Dan Martin
(Continued from Page FI)
agriculture on either side of his
family.
“But he’s always loved animals
and been interested in the out
doors,” explains Mrs. Martin.
Even though parents were
supportive of hrt agriculture in
terests from the sf|rt, they weren’t
quite ready to aflfcept his hectic
schedule without*;" reservations
when he went to work on the
Witmer’s dairy farm last summer.
“We wondered when he started
this job. And we told him that his
studies would have to come first,”
m
$3
recalls Mrs. Martin. “But he just
said,‘don’t worry, mother'.
“We told him that he has the rest
of his life to work,” she continues,
“but he said, ‘lt’s not work, mom, I
love it’.”
And love it, he must, to maintain
a weekly regimen that reveals
precious little leisure time. After
helping with the dairy herd r Dan
jumps into his 1962 jjtudebaker and
gets home by 7 a,m. to clean qp for
school. “I don’t think I’d have very
many friends if I’d go to school
right after work,” he laughs.
Shortly before 8 a.m. he arrives
at school, ready to dig into a full
course load of three agriculture
courses, English and World
Cultures.
At 3 p.m. it’s tune to head to his
grandfather’s barn to care for his
own stock, and then on to the
Witmer farm at 3:45 where he
warms up for milking tune by
feeding Marvin Witmer’s 60 head'
of steers.
After the rtplkhouse is set up and
the calves allied, Dan and Marvin
begin milkin£fand finish at 6:00,
after the received their
hay.
By 8:30 Dan is under the covers,
in preparation for another early
start.
By the time the weekend rolls
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around, it’s time to clean the barn
where his livestock is kept. Dan
also buys feed on Saturdays and
cares for his pigs that are kept at
the home of friend and fellow FFA
member Alex Smith. The two are
partners in the swine business and
are currently in the process of
remodeling Smith’s barn and
adding new farrowing crates.
Though Dan enjoys working with
all species of livestock his first love
is dairy farming. So with an eye
toward owning a dairy herd
someday, he now owns his first
heifer, a Brown Swiss that he calls
Cinnamon. The young dairyman
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made his breed choice on the basis
of the relatively high butterfat
content of Brown Swiss milk, and
because he, “just wanted to be a
little different.”
But before Dan settles down to
make a living at dairying, he has
some specific goals in mind for the
interim. First on the agenda will be
his application for the Keystone
Degree at the FFA’s hext mid
winter convention. He also has his
sights set on the coveted American
Farmer Degree.
Educational plans include a two
year college, preferably with a
major in dairy farm management.
After graduation Dan hopes to take
a job as a dairy farm hired hand,
eventually taking over some of the
culling and breeding respon
sibilities.
By the time he reaches 25 to 30,
Dan hopes to own, or at least be
renting his own dairy farm.
“I think that if I set my heart on
it, then I can attain that goal,” Dan
asserts.
At first glance working into the
dairv business may seem to be an
unattainable goal these days,
especially for those young farmers
on the outside looking m. But if the
early bird does indeed get what
he’s looking for, then this energetic
young Lancaster County dairyman
can look to the future with con
fidence.
PAFC seeks
summer
program
alumni
HUNTINGDON - The search is
on for former scholars of the PAFC
Summer Youth Institute.
The Pennsylvania Association of
Farmer Cooperatives is making an
all-out effort to locate alumni of
their annual Summer Institute to
invite them to join a special
celebration.
This year marks the Silver
Jubilee Anniversary of the In
stitute, which has trained over
3,500 Pennsylvania youth in
cooperative business principles.
The Institute began in 1961. Par
ticipants in the program learn how
agricultural cooperatives are
organized, managed and operated.
The 25th Silver Jubilee
celebration will be held on July 8
during the 1985 Summer Institute
at Juniata College, Huntingdon,
Pa. Special events will include a
picnic for alumni and current
scholars plus a special address by
Henry Schnver, the witty Ohio
farmer philosopher.
“These special events provide a
perfect opportunity for alumni to
become reacquainted with each
other and the Summer Institute
Program,” says Chris Peterson,
PAFC Youth Program Director.
“It will be very helpful to us as
cooperative leaders to know the
location of our alumni and gain a
sense ot our continuing in
volvement with cooperatives and
agriculture."
If you or someone you know is an
alumnus of the Pennsylvania
Association of Farmer
Cooperatives Summer Institute,
please write or call Peg Luckovich
as soon as possible at RD 1, Box
405, Bellefonte, PA, 16823, 814-355-