812-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 15, 2001
One Hill Farm: Home To
LOU ANN GOOD
Food And Family
Features Editor
WOMELSDORF (Berks Co.)
One Hill Farm is home for the
Moyer family, including Pennsyl
vania Alternate Dairy Princess
Amy Moyer.
Although the farm sits in
Berks County, it is on the edge of
Lebanon County, which results in
the Moyer family participating in
ag-related activities in both
places.
In fact, 18-year-old Amy, a
Berks County high school gradu
ate, was first crowned Lebanon
County dairy princess before cap
turing the state alternate title.
Several years ago, the Moyers
were honored as Berks County
Family of the Year but they are
also active in Lebanon County’s
Holstein Club and 4-H, with
mom serving as a leader and
Amy and siblings, Jeffrey, 19;
Kristen, 13; and Sarah, 12, as
members.
The family owns a 128-acre
farm that her grandfather pur
chased in 1980. They have the
top-producing DHIA mixed herd
in the state with their top cow
producing 32,983 pounds. Their
62 milking cows are made up of
Holstein and Brown Swiss.
The Moyers started with all
Holsteins, but in 1989 Amy re
ceived a Brown Swiss heifer calf
from a friend and her first cow
was a Brown Swiss.
One Hill’s Brown Swiss
and Holstein Farm is
named DHIA’s top-produc
ing mixed herd in the state.
“Brown Swiss seem friendlier
and have a pet-like attitude. Hol
steins are more standoffish,”
Amy said. She added with a
laugh, “But in 1997 I saw the
light, as people say. I got my first
Holstein and now I prefer Hoi
steins.”
Advantages of having a mixed
herd, from Amy’s perspective,
are that Holsteins make more
milk but Swiss add higher butter- dairy judging and enjoys visiting
fat and protein. sales and barns to evaluate ani-
Amy said that she began help- mals.
ing in the bam when she was six The Moyers are active in
or seven years old. “When I was church. Amy and her brother
tall enough to reach the pipeline star ‘ ed a Sund ?y sv«5 v «“ ng B,ble
and hook up the milkers, that be- sta^J OT r° uth m th f a h A ome - .
came my job.” ° ther mterests for Amy m
■ ... elude attending rodeos and an-
In addition to owning their ~ , ... , ~
, , , , . ° . tiques shows with her mother,
own farm, her dad, in partner- a* eniovs art esneciallv stin
ship with his brothers, farm 1,100 . ’ .® 5 f c J
F yt.ui iiu w phng, which is a picture formed
acres ' in dots. Favorite sports include
“Dad’s gone most of the day, volleyball, tubbing down the
working in the partnership, so I creek, and s i e dding.
often take care of things at She also enjoys traveling and
home, Amy said. has been to Madison, Wis. for the
Last year, her dad flipped the World Dairy Expo in 1997 and
tractor on the big hill for which 2001; to Louisville, Ky. for the ECLAIR DESSERT
their farm is named “One Hill „ . National FFA Convention in 24 graham crackers
Farm.” He had surgery on his Horse and cow collectl- 2001; and to Florida and ranaHa 2 3-ounce boxes instant vanilla
shoulder and has recuperated. “My favorite holiday is Christ- pudding
Amy also milks for a neighbor. . . " ..!?■? mas, not because of the gifts I get 3'/j cups milk
Between the home qnd neighbor- ■_ _?. y well, Ido like to open presents, 8-ounces whipped cream top
in: farms, Amy said some <fcays’ ’‘ ' w ‘ but 1 mokW enjw Christmas Ibe-' ‘’ ' ''"ping '" ’ ‘ :
she milks as much as five times
daily.
“My dad says if I like milking
so much, we should expand,”
Amy said. “But I’m not ready to
be tied down to that yet.
“When everything runs
smoothly, I‘m relaxed and calm.
But when there’s a problem with
the cows, I say get rid of them,”
she confessed.
Amy said that she has been re
sponsible for feeding the calves
and heifers and milking since she
was in sixth grade.
“For awhile I got into the bad
habit of saying I had lots of
homework, so my parents would
let me come into the house to do
homework; instead, I watched
T.V.”
But that habit has been re
placed with responsibility. Since
she graduated, Amy is working
hill-time on the family farm. Her
daily chores include sweeping
troughs, scraping crates, feeding
and bedding heifers, preparation
for milking, and milking. Amy is
responsible for registering Hol
steins and preparing classifica
tion.
Last February, Amy learned
how to breed cows and assists her
mother in that duty.
Amy started fitting dairy cattle
in 1997, and has several regular
customers. She also assists the
Holstein Club with fitting.
“I can’t do as well as profes
sional fitter, but I’m learning,”
she said. She assists a profession
al fitter when requested.
She has shown dairy animals
at local fairs, Southeast District
Championship, state, and at the
World Dairy Expo.
Amy credits FFA participation
as the impetus for becoming a
vocal spokesperson for the ag
community. She said, “I was re
ally shy, and hid in the corner
rather than talk.”
When Amy became active in
Conrad Weiser FFA, she found
the adviser tough but nice, which
meant that she needed to partici
pate instead of hide. Still, Amy
shied away from public speaking.
During her senior year, Amy was
FFA president and needed to do
most of the speaking at the annu
al FFA banquet with 300 people
in attendance.
Surprisingly, she discovered
she enjoyed speaking before a
crowd. She was encouraged to
run as dairy princess. Amy’s first
reaction was that she did not
have the time, but she called up
the pageant coordinator who in
vited her to an informative tea
about the program. Amy decided
to compete in the dairy princess
pageant for Lebanon County.
Pennsylvania Alternate Dairy Princess
One Hill Farm is home for the Moyer family. From left, Amy holding halter of Hannah,
Kristen, Sarah, Jeffrey, and parents Missy and Martin. See page 810 for more about
Missy and her favorite cow Hannah.
Amy worked on her speech, a
requirement for the pageant.
Both her ag and English teachers
help her perfect it. Although
Amy was the only contestant at
the county level, she found out
just how good her speech was
when she competed for the state
crown. In Harrisburg, Amy re
ceived the outstanding speech
award out of 31 contestants.
Amy’s speech stresses the im
portance of the Real Seal for con
sumers and the dairy industry.
To the nonfarming community,
Amy explains the steps that
farmers take to ensure quality
milk
Amy’s award-winning speech
helped thrust her into the final
ist’s circle at the state dairy pag
eant, where she was crowned sec
ond alternate.
In dairy promotions, Amy en
joys meeting people. “I like when
people ask questions and don’t
just stare at me,” she said.
After her year of dairy promo
tion is over, Amy is considering
taking a short course in dairy
management at a college in Mad
ison, Wis. “I plan to attend one
year, and after that consider if I
want to continue,” she said.
“I thought about being an ag
teacher, but I don’t want to at
tend school that long,” she said.
“I’d really like to own my own
farm and, as they say, live happi
ly ever after,” Amy said with a
laugh. “I’d also like to breed
good cows and hope to get first in
the state someday.
Amy has participated in 4-H
One Hill Farm is picturesque with swans in a pond and
the mixed herd in the background.
cause of the music, decorations,
dressing up in Christmas gowns,
family gatherings, the love that
blossoms in the air, Christmas
cantatas at church, and the magi
cal celebration of Christ’s birth,”
Amy said.
Here is a recipe for a creamy,
sweet, cool-tasting dessert that
Amy said is great for holiday
gatherings.
She promises, “Your family
and friends will love it. And don’t
forget the cheese and crackers.
Have a ‘Dairy’ Christmas and a
Happy ‘Moo’ Year!”
Frosting:
6 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons light Karo syrup
3 tablespoons butter
Vi cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon oil
Mix pudding with milk; fold in
whipped topping. Line bottom of
greased 9x13-inch pan with gra
ham crackers. Put half the pud
ding mixture on top. Put another
layer of graham crackers on, then
the remaining pudding. Top with
another layer of graham crack
ers.
Chill dessert for two hours be
fore frosting it. Beat together
frosting ingredients until smooth.
Put frosting on top of crackers.
J^sEore
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