A26-Lancaslar Farming, Saturday, March 19, 1994
VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Farming Staff
CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin
Co.) A busload of Lancaster
County Holstein enthusiasts
toured four Franklin County farms
Tuesday and were provided with a
look at a variety of operational phi
losophies and setups.
The tour, an annual event spon
sored by the Lancaster County
Holstein Club, visited Fountain
Farm and Tower Vue Holsteins,
located south of Carlisle: Tri-Day
Though not at fancy as soma get, the freestall facility at
Tri-Day Farm provides comfort and cleanliness for their
herd of registered Holsteins.
Harry . jmpson > breeding philosophies
with members of the Lancaster County Holstein tour to
Franklin County.
of the Lancaster County Holstein tour group examine the calf-raisina
lies at Fountain Farm and Tower Vue Holsteins. 8
faeill
Lancaster Holstein Club Tours Franklin County
Farm in Shippensburg; Tidy-
Brook Farm in Greencasde; and
Stoner Hijos Farm in Mcrccrsburg.
Larry Kennel, DVM, of Mount
Joy, was tour guide. Kennel does
flushing and embryo transfer work
and is familiar with several of the
operations visited.
The range of Holstein work
demonstrated during the tour pro
vided a contrast between breeding
for index against breeding for type,
the types of facilities which can be
used to achieve, and techniques
Alan Meyers, left, talks about the pedigree, production and marketing opportunities
on his Elton daughters, which carry a high index for protein index, while father Mark,
stands at the doorway, and tour members look on.
This 3-year-old, 86-polnt Elton daughter Is Tidy-Brook Elton Steph-ET, one of many
daughters out of Tidy-Brook Sally Ned Boy at the Tidy-Brook Farm owned by Mark and
Alan Meyers. Sally’s Elton daughters currently lead the registered Holstein breed in
predicted transmitting ability tor protein.
employed to achieve success.
Most all farms visited are either
well known for show successes or
for genetic successes. Except for
the Stoner Hijos Farm, all farms
were more traditionally sized.
The exception, Stoner Hijos
Farm, consists of a new commer
cial frees tall, drive-through facili
ty for 500 cows, a double-16 milk
ing parlor with rapid exit and they
farm 1,300 acres. They also main
tain a 500 hog operation.
The first farm visited. Fountain
Farm and Tower Vue Holsteins, is
a 500-acre, two-farm setup run by
the Harry Thompson and David
Walton families.
The operation featured a 73 tie
stall facility and a double-four
milking parlor, built in 1989.
Thompson has been using a new
quick-thaw method of embryo
transfer under the guidance of Dr.
William Pettit
The Thompsons had farmed in a
joint operation on 12S acres in
New Jersey, but were surrounded
by real estate developments, shop
ping malls and an industrial park.
They sold that last remnant of
rural! ty and with their share pur
chased the 500 acres in Franklin
County. The soil is much different.
a pair of Exeailant-00 Holatains at Tri-Day
Farm ana Tri-Day Starbuck Sahara and Tri-Day Starbuck
Roxia.
however. The first year the farmed
in Franklin County they had a
complete crop Mure bctausc of
drought. On the old farm, they nev
er had a crop failure.
Further south, Curtis and Ann
Day and children operate Tri-Day
Farm in Shippensburg, and have
been involved with youth prog
rams and educational events, in
addition to showing.
(Turn to Pago AST)