‘Distinguish Yourself Becomes Natalie's Motto
(Continued from Pago B 2)
reality that life has a beginning and
an end.
Dr. Welch, who witnessed fami
ly tragedy as a farm boy, and Con
nie, his wife, wanted their children
raised on a farm.
“I always wanted my kids to
grow up and see painful situations.
I wanted them to leant responsibil
ity,” commented Dr. Welch. “In
fanning, they got to see both birth
and death. They got an apprecia
tion for life and developed a work
ethic by taking care of the
animals.”
Today, because her parents
began die process in her child
hood, Natalie owns 12 head of ani
mals including a Leadman daught
er Rainbow-C Leadman Jerin-ET,
projected on August 31 this year at
305 days, 27,416 pounds of milk,
678 pounds of fat and 849 pounds
of protein, which is “pretty
impressive” for a first calf heifer,
according to her dad.
Each of their kids, at an early
age, was given one dairy animal
and one steer to raise. Their
parents supplied the feed. Next
year at sale time, the money
recieved was reinvested in another
animal and the balance deposited
in a savings account The kids
learned that the foundation for
their future was being laid.
The 180-acre farm these days no
longer supports an active dairy
because of the clinic and family
activities. About six years ago, the
dairy herd was dispersed because
both parents worked at the White
Oak Veterinary Clinic and Nata
lie’s siblings were off to college.
Until she decides to sell them,
Natalie’s milk cows are lodged
with other area dairymen.
Some 80 heifers are pastured in
the farm’s rotational grazing pad
docks custom care animals, and
heifers belonging to the Welch
kids.
Embryo transfer work is also
done today at the fgrm.
As she was growing up, little did
the knowledgeab’e dairy princess
realize how many dairy facts and
figures were being absorbed into
her mind.
“What she learned about animal
disease, occupation of the fanner
and veterinary work on the farm,
probably prepared Natalie to be a
better dairy princess," observed
her dad. “The dairy bowl technical
pan taught Natalie to be more con
versant,” said her 4-H leader.
Mother Connie is a formidable
coach of dairy bowl teams,
although at first she only helped
the 4-H’ers with their sewing and
beef projects. A year later, in 1983,
she began leading the Junior Hols
tein Dairy Bowl Team and eventu
ally the 4-H Dairy Bowl Team, as
well.
She guesses that she’s trained 60
to 80 quizzers in her career as a
dairy bowl leader. She’s seen two
4-H teams and one Junior Holstein
team make it to the nationals.
“We’ve come close (to national
victory),” she said.
The petite and industrious
mother of four plus several foster
children said that she grabbed her
dairy facts when she could. It was
an ongoing challenge.
“Part of it is just working with it
daily,” she said, “taking notes at
(official) quizzes and reading
magazines. That’s how we pre
pared, I put all these things in ques
tion and answer form.”
This extra-curricular activity
has occupied the last 12 years of
Natalie’s mother’s life and now,
with her last child in college, it
seems natural that thoughts of
grandmothering are beginning to
intrude, the house being empty and
all.
“When my children start having
grandchildren, then I’ll have to get
involved with them,” she said.
The foundation beneath the
princess was also constructed with
the blocks of spirituality laid by
her parents.
Her mother, who teaches Sun
day School, helps with the youth
group and leads allible study for
high school and coUege-aged'girls,
says, “We’ve tried to teach them
and guide thpm spiritually so they
would have faith in God and help
for their major decisions in life.”
The family belongs to the Herit
age Baptist Church in Somerset.
Natalie says she is glad for the
experiences in public speaking that
came from being the state dairy
princess. She developed poise and
confidence in social situations that
could easily have overwhelmed
any young adult, especially when
knowledge of the issue was curcui
al to success.
“I know what people are listen
ing to and paying attention to,” she
said. Still, her favorites are
children.
“Little kids are great,” she said.
“They will say whatever is on then
minds. They are honest and funny,
but really interested, and you see
how serious your influence is,” she
said.
Her treks and appearances
throughtout the state found Nata
lie, who anticipates a career in
research, talking with fanners
everywhere, dairy cooperatives
and other agricultural organiza
tions. Sometimes, her presence
was requested outside Pennsylva
nia, New York, for instance, or the
middle states of Maryland or
Virginia.
Other appearances for the prin
cess were die celebration of hot
ting the 200 millionth gallon of
milk at the Weis Market in Sun
bury, Ag Progress Days, the state
Farm Show, the Philadelphia
Phillies home game honoring
dairy, Farm-City Day in Tioga
County, the Fayette County Health
Fair, the dairy princess training
seminar, the All-American Dairy
Out ig a tour pit. jgi. .
gosl, head coach with the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Welch family includes, from left, Matthew, parents Davis and Connie, Natalie,
and Heather. Jennifer is missing from the picture.
Show in Harrisburg, events in her
native Somerset County and then,
the National Holstein Convention
in Pittsburgh last June. It was
“Real” whipped cream slathered
over her “dairy good” year.
It was at the grass roots level,
however, that Natalie gained a gre
ater awareness of how little people
really understand the importance
of dairy to their daily living.
Unfortunately, too much ignor
ance still exists in the schools
themselves, she discovered
She said that while some
schools do emphasize nutrition in
their curriculum, others don’t and
some teachers have virtually no
knowledge about the relationship
of dairy products to good health.
Nor have they heard of the
“Real” seal that designates com
mercial dairy products as being
honest-to-goodncss pure.
Putting her best foot forward as
the Pennsylvania State Dairy Prin
cess capped a personal victory for
the 18-year-old graduate of the
Berlin-Brothersvalley High
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 23,1985-B3
„ Chester County, as the one with
School. the irrepressible sense of humor;
Her older siblings, Natalie an( j s j ster Heather, a Bob Jones
a ways thought, were very accom- Univen% student , M out
phshed at what they did and she standin ' athle|e of bunch .
admired them. She saw eldest sis- And * vcn she cen
ter Jennifer, who is now anengi- to do so> Natalie Dawn
neer with a degree from the Massa- We i chknows sheha s sethermind
chusette Institute of Technology, to g a j n somed ,ing and succeeded,
as the brains of the Welch outfit; That unique accomplishment will
and brother, Matt, who took two ncver be stolen because its value is
years at Penn State and is now locked inside her
managing a heifer operation in “Distinguish Yourself.”
Jennifer Welch
the oldest of the
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