BY SANDRA MOSER
Special Correspondent
CHALFONT The first day of
summer was a sunny 87 degrees in
Bucks County, but Peter and
Carolyn Borden didn’t spend the
perfect day in the fields. The
Bordens celebrated Dairy month
with “Dairy .Days at the Farm,”
held at their dairy farm and store
in Chalfont, Pa.
Having moved to Bucks County
from New Jersey, the Bordens
were disappointed with a lack of
dairy month activities.
“In New Jersey,” said Carolyn,
“Dairy Day is a big event held on
Father’s Day every year. When we
moved, we experted to see a
similar activity and were sur
prised when we didn’t. We had
always enjoyed going ourselves so
we thought there might be a need
for a day-long activity here.”
Carolyn’s husband, Peter,
agreed. “This farm is something of
a community resource we are
the last farm in this town. We try to
be good neighbors, but our first
year was difficult. Our neighbors
seemed to want plastic animals
and green fields.”
“It’s easy for people to get the
wrong ideas and impressions of a
farm and the value of milk. We
hope that this is a good public
relations effort,” added Carolyn.
The Bordens held their first open
house in February, shortly after
opening The Farm Dairy and
Smoke House.
“Our first promotion was a lot of both ready to calf, occupied a
fun, and people seemed to enjoy it. small pasture in front of the house.
Of course, we didn’t have the “I just fenced that pasture off,”
beautiful weather in February, explained Peter. “I thought we
and we didn’t use as much could have them calf where people
publicity, but we still had a good could see them. Seeing a wobbly
turn-out. So we decided to do things calf is easier than explaining it.” A
on a much larger scale during the typed sheet is attached to the
summer months. We hope to make fencepost, explaining the dry
this a yearly promotion,” period and freshening process.
Carolyn. Actual milking of the 145-head
Planning began soon after their Holstein herd could be seen from
first open house, and was almost an observation deck above the
completed as Dairy Month ap- milking parlor. Typewritten notes,
proached. Local newspapers did taped on the glass windows, ex
features on the Bordens, their plained milking, letdown, teat
upcoming open house, the ideas dipping, and sanitation.
founding Dairy Month, in addition
to pieces on the nutritive
properties of milk.
Advertisements and fliers
touting hay rides, farm tours, pony
rides and a family style picnic
were placed in local newspapers
and the family store. “The entire
day, with the exception of the pony
rides and picnic, was free, and the
advertisements offered a coupon
for a free pony ride as an added
incentive,” explained Carolyn.
“We would have liked to have
been able to give away milk and
other freebies, but we couldn’t find
sponsors,” said Carolyn. Glasses
of milk, however, were only ten
The host family at the farm dairy open house are Peter,
Josh and Carolyn Borden, from Bucks County.
Town People Come To The Farm At Bordens
cents in the store, and half a pound
of cheddar cheese was available to
anyone buying a pound of lunch
meat.
The open house opened with the
store at 9 a.m., with customers
visiting the petting zoo, located in a
fenced lot in front of the store. One
of the day’s most popular at
tractions, the zoo is open to dairy
store customers year-round.
“The animals used to be kept in a
pen,” explained Peter Borden,
“but I, built this lot and now the
kids can walk right in with the
animals. Everyone seems happy
but the duck, who seems a bit
homesick.”
“I heard a little girl asking her
father if the calves were baby
horses,” Peter continued. “A lot of
these kinds really have no
association with animals and I
really think that’s sad. Farming is
becoming more urban, and it’s the
next generation that we have to
start educating.”
The education continued with
self-guided tours of the farm.
Visitors could meet Princess, an
older cow tied at the side of the
pasture, and indulgent to curious
hands and would-be milkers.
“She’s a gentle cow,” said Peggy
Nean, the farm’s p.m. milker, and
one of four farm hired hands and
ten store employees. “She lets the
kids crawl all over her and the
braver ones try to milk her. She
loves the attention.”
Two of Princess’ herdmates,
A second set of notes explained
the Holstein breed, the cows’ diet,
and some facts about milk jugging
and storage.
Outside, next to the cow lots,
samples of feed corn silage,
ground corn, 38 percent protein,
brewer’s grain leaned against a
com crib and was explained on a
sheet.
Samples of machinery, both
antique and current, dotted the
Bordens’ lawn. “We wanted people
to understand the machinery and
their uses, not just to stare at the
little fanny flag they’re following
on the highway,” explained
Carolyn.
Diane Moyer, Bucks County Dairy Princess, gives'
at the Bordens Dairy Day celebration last Saturday.
The Bordens were not the only
educators: an exhibit area was set
up next to the milkhouse. Displays
included the “Myths of Fanning,”
presented by the Pennsylvania
Farmers Association; Tricia
McKenna represented Sire Power
and explained artificial in
semination and bull services;
Chris Hess, area DHIA supervisor
explained milk monitoring; while
Bucks’ County Ag Agent gave
nutritional information on milk.
Dairy princess Diane Moyer af
fixed real seals to curious
youngsters.
A free movie, “The Day the Milk
Stopped,” sponsored by Longacre
Electric and Surge milking
equipment was shown.
Eastern Milk Cooperative Hosts Ag Meeting
PAINTED POST, N.Y. -
“Clearly, the long-run prospects
for the dairy termination program
are superior to either the milk
diversion program or substantially
lower price supports,” Joseph
Mathis, economics and govern
ment relations manager for
Eastern Milk Producers
Cooperative speculated.
Although he noted his forecasts
are “tenuous at best” for 1987,
Mathis reasoned that milk
production next year can possibly
fall “below 1986 levels as the DTP
and lower price supports prices
take effect. Nonetheless,” he
continued, “the response of far
mers not in the program will be the
key to the long run success of the
Food Security Act of 1985.
Milk prices could rise greater
than normal seasonal increases, if
supplies are shorter than normal,
Mathis said. “However, the trend
in milk prices over the next two
years clearly points downward.
Nonetheless, expectations of
higher prices in the short run
certainly will do nothing to
discourage milk production,” he
stated.
National supply and demand
projections of Andy Novacovich,
Cornell University, show “a slight
increase in marketings this year,
about 1 percent, from last year.
Marketings in the second half
likely will fall below year earlier
levels.
“Considering the small par
ticipation in New York and Penn
sylvania, we won’t see much of a
decrease in production. A forecast
for slightly higher to stable milk
production here during 1986 seems
reasonable,” Mathis reported.
Commercial sale of dairy
products are expected to continue
significant increases. Novacovich
expects sales to exceed last year’s
level by another 3 percent, the
Eastern economist explained.
Also expected to increase by 3
percent is the production of non
participants in the DTP, Mathis
noted.
However, “Government pur
chases of surplus dairy products
are expected to fall to about 10
Representative Larry Eshleman
explained milking systems and
cow background.
“The last time I thought about
milking,” commented one visitor
from Lansdale, “was when Aunt
Jenny milked cows by hand. Every
other squirt went to die cats! I can
see that milking is much cleaner
now.”
Frank Haims, Doylestown, said
his 4-year-old daughter Amanda
enjoyed the day. “We saw the
advertisement and thought we’d
come out. Amanda seemed realfy
impressed by the milkers. She kept
looking at it like ... ‘ls that really
where it comes from?”’
“We wanted people to have fun,
and I believe we accomplished
that,” summarized Carolyn. Her
Eastern Milk Producer’s four dairy stores have been
operating with great success. Plans are currently being
finalized to add more stores, such as this store in Wellsboro,
Pa., where products using co-op members' milk are sold
billion pounds of milk equivalent,
to three-fourths of the 13.2 billion
pounds removed last year. Most of
these removals already have taken
place. Additional removals
probably will be very low or non
existent as the year progresses,”
he added.
Mathis made these remarks at
Eastern’s annual agri-business
dinner where the various depart
ment heads reported on their
departments activities
One of the most encouraging
reports was presented by Thad
Woodward of the Products
Division Manager. Sales in this
division exceeded the $7 million
level for 1986, rising from the $3
million level in 1982.
Route trucks in 11 states and four
stores are responsible for the total
sales. Eastern dairy stores, which
sell products made with members’
milk, have been so successful that
plans for additional stores are
being finalized.
One of the products sold in the
Eastern stores is Leprino cheese,
made in the Waverly, N.Y., cheese
plant.
Larry Jensen, senior vice
president of Leprino Foods
commented on the Waverly
facility, “It is a positive and
beneficial venture for both Eastern
sal Seal” stickers to the children
17-year-old son, Josh, drove a
hayride around the farm every
half hour, explaining the fields and
crop management.
“We couldn’t have asked for a
nicer day, or for nicer crowds,”
commented Carolyn. The Bordens
estimate that 1,200 to 1,500 people
enjoyed Dairy Day, and 100 people
were served spit roast on a high
pasture overlooking the farm.
In the hot sun cones of
homemade ice cream were con
sumed, often immediately after
watching an in-store demon
stration of ice cream making;
gallons of milk were purchased,
and, hopefully, to the urban
neighbors, farming and farmers
became a little more un
derstandable.
and Leprino.”
Leprino Foods is actually three
business units, Jensen explained.
One area is the cheese manufac
turing operation which is the
largest mozzarella manufacturer
in the world.
A food service distribution
center supplies “everything from
ashtrays to anchovies” to food
service operators.
In order to ensure prompt
deliver to its customers of both
cheese and food service items,
Leprino created Leprino Tran
sportation Company in 1973. By
owning a fleet of trucks, control!
over all factets of the distribution
process is maintained.
Leprino has successfully worked
with the town of Waverly to insure
the proper disposal of the waste
products of the cheese making
process.
Leprino’s joint venture in 1978 of
the cheese manufacturing facility
is partially responsible for the
healthy report card in all areas of
Eastern’s operations. The
remaining credit belongs to the
management.
It was evident at evening’s end of
the appropriateness of Eastern
and Leprino’s slogan, “Partners in
Progress.”