A2B-L«nca«ter Farming, Saturday, March 18, 2000
JAYNE SEBRIGHT
Lancaster Farming Staff
CHAMBERSBURG (Frank-
lin Co.) Tim Saber of Sunny
brook Ag Resources in
Chambersburg knows how to
stay in the dairy business with
out actually milking cows. He
raises 300 to 400 heifers each
year and then leases them to
area dairy producers as cows.
Currently Saber has more
than 600 cows leased out to
dairy producers throughout
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and
New York. He started raising
heifers and leasing his cows
about five years after his family
decided to stop milking cows in
1989.
“We tried raising beef ani
mals for about five years,” said
Saber. “But we didn’t find it
very profitable, so we switched
to heifer raising.”
Saber is in partnership with
his two uncles who own the 400-
acre farm and facilities where he
farms. Their farm is located
right in the heart of Chambers
burg. Saber is responsible for
managing the operation, while
his uncles have a trucking,
warehousing, and transporta
tion business.
“Since our farm is located
inside the Chambersburg bor
ough, we are faced with develop
ment pressure,” said Saber.
“We’ve sold off about 50 acres
for development. Some of it has
gone to build a new church, an
other portion to build an addi
tion to the hospital, and some
for housing development. I get
to farm with what acreage is
left.”
According to Saber, Sunny
brook Ag Resources is willing to
work around the developments
building up beside them.
“I do deal with odor issues,”
said Saber. “When a neighbor
ing farm is hauling manure, I
get blamed for the smell because
our farm is the only one in the
borough.”
However, the biggest problem
Saber has with development is
the trash that contractors let
behind when they’re building
new properties. Someone can
look out over Saber’s fields and
find drainage pipe, paper trash,
and other development bypro
ducts scattered around.
“Another problem is that
some of the people who rent the
neighboring farms are against
Sunnybrook’s development,”
said Saber. “It is a shame that
you can’t do what you want to
do.”
Saber did what he wanted to
do when he started his heifer
raising business about five years
ago.
“We got out of the dairy busi
ness after several long-time em
ployees retired,” said Saber.
“We had trouble finding reliable
help to replace them, especially
since there are so many non
farm employment opportunities
in Chambersburg.”
Saber knew he didn’t have the
financial ability to put up a new
facility and start dairying again.
“We had the facilities to profit
at something without putting
out a pile of money or needing a
huge amount of labor,” said
Saber.
Today Saber only has one
full-time employee, Joe Cooley,
helping him on the farm. Cooley
has worked for Sunnybrook for
more than 25 years.
Chambersburg Farmer Profits From Raising Heifers
“It is easier to do what I am
doing now than it is to milk
cows,” said Saber.
Saber purchases newborn
calves from the Greencastle
Livestock Auction or from
neighboring farmers, and then
raises them to freshening age.
Then he leases them out to
area farmers. The farmers have
the option of keeping the heifer
calves or returning the calves to
Saber depending on their agree
ment.
“It is better for the dairyman
to lease animals from me than to
buy animals,” said Saber. “You
can pay the deposit for leasing
six animals with what it costs to
buy one.”
After Saber receives the de
posit, the farmer and .he enter
into a three-year lease. The
farmer pays Saber a monthly fee
based on the current milk price.
At the end of the three-year
period, there is also a small
buyout price.
In the contract, Saber agrees
to replace any animals that are
lost due to transition problems.
For instance, if a cow is lost due
to significant calving problems,
then Saber will replace the ani
mals. However, if the cow devel
ops mastitis or has other
problems farther into the lease
period, the farmer is required to
replace the animal.
Saber starts his calves on a
20/20 all-milk milk replacer and
then keeps them on Pennfield’s
heifer grower plan. The calves
receive a Four-Once vaccination
and receive a booster 14 days
later. They also receive an
annual Nine-Way vaccine.
Once the calves reach six
months, Saber starts them on a
total mixed ration formulated
for 19 percent protein. The
ration is made up of 85 percent
forage with com silage, barley
age, and baled grass hay.
Saber breeds his animals at 15
months so that they’re large
when they go out on lease.
“I don’t believe in calving
ease bulls,” said Saber. “1 make
sure the heifers are plenty big to
handle full-sized calves.”
Saber and Cooley handle
most of the routine health prac
tices and only get the veterinar
ian in for brucellosis testing and
pregnancy checks.
Raising 300 to 400 heifers a
year, Saber said he only loses
three animals per year, which
brings his mortality rate to one
percent.
Saber raises corn, soybeans,
grass hays, and winter grains on
the farm’s 400 acres. Last year
he also harvested 60 acres of rye
for a neighboring dairyman.
This year Saber purchased a
self-propelled sprayer and is
hoping to recoup some of the
cost by doing custom spray ap
plication.
Saber is a founding member
of the Professional Dairy Heifer
Growers Association. PDHGA
is an International group that
host meetings on the latest inno
vations in heifer raising.
Saber is heading out to the
annual convention in St. Louis,
Missouri, on March 22-25. He is
also on the planning committee
for the northeast meeting sched
uled for November in Akron,
Ohio.
Saber feeds his heifers a total mixed ration to make sure
that they get the right nutrients to grow into productive
cows. He wants his animals on the large side when they go
out to be leased.
Horse Farms Open House
LANCASTER (Lancaster
Co.)-A dozen professional
stables in the southeastern qua
drant of Pennsylvania will open
their doors to the public for the
seventh annual Pennsylvania
Horse Farms Open House Satur
day and Sunday, April 8-9.
The Open House is a chance
for both active and would-be
equestrians to visit a variety of
Pennsylvania’s professional
horse farms, to learn about vari
ous breeds and styles of riding,
about raising, caring for and
training horses, and to explore
the many opportunities for get
ting involved with horses right
in their own backyards.
The event, produced by Penn
sylvania Equestrian and spon
sored by Cargill Nutrena Feeds,
is free and self-guided, and indi
viduals travel from stable to
stable in their own vehicles. The
farms are open to visitors from
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and
noon-4 p.m. Sunday.
Again this year a number of
stables will invite visitors to take
a sample riding lesson, trail ride,
or pony ride.
In addition to riding a horse,
visitors to the open house can
visit a petting zoo, audit a dres
sage clinic conducted by a na
tionally-known trainer and
author, and watch a quadrille
(four riders performing in
unison). Demonstrations of the
latest horseshoeing and round
pen training techniques will be
conducted, along with sessions
on saddle fitting, genetics, show
manship, natural horsemanship,
and foal imprinting.
Visitors can take a break from
the horses and enjoy bagpipe
music, a Native American dance
troupe, and dog obedience and
clicker training demonstrations.
Nearly every farm will offer re
freshments, and a number will
have vendors onsite for visitors
who want to do a little shopping.
Many stables will have young
foals to enjoy. Visitors will be
able to view horses offered for
sale and stallions available for
breeding. One farm will even
invite visitors to line dance with
their Paint stallion.
Breeds of horses range from
popular thoroughbreds, paints,
and quarter horses to the more
unusual American Miniature
horses, Clydesdales, Percherons,
and European warmbloods.
Complete information on the
farms, including maps and di
rections, will be featured in the
March/April issue of Pennsylva
nia Equestrian, a bimonthly
newspaper for and about Penn
sylvania’s horse industry, and
on the world wide web at
www.horseshow.com.
The Open House is free. For
more information, call (717)
898-5874.
The following stables are
among those who will partici
pate in the 2000 Horse Farms
Open House.
Bucks County
• Beau Chevaux, 90 Eagle
Rd., Newton, PA 18940. (215)
860-3525 or (215) 639-9119.
Cutting horses, hunter/jumpers,
Quarter horses. Boarding, les
sons.
• Dancing Star Equestrian
Center, across the street from
1261 Slotter Rd., Bedminster
/Perkasie, PA 18944. (215) 795-
0264. Dressage, warmbloods.
• Horses LTD., 374 Worthing
ton Mill Rd., Richboro, PA
18954. (215) 968-8841. Hunter
/jumpers, lessons, training, sales.
• Mile View Farm, 1355 Ferry
Rd., Doylestown, PA 18901.
(215) 489-0115. Dressage,
hunter/jumpers, driving, les
sons, training, boarding.
• My Dream Farm, 1805 Al
lentown Rd., Quakertown, PA
18951. (215) 529-7384.
www.mydreamfarm.com.
American Miniature Horses,
breeding, sales.
ADADC Mid
East Board
COLUMBUS, Ohio-The
American Dairy Association &
Dairy Council Mid East board of
trustees elected its 2000 officers.
Re-elected for a second term,
Paul Broering, from St. Henry in
Mercer County, Ohio, will con
tinue as president in 2000. “It is
“The organization has been
very helpful in advising me in
my heifer raising practices,”
said Saber. “The members who
belong to PDHGA are a quality
group of people. We can share
ideas and experiences from our
operations.” .
Saber offers the following
advice to farmers who are rais
ing heifers for themselves or
other dairy producers.
“Make sure you can feed a
total mixed ration so that the
heifers get the right balance of
nutrients,” said Saber. “Also,
you don’t want too many
sources for your calves. Make
sure you screen your customers
because if one farm brings in
sick calves, then they’re all
sick.”
“Maintain a good vaccination
program,” said Saber. “And
don’t limit yourself to just Hol
steins. I raised some Jerseys last
year, and they adjusted well to
my operation.”
Reading/Northern
Lancaster County Area
• Foxfield Farm, 230 Holtz
man Rd., Reinholds, PA 17569.
(717) 484-2250. Thoroughbreds,
warmbloods, dressage, eventing,
hunter/jumper. Lessons, train
ing, boarding.
• Heron Mead Farm, 4903
Penn Ave., Sinking Spring, PA
19608. (610) 678-6876. Thor
oughbreds, dressage and event
ing. Lessons, training, boarding.
Northwest Lancaster/
Lebanon/Dauphin/Perry Area
• Bar Kay Stables, RD 3 Box
360,’Lawn 'Rd., Manheim, PA
17545. (717) 665-2009. Lessons,
trail riding lessons, boarding.
• Double D Stables, 1265
Mapledale Rd., Elizabethtown,
PA 17022. (717) 367-2053.
www.doubledstables.com.
American Paint Horses, breed
ing, sales.
• Windy Ridge Farm/Outlaw
Stables, RR 5 Box 595, Newport,
PA 17074. (717) 444-2555. Thor
oughbreds, Clydesdales, Thor
oughdales, ponies, hunter/
jumper, equitation. Trail rides,
lessons, wagon rides, training,
lessons.
York Area
• Lauxmont Farms Eques
trian Center, 1215 Long Level
Rd., Wrightsville, PA 17368.
(717) 252-9870. Boarding, hunt
seat, dressage, and equitation
lessons, training, breed thor
oughbreds.
• Lost & Found Horse Rescue,
852 Valley Rd., York, PA 17403.
(717) 428-9701. Emergency
stabling, rehabilitation and
adoption services for abused, ne
glected, and discarded equines.
an honor to be elected again to
serve my fellow dairy farmers
and represent their best inter
ests in the area of dairy promo
tion,” Broering says. “The check
off program strives to increase
the demand for dairy prod
ucts-and it’s doing just that.
Last year, total milk sales in
creased 3.1 percent!”
Newly elected officers include
Merle Chaplin, Moundsville,
W.Va., vice president; and Con
nie Finton, New Philadelphia,
Ohio, secretary. Also returning
for another term as treasurer is
Alice Moore, Frazeysburg, Ohio.
All officers have been elected to
serve one-year terms.