812-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 17,1989
Cows That Don’t Smell
And Don’t Eat
Since the beginning of 1989, Deb Obeholtzer has marketed more than 100 cows.
She claims, “They’re low maintenance animals. They don’t need feed and they don’t
smell.”
BY LOU ANN GOOD
WRIGHTSVILLE (Lancaster
Co.) Who says you need a bam
to produce cattle?
Not Deb Oberholtzer. Since the
beginning of the year she has pro
duced more than 100 Holsteins
in—of all places—her home.
True, they’re a bit messy—
shedding hair on her carpet and
taking up space—but they aren’t a
bit smelly—at least not to visitors
even though Deb swears that she
smells cows when working with
them.
Her cows aren’t registered or
classified. They don’t give milk,
no matter how mature they
become. They don’t require feed
and they don’t moo.
What do they do?
They decorate lawns. “Lawn
cows,” Deb has dubbed them.
No two are alike since Deb
places their markings differently
each time.”
Although others duplicate her
efforts, Deb said, “No one else
goes into the detail that 1 put into
them.” The cows are fitted with
stuffed noses and udders and flaunt
a full-brushed macrame tail.
The cow-making process
Maryland To Hold
Beef Festival
Benny Dean and the Southern
Rain Country Band, *lhe Mary
land Beef Cook-Off Contest, arts
& crafts booths, square dancing
and Texas-style dancing demon
strations are among the many fea
tured activities at the First Annual
Maryland BEEFestival, Sunday,
June 25, from 12 noon to 6 p.m., at
the 200-acre “Back Acres” Farm,
in Mt. Airy, Maryland.
While everyone’s enjoying the
live entertainment, educational
exhibits and demonstrations,
they’ll savor the aroma and taste
of real Maryland beef rib-eye
steak and roast beef sandwfches,
barbecue, hot d«gs, and more right
off the grill. Admission and park
ing for the Maryland BEEFestival
includes the whole family. Hus
band Rick cuts out the plywood
form with a jig saw. He fastens on
the metal stakes to insert in the
ground so that the cows stand
upright.
After she cuts out the material,
stitches it on a regular sewing
machine and stuffs the forms, the
Obcholtzers two-year-old and
five-year-old help brush the lint off
the fur.
The finished product is then sold
at Deb’s mother’s business called
“Amish County Furniture” along
Rt. 272, 2 miles south of the PA
Turnpike exit 21. For more infor
mation, call (215) 267-6700. The
calves and the smaller cows sell for
$55. The large cows sell for $B9.
“As fast as I can make them, my
mother sells them,” Deb said.
Considering that lawn cows are
her fulltime job. Deb devotes 40
hours a week making to making
about 15 to 20 of them. It takes her
about 214 to three hours for the
small ones. The large cows with
their stuffed udders require seven
hours of hand work.
Although Deb has sewed ever
since she can remember, her busi
ness evolved rather quickly. Last
year, when lawn sheep were the
are free.
The BEEFestival is sponsored
by The Maryland Beef Council,
The Maryland Cattlemen’s Asso
ciation, and Maryland’s Organ
ized Beef Breeds. For further
information and directions to the
Ist Annual Maryland BEEFestival
call 301-831-7991.
* The Maryland Beef Cook-Off
Contest winner’s recipe will be
entered in the Regional Contest.
The winner of the Regional Con
test will proceed to the National
Cook-Off Contest in Portland,
Oregon. For further information
on the Maryland Beef Cook-Off
Contest entry rules and regula
tions, contact Ms. Anita Wehrman
at 301-592-3940.
craze, a few people, at her
mother’s shop, asked if there were
cows available. Deb’s mother sug
gested Deb try making one. Deb
designed one and after that things
took off. Since then, she has
changed the designed slightly and
added the stuffed udder feature.
The demand was so great that
Deb quit her previous fulltime job
to fill the orders. She said, “It’s
much nicer to work out of my
home and not need to get a babysit
ter.” But it does create a problem
when Deb has an order ready for
pick up. Then her two year-old
cries because she doesn’t want to
see any of the cows leave.
Deb who grew up on a dairy
farm said that she likes working
with her lawn cows better than the
real ones. She’d like to make a
Guernsey or Angus for special
orders.
According to Deb, lawn cows
are lots of fun. Owners find them
conversational pieces. Passerbys
and neighbors find them delightful
to gaze at. And occasionally phone
calls report a cow has escaped
from the bam into the lawn.
For Deb, lawn cows are a profit
able business. One made possible
by “real” dairy fanners.
Lancaster To
Hold Pageant
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
—Three teens will compete for the
Lancaster bounty Dairy Princess
title on Saturday, June 17, at the
Farm and Home Center, Lancaster.
TBe reception will begin at 7:00
p.m. The pageant begins at 8:00
p.m.
Contestants include: Angela
Spickler. daughter of James and
Linda Spickler of Mt. Joy; Nickel
le Wivell, daughter of Joseph and
Becky Wivell of Elizabethtown;
and Diane Hershberger, daughter
of Robert and Martha Hershberger
of Quarryville.
|j See your nearest
| INEW HOLLArvD
jj Dealer for Dependable
j Equipment and Dependable
j Service:
! PENNSYLVANIA
Annville, PA
BHM Farm
Equipment, Inc
RDI, Rte. 934
717-867-2211
Beavertown, PA
B&R Farm
Equipment, Inc.
RD \ Box 217 A
717-658-7024
Belleville, PA
Ivan J. Zook
Farm Equipment
Belleville, Pa.
717-935-2948
Canton, PA
Hess Farm Equipment
717-673-5143
Carlisle, PA
R&W Equipment Co.
35 East Willow Street
717-243-2686
Chambersburg, PA
Clugston
Implement, Inc
RD 1
717-263-4103
Davldsburg, PA
George N Gross, Inc
RD 2, Dover, PA
717-292-1673
Elizabethtown, PA
Messick Farm
Equipment, Inc
Rt 283 - Rheem's Exit
717-367-1319
Gettysburg, PA
Yinghng Implements,
Inc
3291 Taney town Rd
717-359-4848
Greencastle, PA
Meyers
Implement's Inc
400 N Antrim Way
PO Box 97
717-597-2176
Halifax, PA
Sweigard Bros
R D*3, Box 13
717-896-3414
Hamburg, PA
Shartlesville
Farm Service
RD. 1, Box 1392
215-488-1025
Honey Brook, PA
Dependable Motor Co
East Mam Street
215-273-3131
215-273-3737
Honey Grove, PA
Norman D Clark
& Son, Inc
Honey Grove, PA
717-734-3682
Hughesville, PA
Farnsworth Farm
Supplies, Inc.
103 Cemetery Street
717-584-2106
Loyaville, PA
Paul Shovers, Inc 1
Loysville, PA
717-789-3117
New Holland, PA
A.B.C Groff, Inc
110 South Railroad
717-354-4191
Oley, PA
C.J. Wonsidler Bros
RD. 2
215-987-6257
Pitman, PA
Schreffler Equipment
Pitman, PA
717-648-1120
Quakertown, PA
C.J Wonsidler Bros.
RD 1
215-536-1935
Quarryville, PA
C E Wiley & Son, Inc
101 South Lime Street
717-786-2895
Ringtown, PA
Rmgtown Farm
Equipment
Ringtown, PA
717-889-3184
Tamaqua, PA
Charles S Snyder,
RD 3
717-386-5945
West Grove, PA
S G Lewis & Son,
R D 2, Box 66
215 869-2214
MAI
LAND
Churchvllle, MD
Walter G Coale, Inc
2849-53
Churchville Rd
301-838-6470
Frederick, MD
Ceresville
Ford New Holland, Inc
Rt 26 East
301-662-4197
Outside MD,
800-3§l-9122
Hagerstown, 40
Antietam Ford Tractor
301-"’9l-1200
NEW JERSEY
Bridgeton, N.J,
Leslie G Fogg, Inc.
Canton & Stow Creek
Landing Rd
609-451-2727
609-935-5145
Washington, NJ
Frank Rymon & Sons
201-689-1464
Woodstown, NJ
Owen Supply Co.
Broad Street &
East Avenue
609-769-0308