Bill and Peg Kline and their son Lynn are shown In the lawn of their new Dairy of Distinction farm located northeast of Elversor. in Berks County. The new milking parlor and the old small white bank barn on the left repre- The Kline Family Progressively Improves Their Dairy Facilities EVERET*' NEWSWANGER Managing Editor ELVERSON (Berks Co.) It all started 42 years ago when new lyweds Bill and Peg Kline bought a farm that had an old log house built by the Indians in 1818 and a bam that was built in 1851, plus a few other out-buildings. From this begining when the elder Kline milked cows by hand, a bucket milker was added to the barn. Later, a pipeline was installed. Along the way, addition al frees tall buildings were erected to house the cows and heifers. And silos and manure storge systems were installed on the farmstead. Most recently, in 1993, a modem milking parlor was built that puts the farm in position to enter the Dairy Ar of M Distinction Dairy of Distinction Supplement to Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 29,1995 technological era of computers. When they started to farm. Peg said they would only last 10 years. But their only son Lynn took an interest in farming and now he is the one who keeps improving the place. Today the original house has additions, but a unique sandstone fireplace that was uncovered in the restoration process lends authen ticity to the historic building. The old bam bank bam is still used, and the original silo is now used for grain. Rocky Hollow Farms Is Fifth Generation Dairy VERNON ACHENBACH JR. Lancaster Farming Staff CONFLUENCE (Somerset Co.) A confluence is a place where two running waters meet and form a larger, stronger flow. Rocky Hollow Farm is an 800-acre dairy farm located near the town of Confluence, a place where the Youghiogheny River and the Casselman River meet and become one. The Dairy of Distinction is a family farm operated by the father son “confluence" of Eldbn and sent a span of 42 years of progressive Improvements at the farm. Photo by Evaratt Nawswangar, managing adltor. A herd of between 110 and 120 Holsteins average 20,000 pound of milk. Additional rented land was added to the farming operation this year, bringing in the farming oper ation to 500 acres. This year mini mum no-till practices were used, and the crops look good. But Lynn says they are still learning how to use these less costly methods for planting. They strive to grow out the heif ers so they can come into the milk ing string at 24 months. But more Mark Scchkr, respectively repre senting fourth and fifth generation family on the farm. Formed in 1981, the father-son partnership owns 800 acres and rents additional ground to raise a total of about 150 acres alfala hay, 175 acres of com, and about 75 acres of barley tc feed their 115-head, closed milking string of registered and grade Holsteins. Mark and Sandy have three children; Ryan, 12, Angela, 10, and Brandon, 5. Ryan and Angela show 4-H project animals. They live in * , -*• -S 1 attention is paid to the size of the heifer than to her age when making this management decision. Personnel from the feed com pany, the breeding organization, and the veterinarian are used as consultants to the farming opera tion. “I depend on the people who provide the services to help me manage the farm,” Lynn said. ‘The feed company provides the formu las, and we have come to bust their judgment The artificial breeding technician knows the mating sys- one house on the farm, while Eldon and Loretta live in another. The farmstead itself sits along Rt. 281, a main Somerset thor oughfare that courses through the town of Confluence, where the two rivers- meet Sitting in a:, area marked by deep, twisting cuts of the rivers and their narrow valleys, the farm was obviously named after the terrain. Because of the terrain, the Sec hlers have been using no-till prac tices on about two-thirds of the acreage planted to com. Mark said tem and what strengths our cows need better than I do. So we depend on them to make the proper mat ings for us. And we get a lot of advice from the veterinarian too.” The cows are kept in the bam when the weather is hot It is cooler in the bam with the fans going, and the cows don’t even want to go out side. The older cows mind the heat more than the younger ones. Of course, the cows milk well. During one recent period of time (Turn to P«fl* 2) they have been doing the practice for about 17 years, because of the rolling hills and rock which would otherwise erode. All additional farm acreage is used for pasture, especially since this past spring, when the Sechlers began working to integrate inten sive grazing into their herd management With several streams on the property, grazing is made easier because ensuring adequate water in pasture without creating (Turn to Page 35) **m ttk 1 " *■.!•*.
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