82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 5,2001
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Springtime Comes To The Farm
LOU ANN GOOD
Food And Family
Features Editor
BERNVILLE (Berks Co.)
Warm breezes are finally here to
stay Jaylene Lesher hopes.
The six-year-old is the reign
ing Berks County Little Dairy
Miss. Despite that big title and
the work of promoting the good
•ness of milk, Jaylene is just like
any other six-year-old.
“I like to play outside, wear
shorts, and run to see John
Henry, my horse,” she said.
Jaylene also likes to ride bike,
climb trees, swing, feed the
ducks, boat on the pond, and
help on the farm.
Springtime on the Lesher
Nestled in her favorite tree, Jaylene and one of her
Beanie Babies have a great view of the countryside.
Clothes flapping in the breeze absorb the fresh smells of a warm spring day.
farm is a busy time. In addition
to milking 100 cows, and plow
ing and planting about 320
acres, the whole family helps op
erate Way-Har Dairies and pro
mote dairy products.
Jaylene is the fourth genera
tion of her family to live on their
Bernville farm. Her great grand
father purchased the farm in
1952. Her dad William grew up
on the farm. “I never wanted to
do anything else than farm,”
William said.
Most of the cows on the farm
are Holsteins, about 20 of them
are Jerseys, but Jaylene also has
an Ayrshire, and her brother
Josh, 8, has a Brown Swiss. Her
sister Laura, 5, hopes to become
Korner*
I
dairy princess someday.
“I’m teaching her to say big
words,” Jaylene said.
Laura pronounces big words
quite well. She also likes to say
the following poem:
“I’m a little farm girl through
and through.
I help milk cows and they say,
‘mooo. ’
I like ice cream and drink my
milk too.
Three glasses a day for me and
you.”
Much to the delight of audi
ences, Jaylene sings a song
about milk and ice cream when
ever she promotes milk before
audiences.
During her reign, Jaylene as
made 57 school appearances,
more than any former Little
Miss in Berks County. She often
shows students how to make
butter by using her grandmoth
er’s glass butter chum. Jaylene’s
favorite activity as the Little
Miss was to ride in parades.
“Sometimes I ride on a float
or a big car,” Jaylene said. Her
favorite was riding on a fire
truck with Santa Claus.
She also got to throw out the
first pitch at the Reading Phil
lies game during Clover Farms
Night, and presented trophies at
a Nascar Raceway.
Jaylene plays T-ball, takes
jazz class, and sings in the Little
Lamb Choir at the family’s
church.
Jaylene’s parents and even
her grandpa took turns taking
Jaylene to promotions. One of
her favorite places to go is with
her dad to Washington D.C.
Once a year, they operate an ice
(Turn to Page B 15)
Gabriel Martin, son of Doug and Lydia Martin of Leola,
says, “Hello,” to a Jacob lamb. The lamb is an orphan tri
plet that needs to be fed sheep’s milk substitute with a
bottle. The lamb is learning to eat grass and run with the
rest of the flock. Curiosity sometimes leads to naughti
ness, because the lamb likes to nibble on flowers much to
the chagrin of its owners, Dave and Katrina Lefever. The
Lefevers say that historians believe that the Jacob breed
started about 3,000 years ago in the Middle East. The
breed name is taken from the Bible story of Jacob’s flock
of spotted sheep. This horned breed first came to the
United States from Britain in the beginning 1900 s. Photo
by Jeff Martin.
After a day of running, jumping, and riding bikes, it’s
time to cool off with glasses of milk, cheese and crackers.
From left are Laura, Jaylene, and a friend April Stauffer.
Springtime is busy for the Lesher family, who milk 100
cows, farm several hundred acres, and run a dairy store.
William and Lolly Lesher with daughters, Jaylene, 6, and
Laura, 5, and son Josh, 8, (missing from the photo due to
school) strive to find time to enjoy springtime on the farm.
/ *
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