Togetherness Marks Family
(Continued from Page B 2)
child is 20, he or she should have a
small herd or at least enough ani
mals to get them started in farm
ing. Or, if they prefer, they can sell
the animals to pay for college edu
cation or do whatever business
endeavor they want
‘The savings keep multiply
ing,” he said.
Unfortunately, Sandra, who is
the oldest, said that she has had a
lot of bad luck with he mimals.
Although she does ow. .3 cows,
she said that she really should have
more, but one calf fell down the
hay mow and others suffered simi
lar misfortunates.
Gross said, “I don’t push the
kids into going into farming. I
want them to decide what they
want to do. Then my wife and I
support their decision and do
everything we can to help them
reach that goal.”
But he and his wife, Marilyn, are
extremely proud that four high
school students from non-farm
backgrounds whom they hired part
time liked farming so much that
they are now in full-time farming.
Despite the high cost of farms,
kids are able to start up in farming
today, David maintains because
“someone in their 20s can do
almost anything he or she wants if
they are willing to put in lots of
hours and effort. And if they don’t
start up with new equipment and
farm in counties with high-priced
inks
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THOMAS POWER
EQUIPMENT
Avondale, PA
21S-388-2181
R.S. HOLLINGER &
SON, INC.
Mountvllla, PA
717-285-4838
N.H. FLICKER &
SONS, INC.
Maxatawnay, PA
215-683-7252
land such as Berks.”
The children and the teen-agers
who work on the Gross farm, are
required to take a farm safety
course.
“You can never be too safe,” he
said.
Operating equipment safely also
has its recreational advantages.
The bookshelves in the family’s
home are filled with more than SO
trophies for tractor pulls won by
Gross and his son Michael.
“While most babies take teddy
bears to bed, Michael took a trac
tor,” Gross said.
Gross said that his philosophy
for a happy family is dependent
upon priorities.
“I don’t put myself too near the
top. I try to put God first, others
second, and me third. That makes
it easier for others to live with me,”
he said.
David and his wife, Marilyn,
own 120 acres and farm 320 acres.
In addition to 5S Holsteins and 60
heifers, they have 11 pigs, 3
horses, 1 pony, 70 ducks, 2 dogs,
and 20 cats.
As much as Gross loves farm
ing. he almost quit in 1980. That
was the year, his herd got infected
with bovine lacosis virus. He lost
12 cows in one year.
“It’s like cancer • there’s
nothing to do to stop it,” Gross
said.
When he first contacted the
Department of Agriculture, he said
that they thought he was silly for
ECKROTH BROS.
FARM EQUIPMENT
Now Ringgold, PA
717-943-2131
PIPERSVILLE
GARDEN
CENTER
Pipmvllle, PA NESLEY
215-766-0414 EQUIPMENT CO.
Potutown, PA
215-469-6391
BANGOR
IMPLEMENT
Bangor, PA
21S-888-5924
being worried about the virus.
They did not consider it to be a ser
ious contagious disease.
According to David, it is esti
mated that 25 to 30 percent of cows
have the virus but only S percent
show clinical signs.
With those statistics, the Gross
family does not understand why
the virus was so insidious to their
herd.
David said, “Back then, I said if
I end up with less than IS cows,
I’m going to quit farming.”
The herd dwindled to exactly
IS. David did not quit.
“I started selling a lot of hay
from the 500 acres I rented.”
But David liked cows better
than field work. From the hay pro
fits, he began slowly to rebuild the
herd to 60 head.
The memory of that toss brought
some changes in the way Gross
buys cows. He insists that every
cow he purchases be tested for the
virus. It costs $7 a head, but Gross
is convinced it’s worth it to have a
certified-free herd. He believes
testing should be a requirement for
all catde sold, and that people
should be willing to pay more for a
certified-free cow and for embryo
transplant work.
’ The Gross herd went on test in
1984. They went from 14,000
pounds to 19,000.
Gross credits the increase to bet
ter feeding and management.
Instead of selling his best hay, as
he had been doing, he feeds it to his
tors,
decks
-on,
nts
oods
\ine
son"
ter.
LAMBS FARM
MACHINERY
Thorndale, PA
215-269-2676
cows.
“It seems to work a lot better
that way than trying to make up the
lack with feeding supplements,”
he said.
Progressive changes have been
made since Gross took over the
family farm in 1963. He put in a
pipeline and put up silos. He feeds
a total mixed ration and is making
a switch to a registered herd.
“Housing is coming from every
direction,” Dave said about the
encroachment on their farmland.
“I’m not sure that I want to be the
last farm in the neighborhood.”
They strive to maintain friendly
neighborhood contacts by warning
neighbors that they will be spread
ing manure so the neighbors do not
hang out their wash or plan out
door cooking.
Duck manure is spread on the
fields.
“It really makes crops grow and
it’s a lot cheaper,” Gross said. “It
also smells like the pits.”
Some of the neighbors told him,
“We will pay for your fertilizer if
you promise not to spread manure.
Dave said. “1 told them it will
cost $4O to $5O an acre for
fertilizer.”
Needless to say the neighbors
withdrew their offer and vowed to
put up with the smell.
“If my children want to farm,
there isn’t room to expand here,”
Gross said. “I may need to sell to
help them buy farms in a more rea
sonably priced county.”
Whatever the future holds.
Gross said, “The farm belongs to
the kids.”
Marilyn said the farm’s names,
SMAK-B, is derived from the first
initial of each child’s name. For
many years, it was called SMAK
Farm. “Then Brian came as a sur
prise,” she said.
Marilyn said that as a former
city girl, she found it easy to adapt
to working with the animals, but
she has never been able to adjust to
early rising. Although David goes
6> the bam at S a.m., Marilyn waits
until after the children are at school
before she feeds the heifers and
helps in the bam.
Her enthusiasm for farm life
spread to her parents who moved
from New Jersey to live within a
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mile of the Gross’s farm
Marilyn said. “My dad helps out
by fixing things he is the
mechanic.”
David’s parents live in half of
the farm house during the summer
months when his father works as a
hired hand. In the winter, his
parents vacation in Florida.
Sandra said, “If I didn’t live on a
farm, I would be lost Everything I
do FFA, dairy princess respon
sibilities, 4-H it is all centered
around farming. It makes me feel
good to know that I am filling my
time with something worthwhile
that will help me in the future.”
Sandra received the FFA Key
stone and Star Chapter Farmers
Degree.
She is secretary of the Tulpe
hocken FFA. At school, Sandra is a
member of the National Honor
Society and the Prom Promise
committee.
Sandra was one of 10 members
of the Pennsylvania Council of
Cooperatives who was sent to
compete nationally at Colorado
where she was chosen to be in the
top five who will return as a leader
next year.
She is active in the Mohrsville
Church of the Brethren choir and
youth group.
Fulfilling both Berks County
and Pennsylvania alternate dairy
princess duties takes precedent
over everything else for Sandra.
She said, “I have other years to
do other things, but this year I want
to keep as busy as possible doing
promotions. The worse thing for
me is to sit at home without a
promotion.”
Sandra said, “Dreams take
work. My goal as a dairy princess
is to educate people, especially
kids, about milk. Many children
believe that milk comes from the
supermarket.”
She tells the children that the
cow is responsible to keep the milk
fresh, but once it is in the carton, it
is our responsibility to put it in the
refrigerator to insure its great taste
and freshness.
She takes a bag of things used
around the farm such as strip cup,
balling gun. pill, syringe and tells
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