Amidst Challenge Of Urban Pressure, York Farm
(Continued from Page ASS)
“It’s just the love of it. I just
enjoy fanning, and I do think
there can be a future. We’re will
ing to try new things,” such as
not only a pumpkin stand but
also a meat store that the family
operated for more than a year in
the town.
Community Involvement
Important
Staying involved in the com
munity will prove key to a farm
operation’s friendly relationship
with neighbors, said Gross.
Daniel is president of the
South Central Cattlemen’s Asso
ciation and on the board of the
Pennsylvania Cattlemen’s Asso
ciation. His wife, Tina, is a mem
bership processor for the York
County Farm Bureau. Steven Jr.
is a director of the York County
Farm Bureau, and his wife Becky
is on the school board.
Steven has served on the town
ship board, Daniel sits on the
zoning hearing board, and Steve
Jr. is a township supervisor. In
addition, they are involved with
church, Jaycees, and the Lions
Club.
“If you’re going to complain
about what’s going on in your
township, you need to be involv
ed,” said Gross. The leadership
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The smoke of nuclear power plant Three Mile Island,
less than five miles away, hovers in the background.
positions also allow the family to
know what’s going on right
away, he said.
They also host day care centers
or school groups for tours on the
farm. Although its purpose was
to generate extra income, a
“Farmer Dan’s Pumpkin Stand”
has also proven to build good re
lations, because guests may also
have the opportunity to walk
around the farm.
“When you farm in the com
munity that you live in and peo
ple know you, they are more
sympathetic,” said Phyllis.
Especially when it is time to
spray the crop, for instance, peo
ple can be reassured that the
family is using good farming
practices. “We farm here and we
live here of course were con
cerned” with safety and a clean
environment, she noted.
“We try to be courteous. We
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don’t spread manure before a big
heavy downpour or on a Satur
day.” They have also gone
through nutrient management
training and are Beef Quality As
surance certified producers.
In addition, changing lifestyles
have actually led to fewer oppor
tunities to complain. With the
onset of air conditioning and
weekend trips with their boat or
to their hunting lodge, said Ste
ven, “people just aren’t there
anymore to do any complaining.”
Many , neighbors are more con
cerned about losing the open land
to development, said Phyllis.
The family also keeps the land
open for public hiking or hunting
to build further relationships
with the community. “It’s part of
being a good neighbor,” said
Gross.
The growth that surrounds the
farm has brought escalating traf-
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Family Continues To Raise Beef
fic, according to Phyllis. Since
good fences make good neigh
bors, “we keep a good eye on our
fence and work hard to keep the
cows off the road,” said Gross.
The Cattle Business
After the Gross family got out
of the dairy business in 1966 for
labor reasons, steers have been a
part of the farm.
The division of labor has
switched, according to Daniel,
who mainly takes care of the beef
animals. He has a degree in ag
engineering while his brother,
who maintains the crops, has a
degree in animal husbandry. The
brothers graduated from SUNY
Cobleskill.
“Both of us couldn’t be involv
ed with both aspects,” he said.
“We needed to specialize.” In
1995 they also added 11 brood
cows, a number that has grown to
137 head, with bred heifers.
Most of the cows calves in the
spring, with the majority of them
bom in March or April.
“The cows were a pretty good
PR (public relations) move,” said
Gross. The neighbors, he said,
enjoy watching the cattle and
calves.
The cattle are divided into
weight groups on four of the
properties. The 400-700-pound
cattle are brought onto Daniel’s
farm, the re
ceiving lot,
where they
are vaccinat
e d , d e -
wormed,
tagged, and
monitored in
the pasture
for 30 days.
Since they
purchase
their cattle
from sale
bams, as well
as private
sources, they believe that the time
spent backgrounding their own
cattle is necessary.
“If’s still fun to go to the mar
kets,” said Gross, who does much
of the buying. “I’ve been going to
the market since I was old
enough to walk.”
When the animals reach
700-1,000-pounds they are moved
in groups of 50-60 at a time to
the next farm, which has rations
tailored to fit their needs, before
they are moved to the home farm
to finish for market.
They buy cattle (they feed
steers and heifers) year-round
and send out three loads a
month. The family does their
own trucking.
The farm has weathered ups
and downs in the cattle business.
“You have to hang in there year
in and year out you can’t jump
in and out of it,” according to the
market situation, he said.
An additional challenge this
year came in the form of the
drought, which took their com
crop down to a quarter of its ca
pacity. They may purchase com
to finish the cattle, or sell a few
head before they are finished
both short-term solutions, hopes
Gross. They started feeding the
brood herd July 15 this year,
which they usually begin in mid-
October.
“I always knew I wanted to be
in fanning,” Daniel said. Over
the years cattle have proven to
his favorite part of the vocation.
He spent some time crunching
numbers to determine if the farm
would be more profitable if it
were entirely fenced for a cow
calf operation.
However, the number of head
to make it feasible, plus the
thought of late-night cow checks,
has put that idea to rest, he said.
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