B2—Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 12,1983
Young Cooperators Couple
By Beth Hemmlnger
Staff Correspondent
When it comes to honors, Stanley
and Janice Burkholder have a
trunk full.
The Burkholders are this year’s
Maryland and Virginia Young
Cooperators and the first vice
president of the organization. But
according to the young cooperator
couple, this didn’t happen over
night.
“It first started,” said Janice,
“When we were encouraged to
enter the competition by our
family, friends and our co-op.”
Once the decision was made to
enter, Stanley and Janice had to
fill our numerous forms about the
improvements they had done on
the farm, as well as their par
ticipation in community activities.
They were judged on this material
and a 10-to 15-minute interview and
impromtu questions asked by the
judges during the Young
Cooperative Convention.
At the Young Cooperator con
vention last June, Stanley and
Janice - along with many other
couples from Maryland and
Virginia, and couples from In
terstate, Capital, and Dairymen -
competed within their own co-op
for the award.
The most enjoyable part of the
convention for this couple, they
said, was the interaction with other
young fanning couples who are
facing the same problems and
concerns.
Janice remarked, "We have
learned so much about out milk
cooperative in the past year, it is
mind boggling, and, "she added,
"very beneficial for us. The young
cooperative program is a learning
experience in every way.”
A portion of this learmng ex
perience has come from attending
the Maryland-Virgima Board of
Directors meetings. This is a
responsibility the Young
Cooperative couple attained upon
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This year's Young Cooperators of Maryland-Virginia Co-op
and recently elected first vice-president of the National
Young Cooperator Organization, are Stanley and Janice
Burkholder of Chambersburg with their children Janell and
Clinton.
winning the award. Since June,
Stanley and Janice have been
traveling once a month to the
Maryland-Virginia main office in
Arlington, Virginia and par
ticipating in the meetings. And
Janice remarked,“We were made
to feel a welcome part of the
group.”
•Stanley and Janice have both
noted that from these meetings
they have learned the intricate
working of a co-op.
“We realize the boundaries the
board works within and the
problems faced by them,” Janice
said. Janice said she is happy that
this year there has been an em
phasis placed on couple in
volvement in the program and that
she has learned a great deal about
the financial aspects of a co-op
which has helped her in her
responsibilities at home as the
bookkeeper.
Stanley added, “I am glad
Jamce is at the board meetings
with me because she can learn
more by being there. She knows as
much about our farming business
as 1 do and should be involved in
everything pertaining to our
business.
Stanley further remarked that,
at these meetmgs, everyone learns
how strong or how weak his/her
cooperative is. And he em
phasized, “I am glad to know
Mary land-Virginia is very
strong.”
As the young cooperators of
Maryland-Virgmia, the
Burkholders have been invited to
many cooperative banquets to tell
about their experiences as young
cooperators and encourage other
young farming couples between
the ages of 18 and 35 to enter the
competition.
Along with their speaking
engagements, another major
responsibility Stanley and Janice
tackled was to attend the National
Milk Producers Federation con-
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Here's is a cow’s eye view of the Burkholder Farm owned by Stanley and Janice
Burkholder, in Chambersburg Franklin County. Currently, Stanley farms in partnership
with his father.
Ufamestead
tA/ctes
vention representing their co-op.
At this convention, the Cham
bersburg ' farming couple was
elected the first vice-president of
the National Young Cooperator
Organization. With this nomination
the couple will represent the entire
southeastern area of the United
States on the national planning
board for the Young Cooperators.
It is quite unusual for a freshman
couple to be elected into this of
ficial capacity immediately under
the president according to the
Federation.
"However, said Janice, "we
were encouraged to run for the
office by Maryland-Virgmia and
they were very proud when we
won. Usually the officials of the
organization are elected during
their second year attending the
National Milk Convention.”
Janice added, “Our experience
at the National Milk Convention
was definitely a learning and
enjoyable one. We are grateful that
we had the opportunity to work
with young dairymen from
numerous cooperatives around the
United States. Now we can com
municate with all the other
cooperatives that we have met at
the convention and work together
to solve problems such as support
pricing.”
Stanley and Janice have
developed lasting friendships with
young couples in the program.
The couple’s responsibilities
didn’t end at the convention,
however. They are presently
planning the program for the
Young Cooperators contest that
will be held in Arlington, this year.
Janice remarked, "We are looking
forward to afT exciting, fun-filled
three days for the competitors of
this year’s competition.”
This young couple is in a 50
percent partnership operation with
Stanley’s parents.
The partnership was developed
in 1972 with Stanley and Jamce
earns honors together
owning half interest in the cattle
and machinery. At that time, the
father and son team fanned 250
acres, of which the partnership
owned 100 acres. Then in 1979, the
Burkholder partnership purchased
a second farm of 90 acres.
Stanley stated that over the
years his father has slowly stepped
out of the management role giving
him the opportunity to gradually
learn all he needed to about
operating a successful business.
Last year, Stanley and Jamce
purchased the farm where they
live and Jamce took over the
Chester,
Ladies Pay Out program
GUTHRIESVILLE - Members
of the Chester/Delaware Farmer’s
Association will hold its annual
spring banquet at the Guthriesville
Fire Hall, on Tuesday, March 22,
at 7 p.m.
Richard Breckbill, Oxford,
Chairman, said that legislators
and local officials have beeen
invited to attend. Carl Riehl,
Russellville, a 15-year-old prodigy,
will provide the entertainment on
•nuliu and piano.
Farmer’s Association members
and others wanting to attend
should make reservations by next
Saturday by calling Association
Directors.
The Chester/Delaware Far
mer’s Association is affiliated with
the Pennsylvania Farmer’s
Association and the American
Farm Bureau Federation. Its
local, state and national policy is
bookkeeping responsibilities for
the partnership. Stanley said that
he is glad Janice was the business
bookkeeper because of the time
and know-how involved in that step
of the business. Janice added that
she enjoys every minute of it and is
happy to be a real working
member of the partnership.
Since the partnership began,
Stanley and Janice have increased
the herd from 65 milking head to
130 with a 100 percent registered
herd and nearly 100 head of
replacement heifers. The part
nership is now farming 400 acres.
Other changes at the Burkholder
farm have been the recent in
stallation of a computerized
feeding system with a screen
located in the office area where the
feeding process can be monitored
at all tunes. The Burkholders are
field testing their system and
report that the overall results have
been good. Stanley said he feels the
computerized feeding system is a
benefit to any farmer who wants to
get the most out of us feed for
each individual animal.
The Burkholders’ two children,
Janell, 9, and Clinton, 7, are also
eager to get into the farming
business on a small scale by
joining a local 4-H diary club in a
year or two.
Pelaware plan
developed from the grass roots
through kitchen conferences,
policy development meetings and
the adoption of policy at county,
state and national meetings.
Among state policy recom
mendations are: (1) that state
owned land be considered for tome
waste disposal before private
property; (2) that local
municipalities and PennDOT be
compelled to divert road runoff
according to SCS recom
mendations in order to avoid
erosion and/or crop damage; (3)
that we oppose the designation of
streams, rivers, lakes and
wilderness areas for wiid and
scenic areas; (4) that articles in
magazines and documentaries on
T.V. against pesticides be
documented with proof rather than
opinion; and (5) that the im
portance of agriculture be taught
in the elementary grades.
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