B2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 5,1982
Farm woman overcomes
BV PATTY GROSS
Staff Correspondent
Dawn Baker is an attractive and
petite 44-year-old woman and
dairy farm owner, who enjoyed
working with her father on the
family farm when she was young,
but never wanted to marry a
farmer.
However, years later, she did
marry a farmer and had even
tually three sons. And though
proud of her accomplishments, the
Henrietta woman has gone through
not only some beautiful, but also
tragic tunes
The unexpected happened to her
family four years ago, when they
lost her husband, Donald, 39, to a
freak accident on the farm.
Looking back, she can talk
openly about the 1970 death of a
“good man” and the “good years
that were too few."
“I’ll never get over the real deep
hurt,” said Dawn of that January
day. It was a winter of heavy snow
and ice
Dawn explained that they had
decided to ignore the snow piled on
the buildings. However her
husband became fearful of the
barn collapsing and injuring the
cattle after hearing of a similar
accident on a neighboring farm.
Dawn vividly remembers the
day she arrived home to find a
frustrated 19-year-old son sear
ching for his father.
They found Donald under 15 feet
of snow near the bam. He and the
snow apparently went off the roof.
The 6 foot, 250 pound farmer was
unable to survive the fall, as the
snow knocked the air out of bun.
Dawn was left with two farms
and their young sons. “I didn’t
have tune to pity myself,” she
confessed. “My husband passed
me the ball and I started to run
with it.”
She had always done the book
work for the dairy farm, but
suddenly she was forced into a
much greater responsibility.
The Bakers had expanded their
operation the year before. Dawn
said there were things that had to
wmesfead
c H/offiS
The Baker farm sets along Tussey Mountain terfat, and are a close second in milk
in Henrietta. The farm includes 380 acres and production, averaging 20.000 pounds.
106 milkers which lead Blair County in but-
be completed immediately. “I
looked at what 1 had to do, and
said, ‘Okay we’re going to start.’ ”
That’s when the new bulk tank was
installed, a contract with a new
milk dealer was initiated, a tractor
was purchased, and a new heifer
barn went up.
As Dawn sits in her farm kit
chen, she is proud of what she and
her husband had built and the way
she has continued to run the
business. One can only be un
pressed with ther determination,
but it wasn’t easy and she didn’t do
it alone.
“I really have good sons. It took
them a little tune to accept that
they had to answer to me only.
Donald and I always made
decisions together, so they knew
their daddy would have approved
of my decisions,” related Dawn.
To other farmwives she urges
that the husband and wife team-up.
Plan the life of the farm together
so that both know the direction it is
going.
“My husband had a lot of
foresight. He left a will and
planned ahead,” said Dawn. “But
there came a certain point
following his death that 1 realized
if I didn’t manage. I’d lose the
farm.”
Making the farm pay for itself
and continuing the operation to
pass on to her sons, were her
primary goals.
Dawn has confidence in her sons
Bradley, 23; Brian, 22; Jay, 17
running the farm. “They have a
good background.” She explained
that they’ve all had good teachers
her father and her late husband.
Dawn manages most of the
finances and decides on the major
changes for the 380 acre farm.
They rent 146 acres nearby. Soon
the Bakers plan to buy another
farm, which they currently lease
from a neighbor.
The boys, along with a young
hired man, share the labor and
physical management. They select
the bulls, and decide when the
crops are ready, along with the
daily chores.
After death of her husband
ragedy to run successful daily farm •
. gathers. picture ago. From left to right are: daughter-in-law
outside their barn. Dawn Baker and her sons Betty, son Brad, grandson Aaron, Dawn, son
continue to operate the Blair County dairy Jay and son Brian,
farm after the death of her husbar
f i
It’s obvious why Brad, Brian and
Jay have earned the praise of their
mother. The Baker farm has been
'tops in butterfat in Blair County for
the past three years. The current
report shows the 106 milkers
leading at 749 pounds. The half
registered and half grade herd
peaked 2 months ago in milk
production at over 20,000 pounds.
The female farmer said they are
now a close second in the county
and are averaging between 19,000
and 20,000 pounds.
The entire herd numbers 230.
“We’ve had some tremendous
grade cows that have helped us
make some records,” Dawn ad
mitted. “We’re one farm that
doesn’t show cows and we don’t
breed to sell. We simply produce
milk. We have sold some
registered cows at sale, but we
don’t have a name in those areas.
We try to put milk in the bulk
tank,” added Dawn. “That’s our
big accomplishment"
They have about three cow
families in the herd and this year
plan on adding some new
bloodlines. However it will be no
major purchase. The Bakers
normally raise their own cattle.
“We need to make some changes
when we get around to it,” said
Dawn. The top priority of the close-
Oawn occasionally helps her sons -at milking time. This
dairy farm owner usually handles the finances for the 380
acre, 230 cattle farm while her sons handle the labor.
knit family, is getting the crops
harvested and the cows milked.
Corn and alfalfa dominate the
flatlands of the Morrison’s Cove
farm, along with some timothy and
a little rye.
The cows are “number one” on
the dairyfarm. Dawn emphasized
that their health, milking tune, and
feed are very important. She said
that when the crops are at their
peak, harvest begins immediately.
The feed program isn’t much
different from other farmers:
gram, corn silage, hay and high
moisture corn. The feed is
analyzed regularly to find out
where it is deficient.
Dawn doesn’t sit down and take
it easy after she makes her farm
decisions. The energetic farmer
has worked for the Spring Cove
School District for eighteen years.
Like at home, she handles the
office work and reed estate and per
capita taxes. Working at home and
away sounds as though it fills her
life, but she still finds tune to teach
I Sunday School, work for the
| church, and participate in the
1 Business and Professional
Women’s Organization.
Complimenting the men on her
farm once again, Dawn said they
do real well when she’s not around.
“That’s why 1 continue to work at
the school district. Otherwise, 1
would stand in the house, looking
out the window and worry.”
/
In a money-saving effort. Dawn
works to be efficient in the areas of
gas, electricity and labor. The
Bakers no-till to conserve fuel.
They recently built a new im
plement shed to protect the
machinery. The new bulk tank and
the most recent project, - a heifcflj
barn - were installed as labor
saving devices. Dawn admires and
firmly believes in her new bam.
This experienced fanners feels
that sunlight and fresh air result in
top cattle.
The very private woman is very
much a part of her farm. She tells
stories of her attachment to the
cows, yet admits that this doesn’t
stand in the way of running the
1 farm business. “If we have a cow
that’s not producmg...she goes
With economics and the cost of
labor to handle the animals we
must run the farm as the business
that it is.”
Every business has low points,
but Dawn Baker’s farm is going
through its peak years. She feels
that they will tut bottom again
sometime and experience some
setbacks during future expansions.
Dawn is recognized by her male
counterparts for her
contributions to agriculture, bufll
she believes that there were many
excellent years before her
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