Eio-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 5,1993
GAY N. BROWNLEE
Somerset Co. Correspondent
SOMERSET (Somerset Co.)
If it’s a fine day and you happen to
visit George and Audrey Stahl at
their Somerset location, you may
not want to leave the serene Dairy
of Distinction farm setting. It’s
scenic, restful, and beautiful.
It’s where they raised their five,
now-adult children, of whom two
are sons (full-fledged farmers),
and three are daughters who cer
tainly enjoy coming home. Said
Stahl “Kathy (Shriner, Mounds
ville. W.Va.) will be in the bam 10
minutes after she gets here.”
With Tim and David, the father
and son trio does most die field and
crop work on the 400-acre, 1782
bicentennial farm that George
(sixth generation there) and
Audrey purchased in 1970 from
his folks. They switched houses in
the deal.
So milking the 70-head Holstein
herd twice daily often finds
Audrey digging in with everybody
else. Daughter Sandra Popemack,
who lives nearby with her family,
comes around regularly to help.
The Stahl dairy figures rank
With their . year-old gracious farmhouse behind , George at
of Somerset stand on the front walk with their dog, Teddy.
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George and Audrey Stahl of Somerset stand beside their Dairy of Distinction sign.
Stahls Lead Family Dairy
high in the DHIA county reports
that are regularly released. Stahl
said that two of his cows, for the
first time in 1992, were classified
Excellent
Much has changed over the
years. Stahl said that when they
bought the farm, butterfat pro
duced was 450 pounds. In 1975,
milk production was 16,000
pounds and butterfat was 630. Last
year, 1992, the Stahl herd averaged
more than 24,000 pounds of milk
and 950 pounds of butterfat Stahl
said.
He credits improved feed qual
ity with the higher herd productivi
ty. Probably the biggest factor in
achieving that improvement was
investing in a big Harvestore silo
for haylage.
“Prior to that we tried to bale
Truth to tell, each person is 100
busy to sit around talking, so it
isn’t surprising when Stahl says
those subjects are often the
milking-time topics, discussed as
they work together.
“We don’t make snap deci
sions,” he said, adding that indivi
dual opinions differ and they have
disagreements, but they com-
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promise.
Stahl believes there are three
critical areas of expertize for
today’s fanner. He must know
how to manage his herd, his crops,
and his finances. “For any success
ful farmer, you probably should be
on top of these,” he said.
“We really need more money
for what we do,” said Stahl. “I
would like to see all farm organiza
tions join in unison and to see
direction. They are the voice of the
farmer and need good leadership.
Most farmers don’t have the time
to actively campaign and. until
there is unison, we won’t get far.
“The majority of farmers are
doing a fine job,” Stahl said. “We
are stewards of the soil, but every
body falls short once in awhile.”
Occasionally, a traveler on the
Pennsylvania Turnpike, which
flanks a portion of the Stahl farm,
will arrive for a visit, since the
house and bam are readily visible
from the busy, multilane highway.
One such person was the mother
of an animal rights activist from
another state. Through his hospit
able. yet honest attitude, Stahl had
an opportunity to explain and
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Near Somerset
GAY BROWNLEE
Somerset Co. Correspondent
Gay Brownlee with her father, Walter Klllius.
Gay Brownlee says that life is
sweet when you make somebody
happy and that’s exactly what she
was able to do when the Reader’s
Digest recently bought her contri
bution for their “Heroes For
Today” feature in the June 1993
issue.
The hero was a local drugstore
owner who ceremoniously
burned all the tobacco products
($2,000 worth) in his store and
his license to sell them, vowing to
demonstrate how well his cows are
cared for. She was far better
informed when she left than when
she came. Plus she had gained
accurate on-site facts to later relay
to the daughter, who had never vis
ited any facility against which she
was demonstrating in behalf of the
animals she wanted to save.
“The story isn’t being told about
agriculture,’’ Stahl said. He
believes there must be a better way
to inform the public about where
their food cornea from.
Audrey tends the beautiful lawn
herself that surrounds the gracious
107-year-old farmhouse. On the
other side of the rural roadway, she
has a big vegetable garden from
which she fills several freezers and
canning jars during the late sum
mer harvest
A number of years ago, the
Stahls cheerfully hosted the Some
every thing,” Stahl said, “and could
not get it dry enough. Now we
seem to have a much better quality
feed.”
Having high-moisture com has
also improved feed quality, he
said, and they started using a nutri
tionist Donnie Witt
Stahl said the protein percentage
in their milk stays constant in the
ready
Deere tractor. He Is part of the Stahl family dairy farming
operation near Somerset.
sell no tobacco products.
The writer was her good
friend, Madolin Edwards, whose
name accompanied the story first
published by the local daily
newspaper some IS months ago
(they say good things come to
those who wait).
Children also sweeten life. So
with a new grandson in the family
circle to join his one 10-year-old
(almost) male cousin as her only
grandchildren, Brownlee isn’t
complaining.
20 to 22 range. He said the biggest
factors in the DHIA regarding the
cows that are being milked are
nutrition and breeding.
Their forage samples are tested
at the Bigertone Lab.
“If they (cows) are standing dry
too long, it’s going to hurt in
DHIA,” he said. “Cows are just
like we are when the nutritionist
comes and they don’t feel good.”
Stahl said he looks at the DHIA
figures to see where the operation
is going.
It’s an asset that David attended
Penn State, and Tim, diesel
mechanic school. Their varied
knowledge, combined with Stahl’s
experience, have built a good busi
ness base.
Tim and his wife have a daught
er but David is unmarried. Their
youngest sister, Vicki, a former
Somerset County dairy princess
and student at Waynesburg Col
lege, has a summer job and cur
rently lives at home.
Stahl and Audrey vividly recall
an outbreak of mastitis some years
ago that threatened extinction of
their entire dairy herd. But some
how that didn’t happen. They had
six cows to abort within two days.
(Turn to Pag* Ell)