So whenever
you need a truck or any
kind of equipment
(Turn to Page C 26)
We Worn
like To
Welcome
Our New
SEED CORN
DEALERS
DAVID A. BAUCHSPIES
R D #l, Box 141
Bellefonte, PA 16823
814-355-3553
AND
SLAB CABIN FARM
(Sam Everhart)
2480 Gatesburg Rd
State College, Pa
16801
814 234-2297
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