A2B-Lancast*r Farming, Saturday, December 8,1984 To be BY ROBIN PHILLIPS Staff Correspondent READING - Dedication and attention to small details are sure signs of a good employee. These two traits are also valuable features in a herdsman on a large dairy and no one exhibits them better than Richard Kline, herd sman at Scattered Acres Farm, Reading. Managing a dairy herd of 140 Holsteins and raising all the calves, Kline can almost always be found with his charges. “I’m here a whole day,” he proudly says. Kline is employed by the Hart man family, with the fifth Calf and mother are found in maternity stall Kline stands with one of his favorite cats. Hutjche**at v, ,ot rows,are anchored with chains also locatdtfbn abedof stones to insure proper drainage. a good herdsman is to be involved lation of Hartman’s currently operating the farm. Scattered Acres derived its name from the 1000 acres in five different town-, ships belonging to the farm. Dairy stock, replacement heifers, beef steers and bulls are raised by the six Hartman family members on the farm with the help of three additional employees. With this kind of intensive farming of dairy, beef, and crops, every family member is busy with his own specialty on the farm and Kline has proved to be a valuable asset with the dairy herd. For 35 years he has worked with the dairy operations of the Hart- ' v - *¥ - k* • ... lecause oi jws under the care of high production groups. man family. Explaining that he began as parttime help in the 1950’5, and took some time off for military service, Kline admits that it’s a job that takes dedication. "You’ve got to be dedicated,” he says, but adds that he loves working with the cows. "When you breed a cow, you pick the sire, you know the dam, the end result is the important thing. With cows, it’s a challenge,” he states. "You must be involved.” "If you don’t have those feelings, you can’t be a good dairyman,” Kline states. Kline remembers back to the time he rode his bicycle to work every day. “My grandparents being Ger man,” he says, “believed in working. I had to work for my school clothes.” At this time the Hartman farm was on Route 61, north of Reading. “There were no barn cleaners, no drinking cups, no modern facilities,” Kline adds. He remembers feeding 300 pigs and then going to the barn to milk cows by hand. He also adds, “when I started for the Hartman’s, their father said at first, ‘no we can’t use him, he’s too small.” He also remembers the elder Mrs. Hartman becoming furious when he was late for dinner. “But, you know, you just can’t drop everything, when you’re on the farm,” Kline says. “I came a long way,” Kline continues. After the elder Hartman passed away, Kline assumed the management of the dairy herd. It was after the highway came through the farm the second time, |_Mm '/ wmi ick Kline at Scattered Acres are grouped in low, middle and Ice maker is found in Scattered Acres milk room. Large rectangular box in room fills with ice between milkings. During milking, water is pumped through ice and circulated in upper pipes. Main stainless steel pipe, pointed out by Dick Kline, carries milk, which is cooled to 42 degrees before it reaches tank. Quick cooling holds down the bacteria count. that the Hartman family decided to build their current modern facility along Rt. 183, north of the Reading Airport. S3* 'This is like a dream come true for me," Kline says smiling and motioning toward the double six herringbone milking parlor with automatic take-offs, 175-head free stall barn, maternity area, calf hutches, and feed room with mixer wagon. ' **■ ' ' SK> x x> I ity are^ Welcome to Scattered Acres The current facilities were constructed in 1972 and Kline in corporated many of the features he always wanted in a new facility He relishes the maternity and hospital area Under Kline’s management, cows calve in box stalls Redded with a deep layer of clean strlw , think the most important <Turn to Page A 32)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers