D2>Lancaster Farming Saturday, November 18,1989
Franklin County 4-H’ers
Hold Baby Beef
Club Banquet
BY BONNIE BRECHBILL
Franklin Co. Correspondent
KAUFFMAN STATION
(Franklin Co.) When Donnie
Sheiss joined the Franklin County
4-H Baby Beef Club in 1979 he
was teased, “What does a hog man
know about steers?” Donnie’s
parents, Daryl and Penny Sheiss,
own and operate a hog farm near
Chambersburg.
Donnie, now 19 arid a sopho
more at Pennsylvania State Uni
versity, credits the teasing with
helping to make him a successful
Baby Beef Club member. “They
did me a favor,” he said in his
farewell speech as a graduating
4-H Baby Beef Club member, “I
was determined to prove some
thing, not to the hecklers, but to
myself. I committed myself to
hanging in there, being competi
tive, learning to fit a steer, and
helping others who didn’t know
how.”
His commitment was so firm
that he gave up sports in high
school to devote more time to his
beef projects. And it all paid off,
because he has won every county
beef award two or three times dur
ing his 10-year 4-H career, and
has competed successfully on the
state level. He also has served as
president, vice president, and trea
surer of the local club.
Donnie, who is majoring in ani
mal science, noted that the money
earned from his beef projects has
helped him to pay his college tui
tion and has enabled him to “drive
a decent car and accumulate a beef
herd.” He runs a cow-calf opera
tion with younger brothers, Eric
and David, also Baby Beef Club
members, who take care of Don-
KANSAS CITY, MO Tom
Sellman of Chadron, Ne., was
elected to the post of president of
the American Hereford Associa
tion during the group’s 108th an
nual meeting held recently in Kan
sas City. Elected to serve as senior
vice president was Loyd White
head of Dallas, Texas.
Sellman has served the past
year as senior vice president and
succeeds Charles Martin of Bar
tlesville, OK, at the helm of the
world’s largest beef breed registry
organization.
Sellman and his wife, Shirley,
operate the TSR near Chadron. He
has spent his entire lifetime
around registered Herefords. He
grew up on the famed Sellman
Brothers Ranch at Watrous, NM,
which was owned by his father,
Marshall, and uncle, Dick. This
highly successful registered herd
was established in 1943. Marshall
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
Forage production and* health
are the main topic for the Fourth
Annual Shepherd’s Symposium to
be help at the Sheraton Lancaster,
December 8 and 9. Ncw-this year
is a mini-tour scheduled for
afternoon of December 7 with an
evening program on lamb market
ing to be help at the Lancaster
nie’s beef projects while he is at
college.
The highlight of Donnie’s 4-H
career came at the 1988 Somerset
County Jackpot Preview Show, he
said, when his home-raised steer
was named reserve champion.
His biggest disappointment was
never managing to show the grand
champion at the Pennsylvania
State Farm Show. “I put my best
effort forward for two years,” he
said, “and I showed the reserve
grand champion in 1987, but I
never showed the grand champ
ion. No one from Franklin County
ever has.”
In introducing Donnie to the 95
people at the November 4 Baby
Beef Club awards banquet, club
leader Leon Lebo said, “Donnie
has made me a better leader. He
gives 110 percent at every beef
activity. He’ll be back as a leader
of the 4-H Baby Beef Club.”
“I was fortunate to have a leader
like Leon,” Donnie responded in
his speech. “He lets the members
run the club and make their own
decisions. He is truly interested in
young people.”
After college, Donnie plans to
farm with his father.
Receiving best project book
awards at the banquet, held at the
Kauffman Ruritan Building, were:
1. David Sheiss, 2. Donnie Sheiss,
3. Eric Sheiss, 4. Beth Amsley,
and S. Ryan Eshleman.
Daily gain awards went to: 1.
Steve Clapsaddle, 2.72 pounds a
day; 2. Jimmy Clapsaddle, 2.53
pounds a day; Cheryl Hawbaker,
2.53 pounds a day; 3. Kristina
Eshleman, 2.42 pounds a day; and
Michael Schellhase, 2.42 pounds a
day.
American Hereford Association
Sellman served as AHA president
in 1965.
In 1973, Tom and his family
moved their operation to Chadron
where their herd now numbers
some 200 head. Tom and Shirley
and their son, Richard, all are ac
tive in the operation. Their daugh
ter, Robin Meeks, is associated
with the Upstream Ranch herd in
Nebraska.
Sellman has served as a mem
ber of the AHA board since 1984.
He has served as a director of the
Nebraska Hereford Association
and is active in the Nebraska and
National Cattlemenn’s Associa
tions, the Methodist Church and
has served as president of the Cha
dron Community Hospital.
Loyd Whitehead has served as
an AHA director since 1985. He
has several business interests in
cluding the Rocking Chair Ranch
at Ft. McKavett, Tx., and the Li-
Shepherd’s Symposium Set For
County Extension center.
Dr. Robert Van Keuren, Ohio
State University, will address such
topics as pasture systems for
extending thd grazing season and
optimizing forage use during the
gestation and lactation production
phases. An added feature this year
will be the presence of infrared
forage analysis equipment for eva-
All three Shelss showed weight class champions at the county’s recent 4-H beef
roundup. In his last year of 4-H, Donnie showed the grand champion and was named
grand champion showman. David was named grand champion fitter. From left are
Eric, Donnie, and David, with their parents Penny and Daryl.
The conformation-class champions of the Franklin County 4-H Baby Beef Club are,
back row, from left: Daren Statler, David Shelss, and Donnie Shelss; front row: Cheryl
Hawbaker and Lorinda Hawbaker.
pan Springs Division of RCR near
San Angelo. The Hereford herd
numbers some 225 head. White
head has owned the Rocking
Chair Ranch since 1958. The herd
was made up of commercial Here
fords until the establishment of the
registered herd in 1966. The
Rocking Chair Ranch has been ac
tive and successful in the show
ring and annually holds a produc
tion sale. Loyd and wife, Carol,
are the parents of two daughters.
He has served as president of the
Texas Herefotd Association.
Newly elected to serve on the
AHA board of directors are Phil
Harvey Jr. of Las Cruses, NM, and
Don Dennis of Grady, OK. They
succeed Charles Martin and Glynn
Debter of Horton, AL, who had
served two three-year terms and
were' not eligible for re-election.
luating forage quality and nutri
tive value. Such information on
your home-grown forages has
proven to be both a big money
saver on the winter feed bills and
also a great teacher in acquiring a
better understanding of forage
quality and its impact on
production.
Lamb mortality diagnosis and
Elects Officers
Lloyd Whitehead
Early December
prevention, ovine progressive
pneumonia, external parasite con
trol and the prevention and treat
ment of nutritional disorders are
some of the major topics to be dis
cussed by Dr. Joe Rook of Michi
gan State University and Dr. Tho
mas Drake and Dr. Robert Smith
of Penn State University.
For the handcraft folks and
Tom Sellman
those interested in starting a small
business, Dr. Jim Beirerlien, Penn
State University will speak on
“Small Business Management and
Marketing.” Ginny Mutto of Hun
tingdon County will conduct sev
eral workshops on handspinning.
Beginning shepherds will be
interested in attending the wotk-
(Turn to Pago D 3)