Blair dairy family
(Continued from Page A 22)
milkings following the fire the
cows were next door at the farm
owned by Ruth’s brother, Robert
Rhodes. They are now feeling at
home on the farm of Harold
Wareham, who quit farming
several years ago. “We are very
thankful that we have a place for
the cows,” Ruth says. Enough hay
has been donated so far by other
farmers to help feed the cattle.
The cows were moved on foot.
Motorcyclists kept the herd
together during the half mile trip.
Joe and Jeff say they have tried to
keep the feed and routine as
consistent as possible for the
animals. While production was
down during all the commotion, it
is now near normal.
“They picked our milk up that
morning,” says an amazed Ruth.
The milk is shipped to Interstate
and McMahon’s Dairy in Altoona.
The milkhouse suffered only minor
damage in the fire.
This Spring everything will be
moved into a new barn, on the old
location and they will be back to
farming at home. A couple of
months after the fire friends and
neighbors were busily erecting a
newsB’xl64’ structure.
The family is looking forward to
nicer weather. The concrete must
be poured, along with the stan
chions, as well as the milking
system and wiring installed.
“We’re not in a hurry downstairs
because of the cold weather,”
comments Ruth. They considered
making changes in their farming
set-up, but decided to remain the
same.
The farmers didn’t have much
A neighbor's barn is the temporary home of the Hinton
herd. Area farmers have also donated feed to get family
through the winter.
time to feel sorry for themselves or
wonder where to turn. While clean
up was still going on, Old Order
Mennonites from the area urged
the Hintons to get the blocks laid
and they would handle the
remainder. The foundation was put
up mostly by volunteers. The
Mennonites ordered all the
building materials for the struc
ture. “ We didn’t know where to
begin,” explains Ruth. Cobilt, a
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 10,1984—A25
building supplier, also did a great
job getting the ball rolling.
During Christmas week the word
spread and the spirit of the season
brought 92 volunteers for the
bamraising. A slow time of year on
many farms, the' farmers gladly
came and worked. Even record
cold temperatures failed to keep
the helping hands idle.
The hungry volunteers were
furnished lunch in the milkhouse.
However, the second day was
much colder and Ruth laughs when
she remembers the 52 men
crowded into her downstairs at
Crop Assn, names manager
CHAMBERSBURG - Martin L.
Krone, has been named
Manager/Technician of the
Franklin County Crop Im
provement Association, according
to association president, Kenneth
Schoenberg.
Krone, a native of York County,
received his B.S. Degree in
Agronomy at Penn State in 1980.
He has previously been associated
with his father and brother in then
dairy farming operation near Glen
Rock, and has also been employed
by Fertility Associates of
Whiteford, Md.
In Franklin County, he will be
Much of the food was furnished
by friends and church groups, but
Ruth remembers it still as a hectic
tune. The fire was still on her mind
as the building was going on. She
was also cooking, making
Christmas preparations and
welcoming out-of-town guests for
the holidays.
The family quickly offers their
appreciation for the unfailing
support of the community over the
past months.
Ruth sums it up by saying, “I
was definitely surprised. It was
like a miracle.”
responsible for major
management decisions on more
than 7,200 acres of field crops
presently being grown by the 35
members of the Association.
Crop
insurance
outlined
HARRISBURG Farm crops
are subject to many natural risks
over which producers have no
control. “The drought that many
farmers experienced in 1983
proved once again that no product
or producer is disaster proof,”
says state Agriculture Secretary
Penrose Hallowell.
“All Risk Crop Insurance
Program has been designed to
stand between crop disaster and
financial disaster,” Hallowell said.
“It can provide the economic
protection farm families need at
an economic cost they can afford.”
As an insurance program where
the farmer participates at an
annual cost, All Risk Crop In
surance gives the farmer a new
and valuable management tool.
With the knowledge that crop in
vestments are protected against
unavoidable losses, farmers can
more safely afford to make the
substantial investments it takes to
produce high yields. To the extent
that many farm production imputs
must be bought with borrowed
money, All Risk Crop Insurance
provides economic security to help
farmers obtain the capital they
need on terms they can afford.
There have been many changes
in crop insurance programs for
1984. Farmers have a greater
opportunity to base yields on ac
tual yields rather than averages.
New programs for new crops are
also available in some counties.
Examples are: apples in Adams
County; grapes in Erie; potatoes
in Cambria, York and Erie; and
forage in Lancaster. The regular
crops of corn and wheat are the
same as last year, but before
farmers make a decision,
Hallowell suggests, they take a
look at all the programs and decide
whether Crop Insurance is for
them.
More information is available
through local ASCS offices and the
names of insurance agents that
provide All Risk Crop Insurance
coverage.