AIS-Lancfcster Farming, Saturday, December 6, 1997
Bowmans Quick Farming Success
Rick and Chris Bowman with some of their Holsteins are proud of their recent
DHIA award.
LINDA WILLIAMS
Bedford Co. Correspondent
LOYSBURG (Bedford Co.)
Bedford County recipients of the
1997 DHIA awards were pre
sented at a recent banquet held at
the NBC School.
Winning the Herd Management
and Most Production Progress
awards were R&J Farms owned
by Rick and Chris Bowman of
New Enterprise.
The brothers run a 82-dairy
head of registered Holsteins.
Renting the bam, they buy all of
their feed. “This was a good year
to do that,” Rick says, who began
farming six years ago and was
joined by brother Chris following
his discharge from the Army. Rick
and Chris became partners in
February.
“It’s been a lot of hard work,"
says Chris, “But, we’re proud of
our record.”
This year, production was
20,428 and last year 14,272. Other
records which earned them the
“most improved,” award were:
Fat, 725, up from 540. Protein,
647 up from 465.
Scmatic call increase
averaged 300.
Rick does all of the
breeding, carefully se
lecting the sires. “We
look for bulls with out
standing records and
300 to 500 daughters ,”
he explains. The bro
thers both admit to be
ing good with vet work.
“We are also careful
about how we feed,”
Chris adds. “We feel
that when and how is as
important as what!"
They add water to
make sure there is plen
ty of moisture. If the
feed is dry, it separates
from the forage. They
also feed stale bread
mixed with the other ra
tions.”
Milk is shipped to
Sani-Daiiy,
In addition to the 82
head of milk cows, the
Bowman brothers have
60 head of young cattle.
They recently pur
chased a concrete plan
ner which is used to do
free stall grooving. “It’s
a side line business,”
says Chris who adds
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Chris is married and he and his
wife. Ginger, live near the farm.
Both brother wish to thank their
dad, James, for helping them get
started in farming.
Other awards presented at the
1997 DHIA banquet held at Loys
burg were as follows:
High Herd Milk: Steve & Jeri
Ritchey, Martinsburg, 24,099 lbs.
milk.
High Herd Protein: AK Mohr,
New Enterprise, 785 Protein,
Average/Cow.
High Cow Milk: Steve & Jeri
Ritchey, Martinsburg, 37,689 lbs.
milk, cow #468.
High Cow Protein, AK Mohr,
1054 lbs. milk “Betsy” 3.3.
Lowest Somatic Cell Count;
Larry & Frank Burkholder, New
Enterprise, 150,000 SCC monthly
average.
Ribbons-Herds, 750-849
pounds of protein.
AK Mohr, 785 lbs. protein;
Steve & Jcri Ritchey, 774 lbs. pro
tein; Paul & David Helsel, Wood
bury, 752 lbs. protein.
New DHIA directors elected
were; Rick Smith and Scott Mohr.
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