Virginia Farm Show A Success GAY BROWNLEE Virginia Correspondent FISHERSVILLE, Va.—On Jan. 21, the folks who braved the bone-chilling cold to attend the 2003 Virginia Farm Show at Au gusta Expo Land did so for var ied personal reasons. For some, the fun of a day’s outing was too good to miss, but serious issues brought other at tendees. At the farm show there were people to exchange ideas with, especially experts who were prepared to field their topical Demonstrations such as log sawing by Timber Harvest er, were popular at the Virginia Farm Show and attracted many spectators away from the heated tents and main building into the frosty outdoors where the sawdust was flying out of a chute. We Specialize in Building > Remodeling, and Automating Dairy Facilities... D-20 Herringbone Parlor, 300 Cow 6-Row Drive Thru Freestall and Special Needs Area with Separate Parlor. Featuring Norbco stalls and curtains, Gable belting in alleyways, Bohlman Concrete waterers and Pasture Nat pillows and covers We Are Builders/Equipment Dealers • We offer total systems design with parlor automation a specialty. • We build complete facilities and offer many years of experience. • We also do repairs and remodeling, offering plumbing and electrical services, • We are dealers for the following equipment Norbco Bam Equipment, Alley Scrapers, & Curtain Systems Tunnel Ventilation Systems Cow Mattress We offer full service on our products 24 hours a dap. “Knisely BUILT ' AGRICULTURAL CONSTRUCTION Bill Knisely 14 Cedar Ridge Drive Arnold Decker 814-692-4110 Port Matilda. PA 16870 717-369-3607 questions and send the answers across the farmer’s home plate. Sam Harris from Spotsylvania, for instance, talked about being a beef farmer in partnership with his brother, W.D. Harris. The sib lings run a finishing operation and have 250 brood cows. Then land produces 200 acres of com, 200 acres of soybeans, and 60 acres of alfalfa. With Ellen, his wife and their three young daughters, the Harris family strives to be aware of new possibilities that will en- Saylor Hillcrest Dairy Rockwood, PA Gh* U» A Ring If You'rt ThtaWng About A Project Or Ne«d Advte« On\%ntiiation. Milking Syaaim Or Animal Housing. Glv» U« A Try Have It Knisely Built! able them to profitably maintain the farming lifestyle they love. And they are concerned about the generation that will have de pended on their leadership to pave their way. Twenty years from now, how will their girls cope with new agricultural issues if they, too, decide on a life of farming? Harris and Ellen began pon dering the possibility of purchas ing a few goats as they were strol ling through a heated tent and were introduced to Southfork Farm’s exhibit by Nathan and Sue Ellen Haver, Goshen. An en closure featured a hill-blood Boer dam and three adorable kids aged 3-weeks. “Anything new—like these goats,” said Harris. “Doing some thing different.” “Something to teach the chif dren responsibility,” said Ellen. ‘ “And to get them interested in farming at a young age,” said their dad, already doing the men tal calculations. Goats, in time, would generate some profit. Meanwhile, expand ing the Harris family interests and diversifying the livestock could be a very healthy decision. Visitor Monty Heatwole, how ever, was taking his questions about semen to another exhibitor. Heatwole manages Cub Run Dairy in McGaheysville for his With support from hor mother, Ellen Harris, Brandy Harris, 4, gets to hold a 3-week old Boer kid goat at the Va. Farm Show held Jan. 21, 22 at Expo Land. dad. The Holstein operation is “Basically, I came to get some comprised of a milking herd of technical information and see 250 head. new feeding equipment and talk Bill Meyerhoeffer, independent with people in the industry. We dairy consultant from Harrison- live in a progressive area and burg, was taking advantage of people try to keep up on things,” the opportunity to absorb the lat- he said. est information that could be helpful to his clients. Visitors to the Virginia Farm Show Titus Landis, Harrisonburg, Va. and LaVern Frey, Doylesburg, Pa. are very interested in “person comfort” for the dairy farmer as much as they are creature comfort for the cows. They stop to learn more about the interlocking parlor cushion mats that are thick and comfortable and non-slip to walk on. the t. L r. f, systeml Our Dry-nak m surface provides your livestock with optimum traction and movement,ichteved through the proper balance of mat thickness and dummeter fkldenbtlon or imprinting) as well as -high grade injHttmaterials. -exclusive interlock design. -specialized Pro-SHcter 11 *cleaning equipment. -Slat-Lok™ non invasive anchors for slatted flioors, COMPONENTS OF A PROVEN SYSTEM Gary Johnson Box 154 Church St. IHSHmESHSS— JHHHH f Spnngville Pa. wwwammatonlme.com mBmBBBf (570)965-2613 folkema@sympatico.ca S Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 1,2003-A29 -A Proven Success (Turn to Page A3O) TOTAL INTERLOCKED RUBBER FLOORING
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