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r not to
BY TRISH WILLIAMS
SUNSET Gary Lentz and
Barbara Sattazahnen grew up on
adjoining dairy farms north of Mt.
Zion in Lebanon County. Both were
4-H members and through their
years of raising dairy project
heifers, each had built a small
herd. Each had visions of someday
operating their own dairy farm.
Three years ago last September
Gary and Barb married and
combined their herds. They quite
appropriately named the herd
Dream On Holsteins. By the time
they married Gary had 15 animals
of his own in his older brother
Bob’s herd. Barb had five animals
to contribute. So they began, on a
rented farm in June of 1980,
milking a herd of 20 diary cows.
Barb had to work off the farm to
supplement their farm income.
Since then they have worked
hard, planned wisely, borrowed
and spent conservatively, to build
a herd. After nearly four years of
building their herd to 72 milkers,
the Lentzes feel they have
achieved a herd size that is large
enough to support both of them
without having to work off the
farm, a goal they have striven for.
When they began dairying,
Barb represents 50 percent of the work force on the farm
long with feeding the calves, she milks and maintains the
irm recon
This farm north of Lebanon, near the village of Sunset, is home to the Lentz's Dream
On Holsteins.
reduce, that
nearly no one spoke of a milk
surplus. CCC purchases were
something that only milk
cooperative and USDA officials
talked about. The average man on
the street probably didn’t even
know what the CCC was.
But the tables have turned now.
The country is confronted with a
milk surplus and the USDA is
asking dairy farmers to reduce
their milk production. New
legislation has been implemented
for the sole purpose of reducing the
milk surplus.
The legislation is designed to
reward dairymen who cut their
production by 5 to 30 percent from
1981 and or 1982 production levels.
The reward is a $lO per hun
dredweight incentive payment for
milk not produced.
So where does this leave young
dairymen like the Lentzes, who
have been steadily increasing their
production in order to establish a
comfortable base for themselves?
Well Barb and Gary have looked
closely at the program to deter
mine if it would be profitable for
them to participate. They
recognize importance of correc
ting the milk surplus problem to
the dairy industry. But have
Gary and Barb Lentz started milking their Dream On herd of registered Holsteins,
nearly four years ago on a rented farm. Their goal is to someday have a farm of their
own.
decided not to participate.
“I would not be economically
feasible for us to participate in the
Milk Diversion Program,” Lentz
said.
Jt*
Barb, the farm record keeper
added. “Our production for the
year 1981 was 714,000 pounds of
milk, in 1982 we produced 969,000
pounds, and in 1983 we shipped
1,263,951 pounds. We have leveled
off now, our 1984 production
probably will be about the same as
1983.
“This means that our 1983
production is 77 percent higher
than our 1981 production, and 30
percent above our 1962 production.
Even if we elect to use 1982 as our
base year under the Milk Diversion
Program, we would have to cut our
production by at least 35 percent
just to obtain the minimum par
ticipation level of 5 percent. ’ ’
“If we were in the dairy business
for five years longer than we have
been, then it would probably
feasible for us to reduce production
and participate in the Milk
Diversion Program,” Barb added.
“We don’t plan to add any more
cows to our herd now. We are at a
good level now.”
The Lentzes have been training
and working for a career as
dairymen since they were young.
They are progressive dairymen,
belonging to the county, state, and
national Holstein Association,
their herd is on DHIA test, and
they work with an accountant to
find the most cost effective way to
is the question
Gary checks the breeding date of one his cows. Gary enjoys
making genetic progress in his herd through sire selection
and artificial breeding.
produce milk. This managerial
ability allowed the Lentzes to in
crease their rolling herd average
from 18,269 pounds of milk in 1982
milking 42 cows, to a 19,093 pounds
of milk in 1983 after they had ex
panded their herd to 70 cows.
“We are not that concerned
about icreasing our rolling herd
average anymore,” said Lentz. “It
is more important to us now to
increase our profit over feed cost,
and to increase the fat test of our
herd. We have had to buy too much
of our teed.”
Being efficient is important in
these tough dairying times, ac
cording to Lentz. He sees milk
production being lowered under
the new program, by dairymen
going out of business as a result of
a one dollar decrease in the price
of milk.
“This was a bad year for crops,”
said Lentz. “I think we will see a
reduction in our herd-average this
year just because our feed is not as
high a quality as it usually is. The
kemals on the com this year did
not fill out. I can notice that the
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f
r '■
cows aren’t eating their feed like
they did last year when it was of
higher quality.”
“If dairymen that have been in
for awhile just cut back their herds
by increasing culling by five
percent, not only would it reduce
the surplus, it would also help the
feed situation,” commented Lentz.
Advertising can do alot to reduce
the surplus problem, the Lentzes feel.
They voted in favor of
mandatory deductions for milk
promotion two years ago on the
Pennsylvania milk promotion
referendum. Their vote was
defeated. Presently they are
contributing $2O per month for
local milk promotion in Lebanon,
through the Lebanon County
Young Farmers. Their advertising
dollars are used to air 30 second
radio spots on two Lebanon radio
stations. And they see the need for
more advertising in the future.
“We have a goal set to own our
own farm someday,” Lentz said.
“To do that we can’t afford to cut
our production.”