On bet a farm -And o Aftzftr 1 Joyce B Early morning phone calls received here can usually be split into two categories. Number one problems with cattle or equipment. Numbr two sales/telemarketing calls. So when the phone rang before 7:30 one morning last week, I expected to hear a familiar, employee voice. Instead, the pleasant female voice asking for The Farmer immediately switched my guess to category two. “He’s not here right now; can I help you?” I asked, wondering what sales pitch would be forth coming. “This is the State Police,” was the reply. Oooohhhhhhh. Not quite sure if our son was at that moment on the road or not, or exactly where he was, my stomach did somersaults. And the voice continued: “We LIVESTi WINTER H. Charles BrodF 717 Order Buyi Leesport, Ne Also di Hey! Folks If your cows are slipping and falling, it ain't m machine called a Scabbier that will fix keep slipping all the time. We've got service all around this section of the country, and I have a fellow just jumping to do your Job mighty fast. And that ain't all, our prices are right reasonable, and if you're a tightwad uie’ll let you do the job yourself if you've got over 500 square feet. It can save you right smart a money. So call me on my nickel at 800-692-0123. If I’m not by the phone, some real live person will take your number, and I'll try to get bach to you real soon. Usually somebody is awake in this outfit, so you just call any time day or night. But, please mind the Lord, and don’t call on Sunday, Just one more thing. We fellows make our living doing this kind of work, and we’ve got children to feed and bills. That’s our side of it, but you’ve got such things too. A lot of people tell us that this Scabbling saves a whole lot more than it costs. So go ahead and do it. It’ll put shoes on everybody’s feet. have you on our cow list.” . Instant relief. Or, on second thought, maybe not. “Where are there cows out?” I queried, already envisioning a bunch of heifers out scarfing grass along the interstate which slices across a comer of the farm. Obvi ously (embarrassingly!), this is not the first such call we’ve received. Late one Friday night a couple of years ago, I’d been talking with a fellow dairy producer for a long time when a voice broke into our conversation. The state police were trying to ge through to us. Then, too, the youngest was away and I instantly envisioned the worst automobile accident The receiver slammed on our friends’s poor ear. And our phone rang immediately. Be looking to hear from you folks right soon. Suburban Rentals Inc. 800-692-0123 fault because I have a *■ *■ / V A 4* A Js ' * - A “This is the state police; we have a report of a cow along Inter state 83 and believe it may belong to you.” The Farmer three-wheeled down to the highway. Didn’t come back. And didn’t come back. About 11:30, I went looking for some sign, fearfully expecting to see the flashing lights of police cars and ambulances. Nothing. Traffic was flowing normally. His return momentarily fol lowed mine. He’d found the esca pee grazing on the edge of the right shoulder of the southbound two lanes and herded her back into the dry lot. She was a cow we had just turned dry and moved earlier in the day and apparently just wanted to come back to her milk ing herdmates. Unfortunately, she headed in the wrong direction for some reason. It was not a very restful night. Visions of what can happen when a three-quarter-ton cow connects with a car or large truck traveling at high speeds haunted my sleep. Even more potentially disastr ous was the morning about 10 years ago when two dozen bred heifers broke through a fence near the interstate’s exit, which is just a field or two away from their pas ture. Badly disoriented or search ing for high adventure the whole bunch trotted up the south bound entrance ramp and headed for Baltimore. A northbound driv er with supreme “cool” and . * < • * . f; f «> h ‘ e%; #% ! f? ■&*. jp qi fc ♦ .* ** ■. ‘ *' f j-ian * tu Z *• \ . * superb timing saw what was hap pening, pulled over and had the heifers turned around by the time The Farmer got there. Thus, when cattle are reported out anywhere in this neck of the woods, it is understandable that we get a call. After another ques tion or two, it was determined that these most recent escapees were carousing around the far side of our nearest town three miles All-You-Con-Eot Ice Cream Syracuse, NY As summer's heat beats down on us, we long for relief. A lone tent lumbers on Empire Court. Anxious dishes await their destiny with a spoon. The fairgrounds are abuzz. It's true eat all the ice cream you want for two-bucks. It's a bargain. Cool refreshment at last. ICE CREAM! For the first time, SCOOPER BOWL '9l is part of Dairy Day at the New York State Fair on August 26. Fairgoers can eat all the ice cream they want for $2 from noon to 5 p.m. Proceeds will be donated to Camp Good Days and Special Times, an organization which strives to improve the quality of life for children affected by cancer. Dairy Day is a traditional tribute to the New York state dairy indus try. Festivities begin at 10 a.m. with a program hosted by Amy Robbins and Ted Long from Syra cuse radio station 93Q. A media milking contest will be in the Coliseum. Each team mem- /^IEXWOOD ■ FORMING 800 Clenwood Dftve PA 717-733-9590 Roofing And Siding 29 Gauge Galvanize 29 Gauge Painted 26 Gauge Galvalume 26 Gauge Painted New 409 Stainless Steel Roofing All Panels Cut To Length - Coverage 36” Width We Also Stock The Following Items: • Pre-Hung Doors • Ridge Vents • Agri Build Windows • Ridgolators • Roll Door Track • Trolleys and Hardware A new Product In Our Line STANDING SEAM ROOFING Manufactured at the job site NOW YOU CAN CALL US TOLL-FREE AT 1-800-582-9956 Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 17,1991*83 away. That the group included a bull and steers clinched it. We have no steers or a bull in this herd. I pled innocent this time and offered the name of another farmer closer to that area, wishing the good natured dispatcher more luck than she’d had with us. I guess if we have to be on a police list of any kind, “cows” is one of the better categories. Benefits Charity ber milks a cow for 60 seconds. When all members have finished milking, the team with the most milk wins! SCOOPER BOWL '9l, Dairy Day's main event, begins at noon in Empire Court. Bring the whole family for an afternoon of all-you can-eat ice cream. Ice cream is being donated by H.P. Hood Inc., Borden, Inc., Marble Farms, Carvel, and Crowley Foods, Inc. This year's butter sculpture is a rendition of an old-fashioned ice cream cart with a young lad accepting the second scoop of his double dip cone. Located in the Dairy Products Building, the sculpture has been designed and created by Raymond Mackintosh of Ontario, Canada. Milk, the official state beverage, will be available at the Rainbow Milk Bar for 25 cents. Prize winning New York state Cheddar cheese, lowfat cheese and other real dairy products will be sold.
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