irectors Reelected
Quaker Farm Astrojet Sue, 3-03,
30.178 M, 1.013 F, 915 P.
County three-yr. old second
place winner for milk, fat and pro
tein was Lauren Lynch’s
Lyncholm L Dixiecrat Angie at
3-00, 29.325 M, 969 F. 910 P.
County four-yr. old winner for
milk and protein, and second place
fat was Hill-A-Way Heiden Ariel,
No Worry About Excess Soil Moisture On Berks Conservation Farm
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
MECKVILLE (Berks Co.) Glenn and Karen
Musser and family consider themselves more fortu
nate than others who may face catastrophic losses of
farmland because of melting snow and rain in the
southeastern portion of the state.
In some places on the drive through Lebanon
County (which borders their land), some say it looks
like a miniature Minnesota, a land labeled for its
lakes.
Areas are so wet that, in some spots, com crops
won’t go in this year.
But for the Mussers, dairy fanners who were
recently honored as the Beiks County Conservation
Farmers of the Year, only a small area on a field is
still considerably wet
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owned by Desirae Hillegass at
4-07, 28.808 M, 971 F. 849 P.
She also owned the first place
four-yr. old winner for fat and sec
ond place winner in four-yr. old
for milk and protein, with Miss
HiU-A-Way Elvan Kayla, at 4-02,
27.486 M, 1.022 F, 845 P.
Five yr. old and over winner for
milk, fat and protein was Berkline
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indications point to FOR( I
Mars Tony Belle at 9-03,
27.693 M, 1.057 F, 887 P. Owner is
Donna Philipp.
Scott Ream’s five-yr. old,
Dividing-Ridge Chairman Ireney
was second with milk at 25.735 M.
Five-yr. old and over second
place winner few fat and protein
was Andy Lynch’s Lyncholm
Enchantment Louella, 1.024 F,
At one time, before tiles were installed to take
care of the water, soil moisture may have been a big
concern. But since the installation of more than
13,000 feet of tiles, the Mussers are breathing a sigh
of relief that, soon, planting can get under way.
Glenn, who farms with wife Karen and sons
Gary, 6 and Travis, 3, moved to the farm in 1989. In
1992, the Mussers signed up with the district to have
conservation practices placed on the farm.
In the spring of 1992, the Mussers installed a cir
cular concrete manure storage structure with a
capacity of 300,000 gallons. Then, with help from
ASCS, strips and contours were layed out according
to a plan to reduce soil erosion and to allow the fer
tile valleys to remain profitable.
“When we first moved up here, there were only
one or two fields that were farmed the past year,”
864 P,
As president of the Junior Hols
tein Club, Miller’s job included
capsulating the year’s events.
However, the naturally winsome
young man’s engaging delivery
had the guests roaring with
delight. Few seemed to care what
he said, because they got lost in
how he said it.
rf'
Force
*9 *
lh HtywiiM Chm
Lancaster Fanning, Saturdiv. April 9, 1994-A2l
Lewis and Barbara Berkley.
Berlin, are on the committee plan
ning the 1995 National Holstein
Convention slated for Pittsburgh.
“I guarantee it will be a showcase
sale, not only for Pennsylvania,
but for the United States,” stated
Berkley in urging attendance from
the Somerset Co. Holstein Club
members.
said Glenn, who, with the help from his father,
Rufus, purchased the farm. “The rest were just left
go”
Rufus moldboard-plowed the land in the winter,
so much of it was ready for planting in the spring.
Musser quickly adopted a plan to use minimum
tillage and some no-till on the land. The minimum
tillage involves chisel plowing and discing.
Musser raises about 160 acres of crops, including
about 60 acres of hay, 90 acres of com, and about 10
acres of soybeans. He uses a cover crop on some of
the com —about 25 acres which is used as a for
age in the spring. The rest is disced under to contri
bute to the fertilization and organic buildup of the
soil.
Musser no-tills about 20 acres.
The dairyman said it “took a year or two before
we had it down. And we’re still learning a lot.
“We’re doing quite a bit of strip-cropping now
and we still have a few waterways to put in,” he
said.
When he began working the land, there were a lot
of “obnoxious” weeds, be said. Included were
Johnsongrass and some other troublesome weeds,
“which we’re still dealing with. You can’t get rid of
that in two years.”
They also installed some contouring, which
includes about 30 acres to keep erosion down. Foru
nately, the remainder of the tillable land is flat
enough that only strips are needed (about 90 acres
altogether).
For the dairy fanners, the winter was nothing if
not trying. They did their best to maintain the 68
Holstein cows (58 milking) of 80 percent registered
and the rest grade, including 70 head of replacement
stock. Fortunately, with help from their township
supervisor John Brown, the lanes got plowed in time
to move the milk truck in.
The last snowstorm, which dumped more than a
foot of snow, the township called the Mussers and
asked for the schedule of the milk truck. “(Brown)
called up before the snow actually hit, because he
wanted to get the schedule so he could get in,” said
Karen.
The last winter was nothing like the Blizzard of
'93, which left many farmers unprepared. At that
time, Glenn remembers the cows that had to be held
back for two hours of milking before the truck could
make it through.
This time, using a V-plow, it took only a short
time to open the lane to get the truck in.
Because of the severe cold in mid-January this
year, several water troughs in the bam were getting
“tacky,” or near-frozen, and that caused some
problems.
“We were worried that a couple of the calves
might freeze,” said Karen. “We wrapped them in a
blanket”
Karen said that the wind chill that time ‘ ‘seemed
colder than when it was 20 or 30 degrees below.”
Also, the snow melt on top of the manure storage
structure caused it to fill quickly. They were forced
to empty the structure because of the extra load.
Glenn credits Dave Yonkers of the ASCS office
in Berks County for helping with installing all the
conservation practices and for the honor.
“Dave really helped me out,” saidMusser. “Ifit
wouldn’t be for him, I don’t think we’d be where we
are now.”
As for the honor, Musser hopes that his experi
ences can prove valuable to other farmers in dealing
with stressful elements such as the weather and the
behavior of the soil.
Musser also credits his success in farming to his
father, Rufus, who helped him get started in farm
ing. “If it wouldn’t be for Dad, I wouldn’t be here.”
Musser wants to someday merchandise his regis
tered cattle. He has already sold some of his herd to
Saudia Arabia and farmers in western Pennsylvania.
In addition, during the summer, the dairy farmer
does custom round baling for neighbors.
He also has help on the farm from a neighbor,
Matthew Bennetch, full-time.
Also, there are other conservation practices
Musser wants to install in the future, including
“more tiling and waterways,” he said.