816-Lancastar Farming, Saturday, October 7,1989
The Mase family has a wat jrtheii jwnS\ <s.
happy with their recent sell of a two-week-old calf for $1,900.
Meet The Family
Of Li’l Miss Lebanon County
BY LOU ANN GOOD
LEBANON (Lebanon Co.)
“A beautiful cow is a beautiful cow
regardless of color,” remarks Gary
Mase, then he flashes a mischiev
ous grin and adds, “But it is always
nice to beat the Holstein’s
records.”
_ Not that Mase doesn’t like Hols
te'ins. He has about 20 of them
sprinkled throughout his 60-head
herd, but he is quick to admit that
his true love is for the docile
Brown Swiss.
Recently, one of his two-week
old calves topped the state sale
with a price tag of $1,900. The
calf’s dam was Mase’s Meadow
Hill King Beatrice, which is an
Excellent and boasts a 30,000
pound record.
Gary and his wife Patty have
more records of which they can
brag. The Mase’s have several
generations of 30,000 pound milk
ing Swiss. One was nominated as
an All American senior calf. Three
times they topped the Maryland
Mid Atlantic calf sale. They have
five homebred Excellent cows.
“When our first cow hit 30,000
pounds, Mase said, “we thought
we had achieved something, and
then our second cow hit 30,000
pounds before the first finished
lactation—now that was exciting.”
Last year, Jessie Improver Lena
was high cow in the county for pro
tein in overall breeds. "It wasn’t a
Gary believes that the combination offai ly.di ~ai
to do a good job at all three when following a milking schedule of 12a.. ai. 12 p.m.
From left: Patty; Alicia, 5; Agatha the cow; Gary, and Tony, 2. Because he was In
school, Garrett, 9; missed the family picture.
fluke,” he said. “She’s going to
repeat it because she’s doing even
better now.”
Cows are like family to the
Mases. “I’ve cried more than a
couple of times when I had to sell
them or they died,” Gary admits. “I
don’t think of each one alone, but
is a cow family and the generation
that follows it. I get attached.
Sometimes I have a cow that does
good for a couple of years and then
she slacks off. I’m prone to give
icr another chance. Maybe she
‘las calving or feeding problems.”
What is the secret of the Mase’s
success? Gary credits feeding
calves on nursed cows. “I put Sev
ern! calves in a pen with one cow,
that might have a poor udder but
still gives lots of milk, for two
months, he explained.”
He recently ran an experiment
when he had many calves bom at
the same time. Some he put in
hutches; others with a nursing
cow. Within two months the nurs
ing calves were four to five inches
taller and much heavier than those
raised in hutches.
“Sure,” Gary admits, “I worry a
bit about Johnes, but there’s many
ways diseases can be carried and it
isn’t really proven that nursing
calves get it easier. The calves are
bigger and healthier—and that’s
what counts in the show ring.”
So far, the Mases have not had
any trouble with Johnes or with
iy are especially
other diseases prone to nursing
calves.
But the threat of disease does
influence Mase’s decision in some
areas. This year, the Mase’s did not
attend the All American Show.
“My calves are too valuable to
run to shows with the T.B. scare
and everything,” Mase said.
The decision was difficult for
Gary who definitely delights in
showing. He said, “Shows are
:heap advertisement that gives you
:on tacts, puts your name in the
oaper and in the breed magazines. I
:onsider it routine work that is part
if my job so it was really difficult
tot going this year.”
“He has withdrawal symptoms
ivery year he doesn’t show,” Patty
said. “It's especially hard on him
vhen he knows he has a better one
han the one that won.”
Gary nods his head and said,
Tm a competitor. I like to win.”
Gary farms with his dad, Clar
;nce. For the past seven years,
3ary is in charge of the dairy end
ind his dad takes care of the field
vork on their 70 acres.
“You can say I started fanning
vith my dad looking over my
houlder, but you don’t leant any
hing until you make your own
nistakes.”
Brown Swiss, a rare breed for
-ebanon County, captured the
(Turn to Pag* B 18)
See your nearest
I\EW HOLLAND
Dealer for Dependable
Equipment and
Dependable Service:
PENNSYLVANIA
Annvllle, PA
BHM Farm
Equipment, Inc.
RDI, Rte. 934
717-867-2211
Beavertown, PA
B&R Farm
Equipment, Inc.
RD 1, Box 217 A
717-658-7024
Belleville, PA
Ivan J. Zook
Farm Equipment
Belleville, Pa.
717-935-2948
Canton, PA
Hess Farm Equipment
717-673-5148
Carlisle, PA
R&W Equipment Co.
35 East Willow Street
717-243-2686
Chambersburg, PA
Clugston
Implement, Inc.
R.D. 1
717-263-4103
Davldaburg, PA
George N. Gross, Inc.
R.D. 2, Dover, PA
717-292-1673
Elizabethtown, PA
Messick Farm
Equipment, Inc.
Rt. 283 - Rheem's Exit
717-367-1319
Gettysburg, PA
Yingling Implements,
Inc.
3291 Taneytown Rd.
717-359-4848
Greencastle, PA
Meyers
Implement's Inc.
400 N. Antrim Way
P.O. Box 97
717-597-2176
Halifax, PA
Sweigard Bros.
R.D. 3. Box 13
717-896-3414
Hamburg, PA
Shartlesville Hagaratown, MD
Farm Service Antietam Ford Tractor
R.D. 1. Box 1392 301-791-1200
215-488-1025
Honey Brook, PA
Dependable Motor Co.
East Main Street
215-273-3131
215-273-3737
Honey Grove, PA
Norman D. Clark
A Son, Inc.
Honey Grove, PA
717-/34-3682
Hugheavllle, PA
Farnsworth Farm
Supplies, Inc.
103 Cemetery Street
717-584-2106
Loyavllle, PA
Paul Shovers, Inc.
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.
R.D. 2
215-987-6257
Pitman, PA
Schreffler Equipment
Pitman. PA
717-648-1120
Quakertown, PA
C.J. Wonsidler Bros.
R.D. 1
215-536-1935
Quarryvllle, PA
C.E. Wiley & Son, Inc.
101 South Lime Street
717-786-2895
Rlngtown, PA
Ringtown Farm
Equipment
Ringtown, PA
717-889-3184
Tarhaqua, PA
Charles S. Snyder, Inc.
R.D. 3 ,
717-386-5945
West Grove, PA
S.G. Lewis & Son, Inc.
R.D. 2, Box 66
215-869-2214
MARYLAND
Churchvllle, MD
Walter G. Coale, Inc.
2849-53
Churchville Rd.
301-838-6470
Frederick, MO
Ceresville
Ford New Holland, Inc.
Rt. 26 East
301-662-4197
Outside MD,
800-331-9122
NEW JERSEY
Bridgeton, N.J.
Leslie Q. 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