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EVERETT NEWSWANGER
Managing Editor
LEESPORT, (Berks Co.)
Now it can be said that Outstanding
Farm Family winners in Berks
County propagate Outstanding
Farm Family winners in Berks
County.
Each year the Reading Fair, in
conjunction with the Pamona
Grange, honors a Berks County
farm family that has shown leader
ship and achievement in the farm
community. The 1995 winners are
Ray and Frances Davis and their
three children, Jeffrey, 23;
Michael, 22, and Jennifer, 19.
But this all started back in 1967
when Ray’s family, the Luther
Davis family from Fleetwood, won
the award, and in 1969 when
Frances’ family, the Leroy Heck
family, from Leesport, was the
winner. Ray and Frances were
married Aug. 2, 1969, and that
started the next generation of out
standing farm families in Berks
County.
Home for the Davises became a
20 acre farmette where they raised
chickens, turkeys, and muscovy
ducks. At age 8. each of the child
ren received a registered Holstein
calf as a 4-H project. These calves
and heifers were raised on the far
mette until they were ready to
calve. Then the children’s aunt and
uncle offered to take the cows on
their 100-acre farm to milk.
The children kept raising heif
ers, and by 1989, Jeffery and
Michael were ready to graduate
from high school, and unlike many
farm boys, they wanted to farm. So
in November a small farm, located
about four miles from their home,
was purchased. The house isn’t
large enough to accommodate five
Princess pageant.
The Next Generation Is Now
Berks County’s Outstanding Farm Family
adults, so the boys moved into the
farmhouse while Ray, Frances, and
Jennifer stayed at the farmette.
The new farm was named JMJ
Spring Pond Farm after the first ini
tial of each of the children’s names.
Today, both boys are employees on
the family farm, and both parents
work an eight-hour off-farm job:
Ray at Dana Corp Parish in Read
ing as a welder and Frances as a
customer service representative at
The First Naional Bank of Lees
port. Jennifer is a sophmore at the
Berks Campus of Penn State,
majoring in dairy animal science
and works part-time at Way-Har
Dairy Store.
On the farm, Jennifer feeds and
cares for the calves and heifers and
watches for health problems at the
farmette. Oh, yes, you may know,
she has just recently been crowned
the 1995-1996 Berks County dairy
princess, too.
Michael grew into the cow man
of the family. He said he had no
interest in cows until he started
working at his uncle’s farm. With
maturity and the experience with
his first 4-H calf, Michael deve
loped the love of animals that is
required for a dairyman. The
21,389 m herd average on 64 head
gives some indication of the care
the cows get under his manage
ment. And the cows arc big pets.
For example, the two year-old,
just-fresh heifer that was the
reserve grand champion at the
Kutztown Fair two weeks ago will
stand untied and nuzzle her mana
ger’s hair just to show everything is
all right between them. The cows
are housed in a new freestall barn
and milked in the old tie stalls with
pipeline milkers.
Jeffery is the field man working
Jeffery works the fields.
JMJ SPRIN6PONB FARM
The official registered
Holstein sign shows the JMJ
prefix that was derived from
the first letter of each of the
children’s names.
best with the big tractors and
equipment This is no small job
because the Davis family farms
407 acres in Penn and Bern town
ships. Clover, Orchard* and
Timothy hay and haylage is made
from 126 acres. Com is planted on
175 acres for silage and grain.
Other crops on the farm include
wheat, barley, oats, and soybeans.
The crops are rotated to utilize the
ground to its fullest potential. A
special emphasis is given to con
servation and wildlife preservation
with contour and strip fanning, and
a farm pond in the meadow.
Ray is known as the handyman
around the farm, and Frances hand
les the financial end of the fanning
business.
Over the years the children have
shown their 4-H animals at Kutz
town and Reading Fairs, the Fasten
Championship Show, the fall and
spring shows in Harrisburg, and
the Pennsylvania Farm Show. The
family has received many ribbons
and trophies, including the premier
exhibitor award at Kutztown Fair
in 1992. Currently, among the
. t- '(■UN*
This row of registered Holsteins get plenty to eat.
This row of cows with quality udders shows the good
genetics that have come Into the herd that started from 4-H
projects.
children, they own 50 of the 114
head of registered Holsleins on the
farm.
“The entire family enjoys get
ting together with relatives and
going to church," Frances said.
“When it comes to participation at
different fairs, we all pitch in to get
all the work completed Most of all
we have to work together. Each
person is capable of performing
whatever task turns up, whether it
be in the bam, field, or home.
Cooperation and good manage
ment is needed for a family to work
together.”
The Davis family will be hon-
;«rMr
ored at the annual banquet sche
duled for next Wednesday evening
at the Fleetwood Grange Hall.
At the same time two outstand
ing 4-H and two outstanding FFA
youths will be honored.
The4-H winners are JTRamsay,
son of Jack and Susan Ramsay,
Boyertown; and Stephanie Wojs
zwillo, daughter of Craig and Joan
ne Wojszwillo, Reading.
JT is a seven-year member of the
Top Notch 4-H Equestrians and
was the teen leader of the clubs
community service project—a
food drive for the Boyertown
Michael takes cars of the cows.
Iff*'
(Turn to Pag* A 33)