incaster Farming, Saturday, June 9,1984
(Continued from Page Al)
R 1 Berlin, which housed a dairy
operation 20 years ago. During
their high school days and the time
they worked in the mines, the
brothers helped to raise beef and
registered bred heifers. They had
firsthand experience in helping to
run the farm alongside their father
and mother, Leroy and LeEtta
Stutzman.
In the nine years since the
Stutzmans began working in the
mines, they farmed on the side
with their parents. They decided
against fulltime fanning at that
time because of the attractive
salary Offered by coal mining.
When layed-off two years ago they
looked at farming in a different
light.
It was three months ago that
Dave and Don made their decision
to farm. They already had a bam
and the major farm machinery
that they needed; however, they
had no cows. The remainder of the
bred heifers had been sold three
months earlier. This meant buying
cattle.
“We sold all the bred heifers
about six months ago,’’ Don said,
“but we turned around and bought
better ones for ourselves.’’
Hie Stutzmans made their first
heifer purchase at the Maryland
State Holstein Sale in February.
They also attended the Pa.
Holstein Association Spring Calf
and Bred Heifer Sale in March, as
well as other sales. Their foun
dation herd currently consists of 16
bred heifers and five cows.
Dave and Don estimate they will
spend, on the average, between
$1,500 and $2,000 per cow on their
way to building up a 40-cow herd.
“Just about all of our money is
going into the cows,” Don said.
Their money is also going into
remodeling costs for the bam,
which includes construction of
milking stalls and the installation
of a milking system. They also
plan to install a computerized
feeding system.
“We plan to spend around $15,000
to remodel the bam and put in a
computerized feeder system,” Don
said. “This includes the stalls and
the milking equipment.”
The milking system, Dave ex
plained, will be rigged up for a one
man milker. “Since there’s two of
The Stufcmuns plan to save money in barn remodeMng casts by doing much o( the
mss%
Whatever
it’s
us, we’re going to rig it up so one of
us can milk,” he said. “We’re
going to have four milkers and four
take-offs.”
To save on costs, the young
dairymen are doing much of the
remodeling work themselves. “We
couldn’t have afforded it the other
way,” Don said. “Oh, we could
afford it, I guess, but I’d rather
have the extra money to buy
cows.”
Looking at their initial financial
costs, Dave and Don said they plan
to spend about $60,000 to get
started. This figure includes the
cost of the cattle and the
remodeling needs. To meet this
figure, they will need to borrow
money.
Altogether, the partners plan to
borrow about $45,000. The
remainder of their financial needs
will be met through savings and
previous sales of corn and
hay. Dave and Don said they f*** l !
Layed-off for two years, Dave, left, and Don Stutzman gave
up hope of working in the coal mines again.
mmm
it holds,
in your hands
fortunate to be starting out with
their bam and equipment needs
met. “If it hadn’t been for our dad,
we never could have done it
(getting into farming),” Don said.
“He’s letting us use the equipment
and he’s letting us use the farm.”
But the brothers both agree that
they would have given farming a
shot even if they didn’t have what
they do to get started. “I think we
could have done it,” Dave said.
“We would have just had to buy
our feed.”
The earlier firsthand experience
in farming will help the brothers
also. “We could see how to do
things right,” Don said of dairy
fanning. “We’ve been around it all
our lives. We’re not afraid to
change things. We try to take the
best route.”
The best route for the Stutzmans
include keeping up to date on farm
management practices, milking
“We just want to make a living out of it," Don Stutzman
says of dairy farming.
procedures and herd health.
“We went to a couple of
seminars on how to milk cows,”
Don said. “They really stressed
how to milk the cows right and how
to get good cattle and equipment.”
Joining farm organizations and
signing up for DHIA milk testing
are also important considerations
for the dairymen. They also want
to attend schooling for artificial
breeding and plan to work closely
with their veterinarians.
At this point, the Stutzmans are
secure in their decision to farm. In
fact, the only thing that Don
questions is the seven-day-a-week
routine. “I’m not used to that,
said Don, an avid water-skier.
Getting started is
possible bat still
BY LAURA ENGLAND
UNIVERSITY PARK -
You’re a young man or woman
and you have your heart set on
dairy farming. Unfortunately,
you have little money and no
family farm operation to
settle into.
What are your chances of
making it?
“For a young person
starting out with no money,
his chance is next to zero,”
according to Penn State farm
management specialist
Frederick A. Hughes.
The opportunity to dairy
farm exits for those young
people who have money to buy
cows and rent milking
facilities, Hughes said. For
those without financial
backing, the opportunity is
slim. To these people Hughes
suggests getting a farm job
and saving money.
However, if money is
available Hughes offers the
following strategy - buy cows
and feed and rent the
facilities. “Cows turn over
dollars in a hurry,” he said.
Hughes explained that
buying cows and renting
facilities is one way to
establish financial backing for
a dairy operation. Money is
saved because there is no
large machinery expense.
The second alternative is to
rent a farm with land and just
get the necessities where
machinery is concerned,
Hughes said. This includes
buying secondhand
machinery or either hiring a
custom operator for har
vesting chores.
“Just get what you ab
solutey have to have,” Hughes
stressed. “You ought to buy
secondhand machinery. You
don't need new tractors and
the such.”
i ’
Sr-’
* *
“I’m used to having a day off once
in a while. With two of us, we can
still get some time off.”
They also are hot discouraged by
the current dairy situation. “I
don’t think it can get any worse,”
Don said. “It if’s going to do
anything, it’s going to get better.”
“I think things are bad right now
and they could get worse,” Dave
added, “but they’re going to
eventually get better.”
In the meantime, Dave and Don
are going to continue remodeling
their bam and buying cattle so
they can begin milking within the
next couple of months.
Said Don of dairy farming, “I
just want to make a living of it.”
like reeky garden:
rough row to hoe
Machinery costs aside, how
much of a financial in
vestment is needed?
About $25,00t) is the
minimum needed to cover
enough cows and initial ex
penses for a fulltime
operation, Hughes said. He
added that some may need
more and some may need less
depending on their farm
plans.
“Anyone having less than
$25,000 is going to be in
trouble,” he said.
Hughes said a young farmer
needs to keep in mind that the
first milk check won’t arrive
until about six weeks after the
operation begins. During this
time money is needed for a
downpayment on the cattle
and for operating capital. This
is why $25,000 is needed.
Financial needs are not the
only key to starting a dairy
operation, Hughes said. A
young fanner needs to have
experience in the feeding and
handling of his or her cows. A
young farmer needs an
agricultural background.
“You’ve got to get off on
good production,” Hughes
said. “You’re not going to
mak&it on a 12,800 or 13,000>
pound herd avenge.”