On The Farm With Le
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
LEBANON (Lebanon Co.)
Most teen-agers try to get out of
work, but Amanda Martin is a
dairy princess who relishes the
rewards of labor.
According to her parents
Eugene and Kathleen Martin, it
was Amanda’s idea to switch their
herd to three times daily milking.
The Martins milk 95 registered
Holsteins, raise their own heifers,
and operate a 60,000 broiler chick
en house.
Although the Martins’ three
children have been heavily
involved in the day-to-day farming
operation, Amanda is the one who
is most enthusiastic. Perhaps that is
because the Martins purchasing the
163-acre farm the year Amanda
was born in 1981.
She grew up playing with the
calves and tagging along in die
bam.
According to family tales, as a
toddler, Amanda spoiled the calves
so much that they acted mote like
loyal puppies than bovine cattle.
The calves jumped over the fence
whenever they saw Amanda com
ing and learned how to unlatch the
gate.
The family teased Amanda that
she is part Eskimo because frigid
weather doesn't bother her. Maybe
being bom in December accli
mated her to the cold from birth.
Whatever the reason, cold
weather doesn’t mean Amanda
spends less lime outside. She takes
responsibility for almost all the calf
feeding, cow clipping, and at least
one daily milking shift, although
she is still a high school senior.
“Working with calves is my spe
cialty,” Amanda said. In addition
to feeding, she sees that each
receives registration.
“She is vciy creative in naming
the calves," her mother said of such
names as Lion King, Hale-Bopp,
and other names connected to
events happening at the time of the
calf's birth.
In addition to caring for her
parents’ herd, Amanda owns 14
cows and heifers.
It’s beat a year since the family
has gone to milicing three times a
day. Each shift requires two people
for I'/j to 2 hours of milking in the
stall bam. The family tries not to
schedule the same person to milk
more than twice daily. That
requires hiring a couple to help
with the milking done at 5:30 am.,
1:30 pm., and 9:30 pm.
Generally, Amanda works the
9:3opm. shift and additional shifts
on weekends and days off school.
The rolling herd average is
25,300 pounds. The family uses
total mixed rations mostly with
grain raised on their farm.
At the state pageant, Amanda’s scrapbook won honor
able mention for its novel “puzzle theme” called “Pieces of
My Year,” which puts together her many promotional
efforts.
Eugene said that the summer
drought has forced them to buy
grain this year, but the family con
siders themselves fortunate to have
been able to salvage enough grain
for forage.
During the growing season, dou
ble cropping puts more pressure on
them to harvest, spread manure,
and replant Eugene and his son do
the majority of the fieldwork, and
Kathleen helps out. During season
al field work, it is not unusual for
Andy, a full-time diesel mechanic,
to work until midnight in the fields.
Andy also helps clean out (he
chicken house.
Allison, 23, no longer lives on
the farm. She teaches biology and
animal science at Cedar Crest High
School. But she continues to drop
by the farm and often brings along
some of her school students to
show them a working farm.
Eugene grew up on the neigh
boring farm to one he now owns.
He said, “I wouldn’t want to do
anything other than farm. We are
blessed that we got to work with
our children. They did whatever
we asked them to do on the farm,
but we always allowed them to
pursue sports, and attend conven
tions and other off-farm events.”
His wife grew up on a hog and
beef farm, but had no adjustment
problems to dairy. She said, “I
bond with the animals. I'm like
Amanda.’’
With a strong attachment to ani
mals, milking and farming in gen
eral, it seemed natural to want to
become a dairy princess.
Last June, Amanda was
crowned the Lebanon County
Dairy Princess and she’s been busy
ever since combining farm chores
with off-thc-fann promotions.
One of the most hilarious prom
otional events for Amanda was the
milk chugging coolest advertised
at the fair. Contestants were in for a
surprise when they were given
baby bottles with nipples to chug
Amanda’s idea.
“The crowd roared," Amanda
said of the event that is sure to be
remembered throughout a lifetime
by the 12 contestants.
Helping Amanda with county
dairy promotion are alternates Sta
cy Wcidlcr and Amy Burkhart;
dairy maids, Hannah Bomgatdner,
Kathryn Buck, Heather Chetnich,
and Sarah Krall; and Li’l Miss
dairy princesses, Sarah Smith and
Lydia Smith.
“We have a tug court, so we try
to have at least two representatives
at each promotion," Amanda said
of the county, which is known to
have an active dairy promotion
committee.
During a December dairy prom
otion at the local mall, Amanda had
the idea to decorate a tree with cow
anon County Dairy Princess
< •**
i*w~ a £ n J*. ml, . y u" k 95 ®° W * and °P erate • 80,000-head broiler house on their
163-acre farm in Lebanon County.
Milk it the beverage of choice in the Martin family. From left are Andy, 22; Alliaon,
23; Amanda, 18; and parents, Kathleen and Eugene.
'key rings, which the promotional
committee were distributing. Other
promotional activities for the dairy
princess include handing out rib
bons at the fair, handing out ice
cream, and helping make a giant
ice cream sundae. Whenever she
visits classrooms, Amanda finite
that preschoolers and elementary
students are enthralled fay learning
to make pudding and butter by
using individual containers for
mixing and shaking.
Amanda and Alternate Stacy
have earned the reputation of get
ting lost whatever they travel
together to promotions.
The two also team up for harm
less pranks, one which hit the local
news with a half-page color pic
ture. In a novel take-off on the
national campaign that poses the
question to consumers, “got
milk?", the two michievious teens
had spray painted hay bales left in
several farmers fields with the
words, “got milk."
Promotion isn’t all fun and
games. Recently Amanda rushed
from making radio spots at an
Ephrata station to make some more
spots for a Lebanon station.
All her dairy promotions aren’t
limited to bona fide promotions.
Amanda gives her friends “got
milk" T-shirts, and expects them to
eat plenty of ice cream whenever
they are around her. She enjoys
entertaining friends at her home,
where she serves milk punches,
cheeses, and many home-cooked
creations made with dairy
products.
For two years in a tow, Amanda
has earned grand champion show
manship awards with her favorite
cow Belinda at-the local Lebanon
County Area Fair. Although
Amanda shows cows at the local
and 4-H district shows, she does
not compete at the state level with
dairy. Instead, she enters vo-tcch
For two years in a row, Belinda helped Amanda win show
manship at the Lebanon Area Fair. “She's my favorite.
She s really tame,” Amanda said of the 14 cows she owns
projects such as dried flower
arrangements.
This year at the Pennsylvania
Farm Show, Amanda clinched
“beat of show" for her dried flower
wall design and received three first
placings and one third placing for
other flower arrangements.
Amanda's skill in floral design
ing helps out with gift giving. For
Christmas, she made dried floral
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