Dl2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 17,1981 Adams Farm-City tour (Continued from Page Dl 1) buildings, but are also sold as garages, dairy bams, horse bams and for many commercial and industrial uses. Sales Manager Bill Williams' pointed oat that labor represents 15 percent of the building cost at Morton, compared with 50 percent of the cost on conventional buildings. Because of this he said most buyers choose to have con struction done by Morion crews. Mark and Carol Widerman are examples of young people who went into fanning on a shoestring and are making it. They moved to their R 2 New Oxford farm five years ago and are now raising 45,000 layers and have 75 breeding ewes. They are enthusiastic about their career choice, but do admit that Frank Tharp, right, discusses the Round Hill Farms processing plant with participants in Ingenious Wuod/Coal Bailers the fact that they made the decision five years ago and now have interest rates locked in below the going rate is a distinct ad vantage to them. Neither Mark nor Carol grew up on farms, but Mark worked on many farms before taking the plunge. He says, “I am happy. It’s what I always wanted to do.” Carol adds, “I can’t picture myself anywhere else.” They also feel it’s a good place to be raising their children, Laurie, 8, and Brock, 5. They gave a lot of credit to their realtor who knew the intracacies of financing and to Farmers Home Administration from whom they got their major loan. They also received help from the Federal Land Bank, and said their local feed supplier has provided helpful information and support. They chose their enterprises carefully, and Carol points out, “It was hard to create a good cash flow.” The farm they purchased had facilities for 16,000 layers. In 1979, they expanded the 45,000 layers in a totally automated operation. Their sheep herd began with 45 ewes. They raised their females to reach their present size of 76. They have no further plans for expansion, they explain. They now can do the work by themselves,' and Mark, says, “1 want to see what I can handle.” - They went into the lamb business partly in answer to a conservation problem. The tillable acreage had been in corn and Mark was not pleased with how that was working out. There were a lot of erosion and drainage problems, he recalls. In ms Coui V Week tour. MANURE STORAGE A PROBLEM? LEXUS HELP YOU • Open Waste Pits • Slat Pits • Solid Concrete Basement Walls • Flat Concrete Work Pehna: York, Adams, and Franklin Counties Maryland: Carroll County and surrounding areas WE WORK WITH THE SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE FISHER AND STOLTZFUS TRAILER SALES Call 717-768-3832 between 7 a.m. & 9 a.m or call 717-354*0723 after 6 p.m. Ear METAL TOPS IN FRONT CHECK OUR PRICES FOR COMES IN 14. 16, 20.*4' LENGTHS BUMPER TRAILERS Small Trailers For Tractors consultation with the Soil Con servation Service and the Ex tension office, the Widermans cdiiverted to pasture and hay land. They also added tile drainage and waterways. The current situation gives Mark a place to spread manure, although he sells most of it. The hayland also does not .require a large monetary expenditure for equipment, a big advantage financially. The hay is custom made by a neighbor in exchange for manure. Mark adds, “I’m not as hard hit by the extremes of the weather. If it gets dry, I can be assured of at least one cutting of hay, and that’s enough.” The chicken house provides the Widerman’s main income, and hg and Carol usually work together on gathering the eggs three times daily. They are marketed through one processor. One person can handle the job if necessary. Hog is man’s best Mend NEWARK, Del. Hogs provide us with a wealth of delicious, lean pork, but their service to society doesn’t end there. It’s commonly said that we use “everything but the squeal” when it comes to hogs, and it’s true. New and different by-products from hogs are constantly being developed, says Umversity of Delaware Extension livestock specialist Richard Fowler. . The hog’s second most important contribution to society after lean meat, is pharmaceuticals. Just to name a few, insulin from hogs is used in the treatment of diabetes, adrenal glands provide many different hormones used to correct human imbalances, intestines give different hormones used to correct human imbalances, intestines give us “essential” heparin, used to thin the blood, and pituitary glands give,us a number of hormones used to Control human growth and FRANK GEBHART About the sheep, JVlark says, “It's seasonal work. They don’t take a tremendous, amount of labor.” Lambing season is the exception, of course.' Mark breeds his Suffolk-Hampshire crosses so that they lamb in February or March. He weans them after 60 days and sends them to market at approximately 100 pounds. Another product of the ewes is wool and Mark shears the sheep in May. The Widermans are members of the Pennsylvania Farmers Association, the Adams County Poultry Association and the Adams County Sheep Association. Mark says he goes to the Cooperative Extension Service of the sheep growers for information. The family is active in the Benders Lutheran Church in Biglerville. Mark admits the egg business has not been good, but adds, “Considering all things, we haven’t done bad.” metabolism problems. Hog insulin is especially im portant because its chemical structure most nearly resembles that of humans. This is significant because approximately five percent of all diabetics are allergic to other forms of insulin and can tolerate only hog insulin. In addition, says Fowler, hog heart values are saving lives as they replace damaged or diseases human heart valves. Burn victims, - too, benefit from hogs. Specially treated hog skins, because of their similarity to human skin, are used in treating massive burns. These “porcine” dressings help prepare the patient for permanent skin grafts and prevent infection. Many of these products are unfamiliar to us, but to those ' millions .whose lives have been saved, enriched or improved, “there’s more to a hog than chops.” RD No. 1 BOX 41A ABBOTTSTOWN, PA 17331 717-624-4324
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