A22-L«iCMt«r Farming, Saturday, Dacambcr 8,1984
Everyone pitches
BY DONNA McCONAUGHEY
Staff Correspondent
ANNVILLE Pennsylvania has
again shown its excellence in
producing high quality livestock.
When the final results were
tabulated from the 1984 KILE
Swine Show, three Pennsylvanians
had claimed championships.
The market hog show at KILE
includes on-foot competition which
is then followed by on-rail
placings. All animals shown in the
live show are slaughtered to obtain
carcass figures. That is where the
facts are determined. When they
are hanging side by side on the rail
there is little room for opinion.
This year’s Grand Champion
Market Hog was shown by Blue
Mountain Farms of Annville,
Lebanon County. This Duroc,
HampxYork cross pig finished
with figures of 5.4 loin eye, 0.5
backfat, 33.5 carcass length, and
58.8 percent acceptable lean meat.
It was sired by a Duroc boar bred
by Guy Hamish of Campbelltown.
John Strawbridge of Stewart
stown, York County, claimed
Lebanon County over the years.
m \
I
1 I
Bomgardner family's commitment to 4-H is signified by
emblem painted on side of barn.
Blue Mountain Farms of Bomgardners includes 420 acres. Charlie and his family live
on farm that houses the purebred Hampshire operation.
Reserve Grand Champion honors.
The cut figures on this hog were 5.5
loin eye, 0.6 backfat, 31.8 carcass
length, and 58.41 percent ac
ceptable lean meat.
Although Blue Mountain's
Champion pig had not placed in
live competition, and
Strawbndge’s Reserve Champion
placed last in its class, the
Champion of the junior show
remained as Champion of junior
competition on the rail.
Chrisman of Chambersburg was
the proud owner of this hog with
final cut figures of 5.7 loin eye, 0.8
backfat, 30.7 carcass length, and
57.03 percent acceptable lean
meat.
In this show, Pennsylvania
breeders again proved that they
can not stand up to, but surpass
Midwestern hog breeders.
The Bomgardners of Blue
Mountain Farms were very
pleased with their winning. A few
years ago they had claimed
Reserve Champion honors at
KILE.
Blue Mountain Farms is owned
in at Blue Mountain Farms
# •
Family involvement is the key to the success of Blue Mountain Farms. Charlie'and his
family assist with the dairy operation and are responsible for the hog farm.
in partnership by Clarlie and Carl
Bomgardner. Totally a family
operation, Charlie’s entire family
carries their share of the day to
day responsibilities.
Carl handles most of the
management of the 95 cow dairy
operation. Charlie and his wife
Marlene manage the hog portion of
the farm. The entire Blue Moun
tain Farms includes three farms
for a total of 420 acres.
Crops here include corn and
alfalfa, and this year Soybeans
were added for the first time.
Although Carl’s family is not old
enough to assist with chores,
Charlie’s two oldest sons have
taken a major role in the farm
operation this year. "For the first
time, this year Rodney (14) and
Jeffrey (12) worked right along
with the men," says their mother.
She is obviously very proud of
these two "young men" in the
family. In fact, it has been found
that they sometimes do an even
better job at some of the crops
work than can their uncle or
father.
Both Rodney and Jeffrey are
hearing-impaired and have had to
exeit much effbrt in overcoming
this problem. Rodney was in the
third grade when he was main
streamed into the local elementary
school. With help from his family
he found it "between hard and
easy," as he said at the time.
Perhaps this extra effort has
helped the boys to fine tune other
abilities. Whatever the reason they
have excelled in handling farm
equipment in a professional
manner.
Not to be left out in this busy
family are eleven-year-old Daryl
who has just started to do some
Home of Hampshires and proud of it.
Ken Wirebark, Lebanon County agent, presents check to
Charlie and Carl Bomgardner, of Annville, for exhibiting
Grand Champion Market Hog at KILE.
tractor driving on the farm this
year. Kathy, who is ten, takes her
turn at milking every other
evening and has developed a real
enjoyment for this responsibility.
The youngest family member,
eight-year-old Greg, takes his part
in farm chores, too.
Family is important to the
philosophy of this farm operation.
In fact, their primary focus is not
just running a profitable business.
"Our number one goal is to make a
living for our family in such a way
that ALL they learn will be
valuable to them in future years,"
said Charlie.
The role of family in Blue
Mountain Farms began when
Charlie and Carl began their in
volvement with their father on this
farm. Their activities as they grew
up included 4-H and FFA in
volvement. This has continued into
the present. Not only are the
Bomgardner children active in 4-
H, but Charlie has been a
Livestock Club leader for 17 years.
Every year they also donate a
barrow to the Annville-Cleona FFA
Chapter to be used as a project by
one of the members.
The Hampshire business at Blue
Mountain Farms has expanded in
the past. In the fall of 1979 a 35 X
147 foot open front Nebraska-type
building was erected to. house hogs
from eight weeks of age to
purebred breeding stock. Charlie
made some alterations in the plans
which included a second alleyway
the full length of the bam. This
allows them to be able to hand feed
hogs more easily (it actually cut
their feeding time in half), to be
better able to observe their hogs
and to festnct visitors to a specific
area of the barn. Nearly all of the
Bomgardner’s Hampshires are
raised in this controlled en
vironment, with only old sows on
pasture.
(Turn to Page A 24)
*
*
Jj*
sl *