82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 25, 1992
a farm
Joyce Bnpp ’"". JHhI
-And other
hazards
Tiny, she is. Petite.
But perfect
Mostly black, with a sort of
heart-shaped white spot centered
on her forehead. Weighs maybe
70 pounds.
Bawls with vocal cords befit
ting a half-grown heifer.
Wants to eat....now! Not satis
fied with the fresh mama’s milk I
bottle-feed her morning and even
ing, she’s already begun nibbling
at sweet calf-starter grain.
At three days of age.
Amazing.
No, make that miraculous. She
was never expected to be bom in
the first place. In fact, she was
never even expected to have been
conceived.
Her mother’s a sixteen-and-a
half-year old.
Cow, that is.
Not many sixteen-year-old
milking dairy cows around. Oldest
we’ve ever had in our 28 years as
dairymen.
Average age of milking cows is
more in the neighborhood of five,
maybe six. A ten-year-old still
producing and reproducing is
commendable. Thirteen is unusu
al. Sixteen is....like, wow!
Of course, we were awed when
Pushkin calved more than two
Commercial/Residential
Boilers & Furnaces
i
m i
Wood, Coal & Oil
• Hand fired central heating
• Multi fuel boilers & furnaces
• Waste oil heating equipment
• Outdoor boilers
PENN MFG. CO.
393 W. Lexington Rd., Lititz, PA 17543
Call (717) 626-1397 or 627-2303
years ago with a heifer, the herd
matron at 14. We’d never
expected this durable homebred to
ever calve again. In fact, we were
so sure of that, we named that calf
Pushkin.
That daughter calved a few
months ago and joined the herd
with a raft of relatives. She’s been
dubbed Pushkin n, so we can keep
track of who’s who.
Pushkin - the original - is more
affectionaly known as Grandma.
Our affection, not hers. She’s not
really an affectionate cow. Tame
and tolerant, sturdy and durable,
relatively problem-free. Just not a
friendly pet
The calf is smaller than most of
our newborns, probably because
Pushkin just didn’t put on much
extra dry-period weight. That was
probably k blessing. It made calv
ing much easier for a matron of
her age, and neither she nor the
calf experienced any of the post
calving complications that some
times follow deliveries of
hundred-pound-plus babies.
Pushkin was the first heifer calf
named after we returned from a
European farm tour that included
a five-day visit to Russia. Having
been exposed to what seemed like
endless statues, pictures, tributes,
etc. to this noted Russia poet, the
name Pushkin was indelibly
etched into our brains - and
promptly went into the calf book
when we needed a name starting
with the letter “P”.
Perhaps the statues of Pushkin
have by now fallen, along with
those of Lenin and Stalin. But our
prized Pushkin will live on irre
gardless of world politics because
she’s been one of the most prolific
heifer sources of the herd.
After her latest calving, we did
some digging back through our
old records, gathering some Push
kin statistical data. This wonderful
old friend has given us nine
daughters, some of them outstand-
I! you've got money to burn and nienty of winter clothes,
you don't need an Energy Performer ™ Heated shop.
YwCui'l...
(MktkeuU)
✓ Prepare equipment early for spring work.
✓ Play a game of basketball on the ice.
✓ Store your chemicals out In the cold.
✓ Put your office out there.
✓ Wash your machinery.
✓ Hide from the seed salesman,
✓ Use your computer out there.
✓ Work comfortably in your shirt sleeves,
✓ Repair your manure spreader.
✓ Do embryo transplants.
✓ Afford this!
Bring Your Ideas In to oar Open House on February 13,14,815,1392
000-447'-7'‘436
Bailing' the, fiamify fiarm fjorg&wratms MORTON^
Contact The Office Nearest You:
3366 York Rd.,
Gettysburg,
PA 17325
717/624-3331
Hi Cm...
(lywiwitoftsty)
✓ Avoid cold engine start-ups.
✓ Save on equipment maintenance.
✓ Get an early start on spring planting.
✓ Organize your tools & spare parts.
✓ Buy & store seed early to receive discounts
✓ Weld & fabricate special equipment.
✓ Get the hobby shop you've wanted.
✓ Entertain your friends and neighbors
✓ Depend on our 20 : year red rust warranty
✓ Have 50 yr snow-load & foundation protection.
✓ Afford this!
P.O. Box 361, P.O. Box 126, 1918 Industrial Dr. RD #4 Box 73
Centre Hall, Phllllpsburg, Culpeper, Harrington,
PA 16828 NJ 08865 VA 22701 DE 19952
814/364-9500 908/454-7900 703/825-3633 302/398-8100
it. 144 & 45
1 ml.
ing animals with her durability.
One was sold to a friend. A few
left the herd for various health
problems, including one with an
elongated lower jaw which pre
vented her from eating properly.
All totaled, we came up with 26
Pushkin daughters, granddaugh
ters, great granddaughters, and
great-great granddaughters. She
also had two sisters with numer
ous offspring - thus our shortage
of “P” names.
Sewing, Crafts For Profit
YORK (York Co.) — Do you
have a desire to turn your craft or
sewing skills into profit? Are you
already working as a home-based
business person? If so, "Sewing
and Crafts for Profit" Seminar wiU
be of interest to you.
Joyce Smith, Ohio State Uni
versity clothing specialist, will
discuss "Is Home-Based Business
For You? and “Marketing Your
Product". Leant about "Legal
Issues” and "Taxes and Record
Keeping" for home-based
businesses from Fred Davis,
Resource Management Agent,
Penn State Cooperative Exten
sion. A "Business Plan" and "Pri
cing For Profit" are important
aspects of this venture, as
Winifred McGee, Small and
Home-Based Business Agent, will
V. ml. E SR 57
Now beginning her dozenth
milking lactation, Pushkin has
produced some 220,000 pounds of
milk to date. That’s more than
25,500 gallons of milk, or nearly
five tractor-trailer tanks worth.
Seems like this new calf should
have a special, appropriate name.
Our younger farmer has laughing
ly suggested Persistent. We could
reuse Prize, Pride, Proud, or Pre
cious. How about Priceless?
This one will take some
thought.
share with the participants. Learn
from other successful entrepre
neurs during the panel discussion,
and network with others who have
an interest similar to your own.
This regional seminar is spon
sored by Penn State Cooperative
Extension and will be held at the
Capital Union Building, Middle
town. This one day seminar is set
for Wednesday, March 18, 8:30
a.m.-4:00 p.m. Advanced registra
tion by March 6 of $2O is required.
This includes lunch, all materials,
and .5 Continuing Education
Units from Penn State University.
For a registration brochure con
tact Penn State Cooperative
Extension, 112 Pleasant Acres
Road, York, PA 17402, phone:
757-9657.
Gel it Fret!
QmyNriiciliflice)
Call or stop by your local MORTON lUILDINGS
sales office and ask for your free 'Shop Designs &
Ideas'video and layout your own shop
Then bnng in your ideas and take
advantage of speaal pricing available
from now until the end of our Open
House, (February 13,14, & 15, IHP
Cali 1-800-447-7436 for the location
of a sales office near you l