9 > BERLIN A Somerset County but since merchandising bruigs m father and son, who for years have 2(1 percent of our income, it’s the been operating one of the most pedigree that counts.” efficient dairy operations in the The Master Farmers have that state, were named Master Far- pedigree reputation. Their farm mere for 1981. name, Lansdown, can be found in Paul and David Countryman of the stud books. They emphasize R 1 Berlin, will receive the award that there isn't an animal in the January 12 at a special luncheon in' bam they wouldn’t sell. Of course, Harrisburg. Sponsors of the award some are more valuable and would are the Pennsylvania Farmer be priced accordingly, magazine, Harrisburg, and Penn Somerset County, with its high State's Cooperative Extension elevation, has short growing Service. seasons, but they try to grow all of The award winners, who milk 87 their own roughages. They farm cows, also merchandise purebred 270 acres, 170 of these are leased, cows which adds about 20 percent Crops include 45 acres of alfalfa, 40 to their farm income. The herd - of clover, 35 of mixed grass hay, 90 average of 17,167 pounds can be of ear corn, 35 of silage com, and 28 .. attributed to cow longevity which acres of oats makes dairying even more profitable. w 'Our oldest cow is 15. She has a lifetime production of 310,000 pounds of milk,” Paul the senior partner in the operation, points put. "We have another cow that has produced over 200,000 pounds of milk, but she’s just 11.” Another 23 cows have a lifetime production of more than 100,000 pounds of milk per cow. ‘‘We got into purebred breeding because of David’s 4-H work,” Paul adds. “Although we keep an eye on cow sales, a high priority is given to producing our own herd replacements. We’re not sold on .animals with attractive pedigrees US DA bars produce firms 3) WASHINGTON, D.C. Two pay a reparation award of |2,630, produce firms, one from New involving the?shipment of-carrots Jersey and the other from New from Massachusetts betweenjune York, have been barred from and September, 1980. operating in the produce industry ' by the USDA after failure to pay The New York firm, Union Food Perishable' Agricultural Com- Service, failed to pay a reparation modifies Act reparation awards. award of $73,735 involving produce The New Jersey firm, L&M shipped during July and August, Schneider, Inc., Fairfield, failed to 1979. PKUBOTR The No "I" Mid Size Tractor I. ..(j iii Ip 'M KELLER BROS. TRACTOR CO. Now at Two Locations 730 South Broad St., Lititz, Pa. 17543 R. 7 Lebanon, Pa. 17042 on Route 5016 mile North of Lancaster Rt. 4191 mile West of Schaefferstown Lancaster County Lebanon County ■ ; .f 717-626-2121 ' 717-949-6501 Somerset Co. father, son team They keep fields in hay for about three years, then produce com on this land for three-years. This is followed by small grain for a year. “The grain is mainly for weed control,” David explains. "If we grow com for more than three years, production starts to fall off.” Each * mommg Marie, Paul’s wife, and Linda, David’s wife, take care of milking chores while the two Master Fanners feed high moisture com and haylage con centrate. At the end of the milking, they give the cows com silage. While all animals get about the same roughage, the other "B" SERIES B-5700 B-6100 B-7100 B-8200 ARTS * SALES ★ SERVICE Master Farmers stress lon t win farming award WE'RE LOOKING FOR WORK - ALL OVER THE WORLD NEW AT THE SHOW * Hydrost ★ B-8200 The Hefty 19 ★ L. 23| Shutt,eTransm evil ingredients drop according to production. For example, a cow producing 80 pounds of milk each day receives 38 pounds of corn and 10 pounds of concentrate, while one producing <5O pounds per <l<iy gets 2b pounds of corn ana six pounds of concentrate. Bull calves are culled, but usually 4 to 6 are raised and sold as young breeding bulls to neighbors wiio raise them for farm use. “The cows are put on pasture at night during the summer. Our barn is more comfortable during the day because we control the tem perature. Night pasture allows the cows a chance to stretch them selves and flies don’t bother them,” Paul says. The elder Master Farmer and his wife tried a number of different ways to make a living at farming during the early years. They first grew sweet corn to make the payment on their 99 acres. They had 12 milk cows at that time. Over the intervening years, Paul and lus wife fed hogs and cattle for beef. They also ran a sugar bush on the hillsides. “We put up 150 gallons a year, but I won't'go back to producing sugar maple. Those folks earn every penny of the $2O a gallon they get for their product,” he em phasizes. In 1970, David joined the operation as a partner. The part nership rents the farm from the family corporation. The farm has been in the family for 150 years, and with an estate plan now being drawn up, they hope the family will farm the land for many more years. “David came' into the part nership at the'' right time,’’ Paul relates. “I’ve bad a hip replacement operation and 1 wouldn’t be in the dairy business ALL DIESEL ENGINES all 2 W/0 4 4W/0 ALL 3 PT. HITCH ALL LIVE HYD. ALL WINNERS r is dairyii today if we didn’t have the family to take over.” Like other Master Farmers, they are involved in numerous agricultural and community organizations. Paul has been a director of the Pennsylvania Holstein Association, Farmers Home Administration, Somerset County Extension Association, and Berlin Brothersvalley Community Fair Association. He has been active in the Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and is a member of the lOOF and Grange. Somerset County's Paul, right, and David Countryman attribute their dairy herd's 17,167 pound rolling average to cow longevity which “makes dairying more profitable." The father and son partnership earned the 1981 Master Farmer awards. SEE THEM AT THE FARM SHOW & KELLER BROS. H3KUBOTR We’re looking for work. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 9,1982—E5 key He also was an officer of the County Republican Committee and Somerset County Conservation District. Paul was honored as Father of the Year by the Somerset County Pomona Grange, and he won Premier Breeder Awards in 1974-75 at the Somerset County Holstein Show. David, like his father, is active in breed, farm, and cooperative organizations as well as in his church. He was Outstanding Young Fanner in 1979 and shared Premier Breeder Awards with his father.
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