A2B-Lancast«r Fanning, Saturday, Decamber 2, 2000
From 6 A Pocketful Of Dreams’ To Their Own Herd
(Continued from Pago Al)
farm) until the time we moved in
was about two months. It was
the best move we ever made.”
Paul and Brenda Zimmer
man, who own the farm, plus
their three children live on the
other side of the farmhouse.
The Siplers expanded their
dairy herd and moved from
Berks to Lancaster County this
summer. They are milking 100
head and have 112 heifers.
Nearly one-half of the dairy
cows are Brown Swiss and the
rest are Holsteins. Oscar intends
to increase the number of Brown
Swiss in the herd and also plans
to market the animals which are
registered.
Marie has had Brown Swiss
cows since she was 10 years old.
“Close to half are Brown
Swiss. With the milk market
today going on components, we
have much higher butterfat, pro
tein, and solids with the Swiss,”
she said.
This year Holstein heifers will
become recipients to Brown
Swiss eggs to increase the Swiss
percentage in the herd. The
couple also plans to flush their
own Brown Swiss heifers.
“In general, Swiss add quality
to our herd,” said Oscar, who
believes in a “constant upgrade”
of his herd.
Previously the couple housed
their animals on several facili
ties, including Marie’s parents’
farm.
“When her parents sold out,
we thought, ‘we’re either going
to do it on our own or sell out,”’
Dairy farming is new to
Oscar, who grew up on a large
grain business.
A love of agriculture, how
ever, was an inborn trait for him.
“My dad always said you’re
born with it,” he said. “I grew
up on a farm where everyone
worked a job and came home to
farm. I always thought,
‘wouldn’t it be nice to be a full
time farmer?’”
Oscar decided he knew grain
but not enough about animal ag
riculture.
“I figured to be in agriculture
The Sipler’s herd consists of an almost half-and-half mix 1 had to know about livestock,”
of Holsteins and Brown Swiss.
Correct feet and legs and longevity make the Brown Swiss a top choice for the Siplers,
according to Oscar.
said Oscar. The dream of a farm
then became a reality as the
couple began the own 50-animal
dairy in Shoemakersville, Berks
County.
When their loan officer sug
gested the couple look into rent
ing from the Zimmermans, the
Siplers jumped at the chance to
expand.
The couple, who enjoys the
Zimmerman family and the fa
cility, will be at the farm for at
least three years. The farm will
hold approximately 140 head.
“The way I feel, people have
to get bigger to be more effi
cient,” he said. The couple is
hoping to have a herd number
ing 250-300 some day.
“Our next expansion will
depend on efficiency and profi
tability,” said Marie.
When they considered expan
sion, the Siplers factored lower
milk prices into their figuring.
“If we can figure on what the
low might be, then it will defi
nitely work at higher milk
prices,” he said.
Transition
The Siplers added Zimmer
man’s cows and heifers to their
own, bringing their herd num
bers from 50 to milking 100
head. While Zimmerman’s cows
adjusted to new management,
the Sipler herd adjusted to the
move from a tiestall to a freestall
bam. Blending the two herds,
each with their own dominant
cows, has also been a challenge
that time is slowly erasing.
The couple experienced a
high cull rate the first six
V>V_ r -
J%r *
months, a trend which Oscar be
lieves is starting to reverse. “The
cows couldn’t adjust. We also
had a few expenses we hadn’t
expected, like a new TMR mixer
and feed bins to upgrade the fa
cility.
“We’ve turned the comer
now,” said Oscar.
A recent feed room fire also
delivered an unexpected twist to
dairying for the Siplers. “We
were unluckily lucky,” said
Oscar, who believes that al
though the fire was a stressful
experience, the event forced
them to replace equipment, so
“things ought to be a little
better,” he said.
A friend told the couple
“don’t get too big too fast,”
advice the couple found to be
true.
“Fighting the little fires can
take away from fighting a bigger
fire,” said Oscar. “You might
work with a cow that should just
be culled and neglect the next
one. Don’t underestimate how
much work you may need the
first couple months.”
Transistion means being open
to change and ready for risks. “I
kind of like change,” said Oscar.
“When you start to get comfort
able in a situation, it’s time to
change because you don’t want
to get in a rut. I’m always think
ing about the next move to be
prepared.
“I had it in my mind I wanted
to get to a certain size, and 1 had
it worked out on paper, so I was
ready. You can’t be scared to
change or try new things, to take
that next step. Otherwise we
wouldn’t be doing what we’re
doing. Young people have to
take that risk.”
A Growing Love
Of Agriculture
The Slpler family includes daughter Josephine, 18
months. “It's always been our ambition to farm ” said
Marie.
Oscar enjoys a friendly working relationship with the
family’s cows.
said Oscar. His father, who had
worked at dairy farms, piqued
Oscar’s interest in the business.
Later his job for the Department
of Agriculture at the dairy facil
ity in Beltsville, Md., helped him
learn firsthand about dairying.
A year working for Pennfield
Feeds gave Oscar a solid back
ground in nutrition.
Oscar also does all his own ar
tificial insemination work on the
herd to reduce .costs and im
prove efficiency.
Education,
Backing Important
The couple, both originally
from Maryland, met at the Uni
versity of Maryland. Oscar grad
uated with a degree in animal
science and Marie graduated
with a degree in agriculture
business.
Marie believes their education
is key in gaining their chance at
farming.
“Without our college degrees,
we wouldn’t’ have gotten our
first loan,’’ said Marie.
Her ag-related job is also a
product of her college education.
Although she works as an area
sales manager for New Holland
Credit, she also helps with the
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milking in the evening and
genetic selection on weekends
for the breeding of the cows.
Consequently Oscar is respon
sible for taking care of their 18-
month old daughter during
weekdays.
“I used to pull her around in
the wagon with blankets every
where I went,” said Oscar.
The Siplers’ long-term goals
include more herd expansioh
and ownership of their own
farm. “I can’t say we’ve made it.
We’re on a path. I always
wanted to farm. I’m living my
dream. Too many times people
say T wish I’d have done it...’
If I fail, at least I tried.”
Not only education but also
support from family, friends,
and business partners has com
bined to give the Siplers their
chance at farming. “We had
people who believed in us,” said
Marie. For example, “The
Zimmermans didn’t know us,
but they gave us a chance.”
The couple doesn’t mind
building the herd “from
scratch.”
“You never know, we may be
starting a legacy,” said Marie.