A24Lancasler Fanning, Saturday, December 13, 1997
Named Frederick Farm Family
Hines
from Pago A 1)
(Continued
volvcd in the farm. Son Jim and
his wife Cindy and their children
Jimmy and Heather, Steven and
his wife Vickie, and daughter Sta
cey all work on the farm as
needed. Another daughter, Lydia
Myers, lives nearby, and children
Adam and Michael can often be
found helping with the chores
when visiting.
George and Fern grew up living
on opposite ends of the same toad.
“George used to fill my dad’s
silo,” Fem recalls, “and our fa
thers were great friends.” The cou
ple started out farming near Liber
ty town when they first married.
They purchased their present farm
near the Carroll and Frederick
County border 22 years ago, and
after bulldozing everything but the
house, cow bam, and one old bam,
have been making improvements
on it ever since.
The farm consists of 127 acres.
Georg« with tome of the Hidden Acres heifers. They are housed in pens in groups
of 8-10 up until breeding age, then run with a bull.
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Blairs Mills
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Harrisonville
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Rockwood
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-*n •
with another 6SO rented and dou
ble cropped. They milk approxi
mately 60 cows, have a custom
fanning business that amounts to
about 1,000 acres, and have also
recently started a dealership sell
ing farm equipment “We call our
selves diversified fanners because
we do it all” laughed Fem. They
are shifting the focus of the opera
tion to more toward the custom
and grain farming, and to
George’s equipment dealership.
The custom farming business
started out with George filling
neighbors’ silos. Gradually it has
grown each year, last year George
custom farmed around 1,000
acres. “It has grown by leaps and
bounds up until this year,” said
Fem. The drought slowed busi
ness this year, “George owns a
combine and can do everything in
the field for anyone,” she said,
“from plowing, seeding, combin
ing, mowing, and making hay.” A
year ago the Hines bought out a
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small dealership that sells parts,
feeders, wagons, and seed com,
and they are trying to grow that
business.
They have milked up to 130
cows, but have been culling cows
all year long. Fern says the deci
sion to reduce the milking string
down to its present 60 head is a
function of both poor milk prices
and the dry year. “I really think
the milk prices and the dairy situa
tion is more stressful than the
drought,” she said, “We’ve always
gambled with mother nature. But
when you can’t see where it’s go
ing to get any better, it’s frustrat
ing,” she explained.
The milking herd at Hidden
Acres is a hodgepodge of breeds.
They started out milking Hol
steins, and they still account for
the largest percentage of the herd,
with about half registered and half
grade. “Then Steven bought the
Jerseys to the farm,” said Fern,
“and then Stacey brought the
MARK KIMM
(717)626-2907
Mycogen
The Hines family was recently recognized by Frederick
County as Farm Family of the Year. From left to right:
George, Vickie, Fem, Adam, Heather, Jim, and Cindy. In
front are Jimmy and Mike. Missing from the picture are Ste
ven, Stacey, and Lydia.
Shorthorns.” There are also
Brown Swiss and various cross
bred cows in the milking string.
They are not on test The Hines
have their breeding program down
to a science. Almost all the Jerseys
are registered, and they are bred
AI. The Hines use a Milking
Shorthorn bull for that first calf
heifers, even the Holsteins. They
also run two Holstein bulls with
the cows, except for the Shorthorn
cows, who get a shot of Lutelase
and are bred AI. They also raise
about 30 steers.
Out of this vast assortment of
dairy cattle some outstanding ani
mals have risen to the top, both in
putting milk in the tank and ga
thering honors on the local and na
tional show circuit One went to
Madison recently, and will go on
to Louisville in November. All the
Jerseys did very well this year,
taking first and second place rib-
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bons at the shows. At the Freder
ick County fair a Jersey shown by
Jimmy was junior champion in the
open and 4-H shows, where Adam
showed the senior and grand
champion. Adam also had the best
bred and owned cow at the Mont
gomery County. Frederick Coun
ty. and state fairs. At state fair
Heather had junior, senior, and
grand champion with a Milking
Shorthorn in the 4-H show. She
showed the senior and grand
champion Milking Shorthorn at
the Frederick County fair.
A tot of the credit for establish
ing a successful Milking Short
horn presence in Maryland goes to
Fcm. Her interest in Milking
Shorthorns prompted her to start a
junior Milking Shorthorn club in
Maryland. “At one time when Sta
cey showed her first Milking
Shorthorn they told me that would
(Turn to Pago A 25)
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