A22-Lancasttr Farming, Saturday, April 19,1986
Their herd comes doctor recommended
BY MARTHA J. GEHRINGER
ELIZABETHTOWN -
Traveling around Masonic Homes
gives the impression of stepping
back in time. The rolling hillsides,
picturesque gardens and stone
buildings are reminiscent of an
earlier time when cows were hand
milked and surplus production was
unheard of.
It was in this earlier time that
the Masonic Homes Ayrshires
originated. In 1913, shortly after
the Homes opened their doors, they
started the registered Ayrshire
herd that is now recognized as one
of the herds in the state.
Ayrshire was the breed of choice
for Masonic Homes due to the
characteristic small fat globules
found in their milk. This trait made
the milk easier to digest and it was
considered ideal for the older
resident at the Homes by doctors
at the time.
The Freemasons purchased
nearly 1,700 acres in 1908 near
Eliza.bethtown. Here they
established and have continually
operated a home for elderly
Freemasons, their wives, widows
and children.
“The farms serve as a support
function, providing foodstuffs and
the aesthectics of good open
surroundings for the Homes,”
Gerald Tracy, general farm
manager of Masonic Homes Farm
said. “A large portion of what is
produced here is consumed here,”
Tracy continued.
Masonic Homes is divided into
eight different production centers;
Turn of the century stonework is illustrated on the
creamery which has been converted to the milkhouse.
at three barns.
a (left)
the Homes. Directly behind this is the dry cow barn and
exercise lot.
dairy, beef, poultry, swine, or
chards, vegetables, crops and
landscaping. Each production area
has a budget and is responsible for
producing a product in a com
petitive manner.
Each area also has a full time
supervisor who watches the cost of
production closely Tracy ex
plained. These supervisor do not
wore eight to five and are
available when the animals are in
need, including late in the evening.
The supervisor for the dairy,
Albert “Barney” Wilson, also
serves as the assistant general
farm manager. Wilson- closely
watches this outstanding herd to
keep their production up to its
current level. These cows have
been under his exclusive care for
16 years, and he has worked full
time at die Homes for the past 31
years.
The bulk of this herd is housed in
a modern freestall barn. A
maternity bam, three heifer
bams, a conventional tie stall
bam, and a bull bam are also used
to provide the optimum care and
attention possible.
Older cows that require a
greater amount of attention and
first calf heifers that have recently
calved are housed in a single row
stanchion bam.
These cows are fed hay and corn
silage which is top dressed with a
custom blended grain ration. The
forages are routinely tested and
the grain mix is then balanced
accordingly. A TMR feeding
program is used in the bunk of the
Masonic Homes
The main barn at Masonic Homes houses the milking herd and young calves. This
pasture is used for the older cows requiring mor'e attention and first calf heifers.
freestall bam.
A tie stall barn, which is ad
jacent to the freestall bam, is used
to milk. The herd is grouped into a
high and low production group and
fed accordingly.
The dry cows are fed a separate
ration until about two weeks prior
to calving. At this point they are
moved to the maternity pens
where their feed is gradually
adjusted to the ration fed to the
milking string.
Feeding the dry cows like this
“has eliminated many problems
for us,” Wilson noted. Mastitis was
virtually eliminated by treating
the udder when the cows are dried
off, Wilson added.
With the maternity pens the
cows can be watched closely since
farm personnel frequently travel
through the stanchion bam where
the pens are located. The success
of these pens is illustrated by their
low calf mortality rate.
“In 16 years we haven’t lost a
calf after it has been taken off the
cow,” Wilson noted.
The calves are raised in three
age groups in three separate
barns. They are bred either by
natural services or through A. 1.,
depending on the type of mating
Wilson is looking to make. Since
the heifer facilities are not geared
to restraining them for A. 1., the
natural service is more convenient
method in the heifer barn.
All of the bulls used at Masonic
Homes are registered, and not just
kept to settle hard breeders Tracy
explained.
One of the bull presently on the
farm is Cove Creek Sampson,
purchased from the Sam Diehl
herd in Bedford. His daughters are
currently in their second lactation
and are doing very well according
to Wilson.
They support the Pennsylvania
young sire program by using these
bulls that are housed at a nearby
A.I. stud. They have also assisted
by housing a sire in waiting for the
program.
To achieve a better outcrossing
of their bloodlines, Wilson uses
many Canadian bulls in his
breeding program.
The Hi-Kick bull, who was
developed at Masonic Homes, has
produced the most productive cow
families, Wilson proudly ex
plained. Convention tour visitors
will have the opportunity to view
offsprings of the various bulls used
at the Homes. Wilson plans to have
two daughters of the main bulls
they have used over the years on
display.
Masonic Homes breeding and
feeding program has produced a
herd that has a mature equivalent
with twice a day milking of 14,585
pounds of milk, 576 pounds of fat,
and 475 pounds of protein on 120
milking cows.
The herd is kept on this schedule
of production with two
veterinarians. One is a
reproduction specialist who visits
Albert “Barney” Wilson proudly looks over the newborn
calf from the Canadian bull Amigo. The dam “Rachael” was
sired by Cove Creek Sampson, a registered bull owned by
Masonic Homes.
every two weeks to check on
pregnancies. With these frequent
visits he can quickly detect any
reproduction abnormalities before
they develop into severe problems.
An animal health vet is em
ployed as needed and to handle
such duties as testing and vac
cinations. Two years ago they
added vaccinating against rabies
to this schedule as a precaution.
When they started this program,
rabies outbreaks were occuring
with regularity in the area.
This herd can proudly report
that they have always been cer
tified and accredited.
Any herd that has withstood the
test of time and prospered is doing
things correctly and moving in the
right direction. The combination of
the various management practices
at Masonic Homes has produced a
herd that “speaks for itself by
doing well for others,” Tracy said.
“We normally don’t advertise
other than in connection with sales
since we are here to serve the
guests,” Tracy continued. Every
year they sell animals to 4-Hers,
FFAers and other Ayrshire en
thusiasts who have learned about
this herd by word of mouth.
The National Sale on Friday
April 25 features Masonic Homes
C.C.S. Neat. This two year old
consignment was sired by Cove
Creek Sampson and her dam
produced over 16,000 of 4.2 percent
mUk as a two year old.
This farm, while unique in its
■TOiroundings, stone buildings,
diversified productions centers,
and as a showplace for the many
visitors that pass through its gates,
has the same goals as any other
commercial dairy operation. It is
constantly evaluating and making
appropriate changes to continually
improve.
Convention goers will find many
appealing things at Masonic
Homes Farm, from the aesthectics
of the landscapes to the beauty of
the stylish cows, that will provide
fuel for conversation through the
remainder of their trip.