Time Away From Chores
(Continuad from Pago A 1)
harder and harder to be positive
about forming. I think that’s where
a lot of dairy families ate today,
because it all leads back to the
income that farmers are getting.”
While doing all they can to cut
costs, one item that has to remain is
time away from the chores. To do
so, a neighbor provides relief milk
ing one weekend every month.
It is the conservation work that
the Umbles completed during the
years that ensured the well-being
of the farm itself to future
generations.
Ken and Marilyn Umble were
honored recently by the Chester
Conservation District for their
work to install and maintain soil
erosion control practices on their
farm.
This is nothing new for the
Umbles. Since the early 19S0s,
Ken’s father, Harold, began put-
Marilyn spoke about some of the positive things about working on a farm, such as
learning a deep sense of responsibility. She told them, “I know you feel like you have
too much. We all do sometimes, but you really will be better off.”
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ting in contour strips, which con
tinued throughout the yean, until
Harold signal with the district in
1967.
In the 19705, waterways were
installed at the farm. In 1981, Ken
and Marilyn purchased the animals
and equipment. That same year,
the Umbles installed a
185,000-gallon underground man
ure pit
In 1987, the Umbles purchased
the form itself. Not too long after,
in 1992, the Umbles signed a Che
sapeake Bay contract to cost-share
the construction of a eight- by
60-foot circular concrete manure
storage structure.
In the spring of 1994, three
streambank crossings were
installed. Ken used concrete slat
ted slabs, measuring four by 16
feet, on a bed of stones, as stream
bank protective crossings. The
slabs were once used in a hog con-
In 1992, the Umbles signed a Chesapeake Bay contract to cost-share the construc
tion of a eight- by 60-foot circular concrete manure storage structure.
Lancaattr Farming, Saturday, Much 9,1996-A29
The Umbles manage a dairy composed of 175 animals,
out of which they are milking 83, all registered Holstelns, on
TMR. Their latest DHIA records include 22,768 pounds of
milk, 821 pounds of fat, and 733 pounds of protein. For their
TMR, they work with a Cochranvllle nutritionist.
finement building.
That same year, Ken installed streambantc
fencing using regular single-strand, high tensile
fence.
In all, many conservation improvements have
been made to Glen Valley Farm, including 900
feet of grassed waterway, 32 acres of contour
farming, 53 acres of controur strip cropping, and
58 acres of a planned grazing system. According
to the district, 90 percent of the conservation plan
is implemented.
Ken indicated that only 18 acres of contour
strips are needed to be installed to complete the
conservation plan.
Ken said he grows a total of 150 tillable acres,
with 30 acres of no-till, some on rented ground.
All told, he manages 85 acres of com, 50 acres of
alfalfa, and 30 acres of small grains double
cropped into soybeans.
The Umbles manage a dairy composed of 175
animals, out of which they are milking 83, all
registered Holsteins, on TMR. Their latest DHIA
records include 22,768 pounds of milk, 821
pounds of fat, and 733 pounds of protein. For
their TMR, they work with a Cochranville
nutritionist
For Ken, it was important to get a good crop
cover on soil with little residue, specifically acres
devoted to com silage. Also, contour and strip
cropping has meant more planning and
responsibility.
Some of those practices arc time-consuming
and often difficult, but Marilyn said that “we
know in the long run it is the best thing to do.
Money or not, it should be done," she said.
The purpose of conservation organizations is
“not to make fanning difficult, that’s not why
they’re initiating some of these programs at all, ’ ’
she said. “It’s to stop erosion and to keep your
farm workable.
“It’s for our children’s benefit, too.”
Ken admitted that many farmers would not be
able to comply with the Bay Program unless
money was available. Many dairies are too
strapped financially to come up with extra
money to install a manure structure or put in
streambank crossings.
(Turn to Pag* A 33)