A2O-Laricattef Farming, Saturday, June 14, 1987
(Continued from Pago At)
promotional people arranged to
rent a helicopter to fly the Satta
zahns back to the farm to do their
milking, and then fly them back to
the fair for the evening award
presentation.
‘The helicopter landed in back
of the silos,” Robert recently
recalled.
The Sattazahns were also fea
tured in some now defunct publi
cations and in the Reading Eagle
for such things as having the first
waste water lagoon built
The lagoon was built to handle
the milkhouse waste water from
their double-sut herringbone par
lor. Measuring 3-feet deep, the
rectangular lagoon still exists and
was built 138 feet long and 66 feet
wide.
It would not fit today’s stan
dards for environmental control
devices on farms, but, when it was
built it was the newest thing, it
worked, and people paid attention.
In 1987, there was a proposal
from a county U.S Soil Conserva
tion Service worker to build upon
the existing lagoon to create a
manure storage facility. Robert
said that proposal didn’t seem to
make as much sense, and he didn’t
feel confident with the plan.
In addition, cost-share funds
weren’t available to him because
the farm is in the Delaware River
Basin, not the Chesapeake Bay
Watershed (the Susquehanna Riv
er Basin) where cost-sharing for
manure storage ponds, equipment
and facilities was being made
available.
Now, with cost-share funds
administered by the state Depart
ment of Conservation and Natural
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enables
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level adjustment of
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Unlike other systems, it is not
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/
IF ITS WORTH YOUR INVESTMENT, TRUST IT TO HERSHEY
TT€RSH€V
Mi EQUIPMENT CO., INC.
Zahnbach Farms
Resources (DCNR), through the
Berks County Conservancy, for
water quality improvement
devices and practices on the Tulpe
hocken Creek and its tributaries,
the Sattazahns are expecting to
very soon see the farm stream’s
banks fenced from cattle.
The Sattazahns sold the deve
lopment rights to their 185-acre
farm through the state and county
Farmland Preservation program.
Robert, a member of the town
ship planning commission for
years (to help protect agricultural
interests, he said), helped push for
establishing an Agricultural Sec
urity Area and getting farmland
preservation underway.
The value of the farmland and
the lack of enough farmland is
becoming more and more appa
rent, according to the Sattazahns.
Recently a rumor somehow was
spread that the Sattazahns were
getting out of farming or selling.
They said they received lots of
phone calls from people looking to
rent and buy. While the whole inci
dent proved somewhat strange, it
also served to reinforce the fact
that the demand and value of the
farm is high for farming.
The herd has been cut back to 75
cows.
The outer surfaces of the facili
ties are showing the wear of serv
ing the Sattazahn family for a long
time. There are some chores that
are starting to get away from the
couple.
Robert is 64, Jane, 61. They said
they intend to farm for a little while
longer, but do intend to retire in
several years.
Robert said he still has plans for
changes on the farm, but he and
You can quickly and easily adjust the feed level as
often as you like.
Prepares For
Jane readily admit that they are
starting to feel their age. There are
more aches and pains, and arthritis,
etc.
The couple is taking it a little
Zahnbach Farms from an aerial view shows the layout and design of a dairy farm
that was leading edge in Its heyday and still remains competitive. A lagoon for milk
house waste water Is above the dairy complex. From the silos, an area under roof for
preparing and delivering feed parallels a 104-stall freestall (though some of the stalls
are not used today) barn, which connects to a double-six herringbone parlor and milk-'
house. The old stone bankbam Is used for storage of some equipment and square
bales. The long building In the lower right Is a bedded pack heifer facility and storage
area for large roundbales. A trench silo, fairly empty in the photograph is to the left.
Further left, Is another outbuilding and corn crib, and left of that is equipment and trac
tor shed and workshop. The main house, believed to have been built In the 1700 s is
partially concealed by trees, though the walkway leading to the door can be seen. The
main farm lane comes between the house and an old summer house in disrepair. The
stream Is to fenced off soon on the farm side, and a spring development project is
planned.
&l(\ Dutchman.
SYCAMORE IND. PARK
255 PLANE TREE DRIVE
LANCASTER, PA 17603
717-393-5807
Next Generation
slower these days.
The family business continues,
but as with all businesses, espe
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dynamics of the business depends
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54 Queen Road, P.O. Box 497
Intercourse, PA 17534
(717)768-7100
Office also in:
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James R. Clark