Adams County Dairy Club Celebrates Its 40th Year BY GINGER SECRIST MYERS Adams Co. Correspondent GETTYSBURG - The Adams County 4-H Dairy Calf Club will celebrate its 40th Anniversary this year in conjunction with the Club’s 22nd Annual Banquet to be held Saturday evening, October 25, at the Heidlersburg Fairhall. Reviewing the Annual Narrative Reports of the Agricultural Ex tension Work in Adams County and reminiscing with former mem bers, leaders, and parents reveals that the program has successfully fulfilled its initial goal stated in the 1945 County Report: “A meeting was called May 4 in an endeavor to organize the first 4-H dairy calf club in the county. They felt a calf club would not only be of value to the 4-H Club members, but also would eventually improve the dairy situation in the county as a whole.” Thomas Murren, Hanover, remembers well the origins of the Dawn Lobaugh, left, Paul Whiteford, Philip Lobaugh, Russel Hill, Steve Wolf, Tim Brown and Donald DeGroft were the class winners at the 1967 Adams County Dairy Club Roundup. Knight DOYLESTOWN - Paul Knight became a member of the Ag Team at Delaware Valley College. Specifically, he assumed the position of superintendent of the dairy herd at the college. Paid started his new career this summer in response to a help wanted ad. Previously he worked at his family’s farm, Woodbine Holsteins in Airville. He decided to leave the farm “to see if I could Milking is one of Paul's many duties as superintendent of the dairy at Delaware Valley College. Here he milks OVC Albi Polka, who produced, a top record of 22,628 pounds of milk and 895 pounds of fat as a 9 year old. secretary and as a leader of the dairy club for the past 38 years. His original secretary’s book has its first entry dated December 6,1946. The meeting was held at the home of Edgar Weaner and the agenda included the election of officers for 1947. The first club officers were: President, Richard Weaner; Vice- President, Roy Weaner; Secretary-Treasurer, Thomas Murren and Game Leader, Mary Anri Stofter. The club’s original membership also included; Dale Reinecker, Bill Griffie, Marlin Chronister, Thelma Griffie, Dons King, Robert King, Patsy Ann Lemmon, Kenneth Nace, Stanley Reinecker, Edwin Spicer and Dean Nace. The club’s first leader was Murren’s uncle, Simon Murren. Although the club was organized on a county-wide basis, only two of the members qualified to show their yearlings in 1946 at what was then the Southeast District Show Tackles Dairy stand on my own.” Yet, he wanted to continue working with cows. Delaware Valley College gave him that opportunity, Knight ex plained. At Del Val he has “the op portunity to observe myself as an individual, not as part of a family operation.” The son of Priscilla and the late George Knight, Paul returns home to help at every opportunity. limitations on the cattle. Murren recalls, and the extension records confirm, that in the early years of the club there was very little showing due to the problem of Bangs disease in the county. The 1947 narrative reports reads: “Our 4-H Dairy Club .. . does not have any round-up or show since about half of the herds in which the heifers are kept are not Bangs tested. We do feel that members and their parents would take a more active interest if we had some event where all animals could be shown.” - In 1948 the club disbanded, but strong parental support for the work done with the children called for its revival the following year. The club was re-organized with 22 members, 18 of them had Holsteins and four had purebred Brown Swiss calves. Still, only three members had projects in ac credited herds, but county-wide Bai ' testing had be Superintendent Position At Del Yal Since beginning his tenure on the Ag Team at' Del Val, Paul has witnessed the steady rise of the college’s rolling herd average to its present 20,500 pounds of milk. The average started its climb under his predecessor, Dr. James Harner. This spring Harner accepted the position of superintendent of research farms at Rutgers University in New Jersey. The college operates three facets of their ag program, dairy, livestock and general ag, under the general organization entitled the Ag Team. In the dairy division, Paul consults with Larry Morris, Jerry Myers and Larry Hepner, general manager of farm operations. Paul works with Morris on the nutritional program of the herd. He refuses credit for the rising herd average, attributing the in crease to Morris’ feeding program and the general ag division for harvesting the feed at the optimum nutritional value. He does accept the credit for the improvement in the calves. He adjusted the calves’ ration to in clude grain, hay and a TMR ration. Before, the calves’ diet was limited to a TMR ration. “They didn’t have the capacity to eat enough roughage to grow properly,” he said. Jerry Myers works with Paul on the breeding program as well as the collegiate judging team. “I try to keep dairy judging in mind when talking to the kids. Showing and judging kept me interested; it gave me something to get excited about,” the former 4-H and FFAer notes. He plans to develop a youth judging contest with a hefty in centive to be sponsored by the college. Paul’s experiences with judging contests include a successful collegiate campaign. The 1982 Paul Whiteford and Tony Murren were named showmen winners of the 1967 Adams County Dairy Roundup. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the club. eluded three days spent touring the farms and viewing each others projects. This served as a sub stitute for a county show. In 1956 nine of the members exhibited 20 head at the county fairs and the district show which by this time had been moved to the Reading Fairgrounds. The club held its first round-up in 1958 at the South Mountain Fairgrounds. By this time membership in the club had grown to over 50 mem bers and Tom Murren had been joined by Joe McWreath as a club leader in 1952. In 1960 Melvin Durbarow became a leader and is still with the club today. Other current leaders include Tim Brown and Alan Zepp, both former members of the club. Paul explains an item in the daily milk records to students Ann Luno (front) and Ed Ashton. graduate of Penn State won the All- American judging contest as a senior. The same year, the Penn State team took the top place in the All-American and the Eastern States contests. At Delaware Valley, he handles a variety of jobs during a day. Starting with the morning milking, continuing with barn cleaning and fence fixing and concluding with a regular check of the cows at night. The variety and long hours don’t bother Paul who explains, “If you want to succeed, you have to put the hours in, no matter what you want to do.” Paul hopes the students following his lead and work hard to improve conditions at the college and for themselves. “I want them to learn I’ll be here all the time for their disposal. I would do anything for them,” Paul said. At the same time, he expects Since the members couldn’t have a showing round-up in the early years of the club, their program was heavily weighed with topics such as care and feeding of their calves, milking demonstrations, how to keep production records, and how to make and cure hay. Prior to the Extension Service moving its offices from the County Courthouse to its present location on the Chambersburg Road, the club held its meetings in the county courtroom. Murren recalls making rope halters and judging the Hoard’s Dairyman Judging Contest in front of the judge’s bench. Both Murren and Durbarow feel the present day program still (Turn to Page A 29) them to complete jobs to his satisfaction. The students have responded well to Paul, according to Dr. John Plummer, associate dean of agriculture. “Paul relates well to the students and while he is demanding, he gets results. Paul is an integral part of the dairy program,” Plummer said. One project which Paul has been working on is the Recently an nounced internship program. The program is open to a student at the college after freshman year. The selected student will be required to work a 40 hour week. Payment for the work will be a salary plus room, board and tuition. With proper time management, the student should be able to complete the degree program in a four-year period, reported William Graver, (Turn to Page A 29)
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