A2frLanctttwr Faming, Saturday, Juna 12, 1999 Dairy Farming Can Be Busy, Educational, And Simply Fun ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Fanning Staff LANSDALE (Montgomery Co.) On a dairy in this north west Philadelphia suburb, some days can be literally well, swarming. Menymead Farm is filled with visitors on a daily basis busloads of children from schools in center city Philadelphia and sur rounding areas; tourists from New Jersey, New York, Maryland, and other states; and neighbors who simply want to treat themselves to some homemade ice cream and see the farm’s many pets, including the biggest hog in the world. In the midst of this, Menymead sdll has to function as a daily. Ima gine hundreds of school kids walk ing from one of many education stations on the farm while milk trucks, tractors, delivery equip ment, a street sweeper, and even golf-carts-tumed-utility-vehicles try to mend their way through the farm. Then it gets really hectic, in the fall season, when pick-your-own pumpkin visitors jump onto the hay wagon on a trip to the 40 acres devoted to ornamentals. “We have to move equipment through here while there are stroll ers, grandparents with their kids, and to do it safely, that's a chal lenge," said Steve Quigley, Mcny mead Farm general manager. He was pointing to a heavily traveled area which connects vari ous "educational stations" that help school kids learn what a working dairy farm is all about to the milking parlor and cow bam. But all 18 members of the Rothenberger extended family enjoy working with the public it’s what their farm is all about Mcnymead, which includes a farm market and a retail flower and vegetable business, is what some would call an “entertainment farm.” But farm owner Maynard Rothenberger, who with his wife Betty Jean built the store in 1971, sees how essential “entertainment” farming can be. Years ago, Maynard saw how important it was to justify the dairy in light of a changing community. Dairy farms were going out of bus iness, replaced with development Some of the most highly deve loped areas in Pennsylvania sur round the 140-acre homestead near Lansdale. Rothenberger knows this and tries to workit to the farm’s and the community's advantage. “We try to provide that balance,” he said. “We want to be an asset to the community. The public will put up with the incon veniences this might cause if we remain in the community.” The Dairy of Distinction and Century Farm is where Rolhenber ger was raised. His parents, Oscar and Eva Rothenberger, sold the farm to Maynard and Betty Jean in 1965. At the time, the Rotfaenbergeis milked 35 cows. To be viable and profitable, Rotfacnbergcrs knew Goodville Mutual New Holland, Pa affordable insurance (or home, vehicle, small business, farm expansion was key. In the years since, they built the herd size to approximately 100 cows. A key to the farm’s growth was constructing a store that could take the milk and ice cream products and sell than directly to the public. “We saw the potential there,” said Maynard. “We observed what others had done.” hr 1971, when the store was constructed, Maynard had seen the “writing on the wall, as far as com mercial agriculture in the area was concerned,” he said. He looked at other farm stores and realized, to operate a store suc cessfully, he had to move it a fair distance from the milking bam. The general public was simply not used to the sights and scents of modem agriculture. So a 250-foot milk pipeline was constructed underground, tunning from the milkhouse to the processing center connected to the retail store. Along with that, the farm store founders had other ideas. They would watch as people who came in for a few dips of ice cream would walk out and tour the calf hutches. The store evolved from a place for people to buy ice cream and look at how the farm grew, with new housing and equip ment, to a modem-day farm mark et. The idea of providing a little education and entertainment for visitors took hold. The farm store was expanded to include a deli, bakery, and other items for sale. Not long after, a retail flower business opened. Vegetables from the farm and sur rounding areas were for sale. With the many visitors, and with the Rothenbergers' intent to keep the farm orderly, clean, and neat, they purchased a street sweeper. About five years ago a son, Scott, ; painted the sweeper the colors of Holstein. Other attractions were added since the store opened. They include Wilber, a 7-year-old Hampshire barrow, now weighing 1,150 pounds and what the Rothcnbergers dub the world’s heaviest hog; a large cage with Clarence, a 4-year-old peacock; a sheep and goat pen containing Suf folks and pygmy goats; Scooter, the rooster; and lots of other educa tional exhibits about how a dairy farm operates and the importance of milk in a nutritional diet Steve Quigley, farm general manager, said that, in a year, “tens of thousands” of children tour the farm from hundreds of schools in and around Philadelphia. In a single day, many busloads will appear. “We show kids what cows eat,” he said. “We show them the basics of milking a cow. We allow child ren to put their fingers in the pulsators.” Recently some kindergartners from Stanton Elementary in south Philadelphia toured the milking parlor. At the same time, kinder- CaU 800-448-4622 for an agent near you garten children from Spruancc School in Oxford Circle, down town Philadelphia, learned the benefits of milk products, from ice cream and cheese to whipping and sour cream. Also, at one end of the parlor, an observation area allows visitors to watch the milking, at 3:30 a.m. and S p.m. The parlor consists of a double-6 herringbone, which feeds a pipe to the store itself. Most milk is processed at the store, according to Quigley. The remainder Is sold to Land O’Lakes Cooperative. HEAVY DUTY FIBERGLASS GATES Gate Prices 8' - $63 10’- $7O 12' - $7B 14'- $97 Contact Your Nearest Dealer: Paul B. Zimmerman, Inc - 50 Woodcomer Rd , Ephrala, PA 717 738 7350 John A. ZooK - Rt 30, Gap, PA Zook's Farm Store - Honey Brook PA Gideon K. King - Elam Road Ktnzer, PA OAJ Form Store - Hess Road, Quarryville, PA Zimmerman Farm Service - Bethel, PA 717-933-4114 Huber'a Animal Health - Myerstown, PA 717-866-2246 Umbergera of Fontana - Rt 322,Annville PA 717-867-5161 Pleasant Valley Store, Sproul Rd . Kirkwood PA David S. King - Railroad St, Myerslown, PA 717-866-6556 $r Seth Epstein, a Spruance Elementary kindergartner, lifts the milk barbells. Kinder garten children from Spruance School in Oxford Circle, downtown Philadelphia, learned the benefits of milk products, from ice cream and cheese to whipping and sour cream. David S. King Iron Worker Manufacturer of Church Bench folding hinges. SCOTCHMAN BEWO CIRCULAR COLD SAW Check Us For Used Iron Workers Selling: •>tchr ' Uni rubea .1 HYDRA INWORKER 120 TONS 873 South Railroad Street, Myerstown, PA 17067 7X7-866-6556 There are 10 different educa tional stations. They include baby calf hutches; a chicken coop, which describes how many eggs a hen will lay; a peacock in a cage; sheep and goats, which children can pet; the world champion Wil ber the pig, declared the biggest pig in the world by the Guincss Book of Records, according to Quigley; the cow maternity bam; a heifer bam; the feed station for agys, how different groups arc fedfthe milking pmk% an| 4# sifts, with the holding station and feed room. y * / After the tour, the children are treated to ice cream. Scott Rothenberger, Merry mead Farm manager, noted the dairy includes 100 milk cows with 80 replacements, all registered Holstein. The cows are boused them in frees tails. On DHIA, toll ing herd average stood at 21,600 pounds with a low SCC 96,000-98,000. The cows are fed a TMR. In the frees tall bam, the cows are on mattresses with sawdust. (Turn to Page A2l) „ '-m
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