Page 2i—6alry of'Distinction Supplement to Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 26, 1997
Jo-San Dairy Farm Is Susquehanna County Dairy Of Distinction
(Continued from Pago 23)
farm failure was poor manage
mem.
But now, being in direct com
petition with international milk
supplies produced with different
regulations, cheap labor and land,
and long distance hauling, and
having the increasingly high over
head and taxes and real estate val
ues. a farmer doesn’t need to give
any excuses for having a dairy
farm failure. It isn’t his fault.
“Expenses are sky high, but I
can do it (continue to farm),
because I lived poor all my life and
I know how to do it.
“And that’s the worst pan.
(Dairy fanners) keep hoping all the
investment and time, the desire to
own the farm... will pay off.
“If I were a true businessman, I
wouldn’t be farming.”
He bemoaned the price of milk
he receives compared to the price
of a farm truck he is asked to pay.
“Why is it,” he asked, “that I get
the same price for milk that I did in
1977?”
That was the year that he bought
his current uninspectable pickup
truck (for regular road use) for
which he paid $3,800 new.
He said the same-use model
offered by the same manufacturer
is closer to $38,000 today.
The disparity in value growth is
large.
Pavelski even joined a group of
dairymen to march on Washington
D.C. on July IS in an attempt to
bring some sense of fairness to
dairy pricing.
Some fanners perceive wide
spread deceit and greed on the part
of management decisions in retail,
marketing and processing; they
sense that competitiveness has got
ten out of control and decisions are
being made for goals other than
sustaining the health of an
industry.
Some sense that executives are
playing with the price of milk that
farmers get in order to win market
ing chess games and that farmers
are dispensable pawns.
Some see government’s role in
poor dairy prices in several diffe
rent ways: being in the way just
enough to allow retailers and pro
cessors enough excuses and legal
obstacles to be able to reduce the
price of milk to farmers while
increasing it to the consumer; not
reacting properly because of not
understanding or caring about
what is going on; or reaction poor
ly because the two-party political
system’s tit-for-tat funding-raising
system is not held separately
enough from day-to-day govern
ment action and creates too much
influence against fulfilling public
policy that serves the most good.
Of course, there are other
opinions.
And a lot of this has been work
ing on his mind, especially lately.
Pavelski said.
Dairy
Distinction
For example, the bottom line is
that a pretty farm won’t set the
pricing of milk right, nor solve the
rest of the problems of the world.
In the most detached sense, a
pretty farm is probably wasting
money that could be used better for
something else, such as crop
insurance.
After all, the majority of milk is
mostly marketed to processors as a
generic product and it gets treated
that way.
But, there are reasons for
achieving the qualities that are
required of a Pennsylvania Dairy
of Distinction.
An aesthetically pleasing farm
is a more pleasant farm on which to
work.
There is also something to fami
ly farms, as with many family
businesses, that lend themselves
more to beautification efforts
milk is not the major product of a
family farm, people are the pro
duct; people who know that some
things can’t be measured by
money, and can be valued all the
more.
When their bam burned, Pavels-
Id said the value of a supportive
and helpful community was
demonstrated.
“You can’t believe how many
friends you can have,” he said talk
ing about how the cows and heifers
ended up going in all different
directions to different farms, and
feed was supplied in generous
amounts. “You just can’t com
prehend how many good neigh
bors and friends you have.”
His children are his pride. “All
the kids really like farming,” he
said.
Their daughter Cathy Pavelski
was the first girl from Pennsylva
nia to win a national dairy judging
title. She is currently in California
working for Alta Genetics, having
graduated with a degree in dairy
science from Penn State Universi
ty. She was the national first place
4-H winner in Wisconsin, and she
also was a first place collegiate
dairy judging winner at Louisville,
Kentucky.
The year she went to Madison,
she and Michelle, their other
daughter, who is currently study
ing to be a doctor, were the state’s
first sisters on the team.
The sisters are competitive, he
said. “Michelle was first in Pen
nsylvania, and then Cathy beat her
at nationals.”
Joseph and Sandy have two
boys Steven who is currently in
his second year at Penn State pur
suing a dairy science degree; and
Matthew. 10th grade high school
student son. Matt, who is on the
county dairy judging team.
The boys enjoy dairy cattle and
judging as well. Steve had placed
first at Delaware Valley College
competitions when he was in 4-H.
Joseph said he has an office full
of his childrens’ trophies.
"The kid* began showing cows
in ’B5; the first year they went to
states, and went to states every
year except last year. We had some
good cows, but Cathy, Michelle,
and Steve on 4-H team, they had a
really good time in Louisville.
“Last year we missed the first
All-American in a while. But for
last three years have the Susque
in Dairy in Gibson, Susquehanna County, is a successful family farm with a
registered Holstein herd. The tie-stall barn was built after a 1992 fire destroyed the old
barn.
When you have to get up
before the sun, you can’t afford to
lose sleep over profitability.
9
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“I want them all to get an educa
tion” Joseph said. “All of them
like sports, all have done well
academically. They have done
well in high school and better in
college. They know it’s a lot of
money (to go to college).
“But, after they all go, they can
farm if they want to, but they’ll
have something to back them up.”