82—Imcurttr Farming, Saturday, January 21,1984
Teamwork
BY SALLY BAIR
Staff Correspondent
Connie Rutt, wife of Master
Farmer Kenneth Rutt,
Quarryville, leads an active life on
the farm and in the community.
She and Ken work as a team both
on the farm and in many com
munity activities.
On their dairy farm Connie says
she helps “when ever needed,”
working mostly with the young
stock and handling feeding chores
while others do the milking. The
family does all the work on
alternate weekends when the hired
men have off, and Connie fills in at
other times when they have off or
have other work to do. When the
family is on duty Ken and the
demonstrates the technique in the kitchen of their farm
home. Two samples of the finished product are on the table.
BY SALLY BAIR
Staff Correspondent
Irene Hess lives in the country,
but not on the farm. That’s not to
say she hasn’t been involved with
her Master Farmer husband
Claude in his poultry operations
over the years, but they never
lived on the farms where the
poultry were located.
Irene recalls when her husband
gave up a garage business in which
she did the bookkeeping to raise
poultry on a farm near Brown
stown. Those chickens were on the
Creating beautiful embroidery is a hobby which Irene puts
a lot of time into. Here she works on one of the many pieces
she likes to have going during the winter.
Meet the Wives of the Master Farmers
Pays Off
for the Rutts
children milk and Connie handles
the additional chores.
Connie and Ken share duties as
the organizational leaders of the
Solanco Community 4-H Club,
which had 110 members last year.
Connie has coordinated the sewing
program and also serves as a
leader for some of the 40 girls
enrolled in the sewing project. She
enjoys sewing, having learned
herself as a member of the
Mastersonville Club in northern
Lancaster County, and keeps up to
date by attending seminars offered
through the Extension Service.
She and Ken were both active 4-
H’ers and met as members of the
County Council. Connie recalls, “I
got a lot out of it including meeting
Bookkeeping Duties Kept Irene Busy
range, but within seven years
Claude had built a cage house, one
of the first in the county. In those
says Irene was gathering eggs
each morning.
Bookkeeping became Irene’s
contribution to the operations over
the years and she also worked as a
bookkeeper in a local restaurant.
Claude went on to found Plain and
Fancy Egg Ranch with two others
and then sold out his interest there
to begin bis present operation. It
was eight years ago when he took
an interest in computers and
center of much activity at the Rutt home. Connie does much of the
bookkeeping for the farming operation and their retail business as well as work
organizing their community 4-H club.
kids from ail over the county with
the same interests. We both hoped
our own children would have a
good experience in 4-H and so we
got involved.”
Ken traveled with the livestock
judging team, and Connie attended
conferences at Penn State, so they
both know the opportunities
available through 4-H.
Connie pointed out that they like
their 4-H work and think it’s im
portant for children.
“I don’t think kids today get a lot
of responsiblity. When they decide
to take a project they have the
responsibility to attend meetings
and to complete the project.
Responsibility is one of the biggest
things I think we teach in 4-H, as
well as the responsiblity of
leadership. We try to get as many
kids involved in leadership as
possible.”
discovered their use in his poultry
operation. With the advent of the
computer Irene became less in
volved. She says, “The computer
does what I used to do by hand.”
After having lived for 23 years
along the New Holland Pike in
Lancaster, last year the Hesses
moved to a home on the lake at
Mount Gretna, putting Irene
happily in the peace of the country
and Claude just six miles from his
poultry operation rather than the
24 it had been previously.
Irene says, “I like the quiet. I
like the views and I love to walk.”
Indeed walking has become part of
Irene’s daily routine since it is
necessary to walk 1/2 mile to the
local post office to get the mail.
That’s just the start for Irene,
because she often goes in the op
posite direction when she sets off to
make a longer, more interesting
walk.
According to Irene, everything
stops in that small community at
Labor Day when the summer
vacationers go home. But this
winter she has joined a group
called the “Winterites” and is
getting to know a larger number of
her country neighbors.
Irene was thrilled when Earl was
recognized for his efforts. She
says, “He’s always trying
something new.” The visit to the
Farm Show in Harrisburg was an
enjoyable experience and Irene
called the awards ceremony
“beautiful.” She says she looks
forward to meeting with the other
Master Farmers at each year’s
Farm Show and also at a summer
picnic.
The Rutt children are all in 4-H.
Fourteen-year-old Lorri sews, and
takes cake decorating as well as
her dairy projects. She is also a
teen leader, Philip, 12, is in the
dairy club and 9-year-old Matthew
has a dairy project and takes pet
care. This year the children are in
three different schools, but they
are all within 1 1/2 miles of the
Rutt home, south of Quarryville.
VMtnesipad
c H/oies
Irene Hess plays the baby grand in her living room, a
pleasure which brings her both relaxation and enjoyment.
She is an accomplished pianist and organist.
In the fall, Claude was one of
many local poultrymen who had
his flock depopulated in the avian
flu threat. It was particularly
bitter for them because his flock
was killed before laboratory tests
were complete. Irene recalls the
bleak Sunday when the task was
done, "I cried all day.” Her
deepest concern in the matter,
however, reaches to those young
farmers who will not be able
financially to withstand losing
their flocks. *
Her concern for people is evident
About Ken’s being named a
Master Farmer, Connie says, “I
was quite pleased and proud of
him. It makes you pleased just to
be nominated.” Indeed, when you
learn that 300 farmers are
nominated and 17 were selected for
on the farm interviews, the six
winners are very special. Connie
added, ‘‘lt was interesting to see
(Turn to Page B 4)
each Wednesday when she travels
from her home in Lebanon County
to Lancaster General Hospital to
work in the gift shop as a volun
teer. She said that is one activity
she doesn’t plan to give up, despite
their move.
An accomplished pianist, Irene
began piano lessons at eight, then
studied music at Elizabethtown
College where she played the piano
for chapel. In Lancaster she then
lived just one half block from the
Lancaster Church of the Brethren,
(Turn to Page B 4)