86-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 10, 2003
Mother’s Day Tribute Showcases Mother-Son Dairy Partnership
(Continued from Page B 2)
for 73 head. But the cows had a
hard time adapting to the switch.
Bonnie continued milking at
home and for a neighboring dairy
farmer. John started milking the
cows on the herd that he and his
mother owned in order to give his
mom occasional time off to ac
company Amber to shows, 4-H
activities, and soccer games.
When an opportunity came up
to rent smaller but more afforda
ble facilities in Lititz, the Kisers
took advantage of it. The bam
has tunnel ventilation and mat
tresses, which have been great for
cow comfort.
“I’d prefer to own my own
farm, but it’s pretty far out of
reach at this point. This is a pret
ty good situation here and the
cows are comfortable,” John said.
The Kisers rent the bams, a
little pasture, and half the house.
Although the land is crop farmed
by another farmer, John said that
not farming the ground allows
him to shop around to buy feed.
“When we first bought the
cows, we used total mixed ra
tions,” John said. “Too many
sales guys push their own prod
ucts instead of recommending
what is best for each cow.”
The veterinarian used for herd
health formulates rations, which
John puts together.
Not growing the feed has its
“Farming is something we enjoy, so it doesn’t seem so
much like work,” Bonnie said. “If our children don’t con
tinue farming, what will the future hold?”
John Kiser finds satisfaction in developing his favorite cow families in his and his
mother’s herd Mega Star Holsteins.
benefits. “We can put our money
into our cows instead of equip
ment,” John said.
The cows have adjusted to the
move really well and average 70
pounds plus per day per cow.
The Kisers said they are very
attached to their cows and have
cow “families” they continue to
develop.
AH three famUy members
make pets of the cows. “We
know them all by name. We
know which ones like to have
their heads scratched and like to
lick us,” Bonnie said.
“We cull out the low end. I
pick out the bulls, and Mom does
the breeding,” John said.
Bonnie also does a lot of the
herd’s vet work.
“But I’m quick to ask advice,”
Bonnie said of calling a veteri
narian. “We haven’t had any dis
placed abdomens for two years.
We avoid a lot of problems with
herd health by really being picky
about little things.”
Bonnie also does the morning
and evening milking on the farm
and works full time as ad-visor.
That requires her to complete the
5:30 a.m. milking before rushing
off to her 8 a.m. job, then hurry
ing home to complete the evening
milking.
“I think my mom works too
hard, but she’s the best person to
do it. She’s quick nobody can
do it as fast as she does. And
she’s picky about propping and
milking the cows,” John said.
Bonnie said, “I believe that a
cow should be milked as soon as
she is propped, and that milking
units should be removed as soon
as a cow is finished to keep so
matic cell counts low.”
The Kisers also believe that it
works best to have one person
taking care of the daily milking.
“One person keeps things mov
ing, and prevents mass confusion
by having too many people
standing around,” he said.
The milk is shipped to Her
shey’s Chocolate via L.H. Bur
khart through Land O’ Lakes.
John said that his sister is very
helpful with the herd. Amber
takes care of the calves, and her
4-H projects, sheep, heifers, and
dairy beef steers. She is vice pres
ident of the Lancaster County
Dairy Beef Club, was named 4-H
showmanship champion and re
serve junior champion at various
fairs last year. She enjoys doing
her own fitting for shows at So
lanco, Lampeter, and Manheim.
Amber said, “Living on a farm
has taught me responsibility. I
learn at shows that if I do things
right, it pays off, and that show
ing doesn’t just mean walking an
animal around in the show ring.
It requires paper-work.”
For her detailed record keep
ing, Amber received a 4-H award
for completing one of the top five
record books in the county.
“And I learned the price of
feed,” she said. That’s a require
ment for business savvy, she be
lieves.
Amber is in eighth grade at
Warwick Middle School, and
plays soccer for Lititz. Next year,
Amber will transfer to Manheim
Central so she can participate in
FFA.
“I want to be a large animal
vet,” Amber said. She served as a
dairy darling for Lancaster
County, and is considering be
coming a dairy ambassador for
the county dairy industry.
“My mom is really supportive.
She takes me to shows, 4-H and
FFA meetings, and soccer prac
tices. She’s always here for us,”
Amber said.
Her brother added, “I think
my mom works too hard. I know
she’s really doing this for us.”
The mother-son team has a
SO-SO partnership on the cows.
“I never would have been able
to borrow the money without
her,” John said.
Amber desires to be a large animal veterinarian, and
finds raising and showing dairy animals a step in that di
rection. Here she shows Babe, a IVt year-old Ayrshire.
Amber also owns Jersey and Holsteins.
The plan is that he wiU eventu
ally assume fuU ownership.
John beUeves he has an advan
tage over most guys in partner
ship with their fathers. He said,
“Fathers often own everything
and aren’t quick to hand over re
sponsibility.”
Bonnie said her contribution is
worth it when she sees her chil
dren succeed. “The look on Am
ber’s face in the show ring, and
the satisfaction John has seeing
the successful siring of cow fami
lies, is very rewarding.”
Bonnie regrets that her parents
(Daniel and Ruthetta Rohr
baugh) are deceased and unable
to appreciate watching her son
attain success in farming.
“Farming is something we
enjoy, so it doesn’t seem so much
like work,” she said. “If our chil
dren don’t farming,
what will the future hold?”
Bonnie wants to encourage her
children to pursue farming if that
is what they want to do.
“But I don’t push it,” she said.
Eliminate Mosquito Hotels
On The Farm
COLUMBUS, Ohio Spring
cleaning this year on your farm
should include finding and drain
ing potential mosquito breeding
sites. This year, reducing mosqui
to numbers is essential as West
Nile Virus is anticipated in all
parts of Ohio this summer.
“Look around your farm for
places where rain water can
stand for more than three days,”
said William Saville, an Ohio
State University Extension veteri
narian. “A good place to start
looking is back of the bam where
old tires, discarded watering
tanks, and other unused equip
ment is kept.”
Anything that could hold
water, such as wheelbarrows and
buckets, should be drained and
turned over to prevent from fill
ing with rainwater. Tires should
be discarded to prevent water
from collecting, said Saville, an
assistant professor with the De
partment of Veterinary Preven
tive Medicine. Old tarps, feed
bags, tin cans, bottles, or
Another daughter Lydia, 16, lives
with her dad in York County.
Lydia has shown sheep for 4-H
projects.
In addition to their mom’s
hard work in the bam, her chil
dren claim, “Mom makes the best
homemade pot pie.” Here is the
recipe:
CHICKEN POT-PIE
2 cups cooked chicken with
broth
1 can chicken broth
1 cup flour (sifted
'A teaspoon baking powder
legg
Milk (enough to make soft
dough)
Mix flour, egg, baking powder,
and milk to make dough. Roll
out dough on a well-floured
board and cut in squares. Put
chicken and broth in kettle with 1
cup water. Bring to a boil and
slowly add pot pie squares. Add
salt and pepper to taste and more
water if necessary. Potatoes may
be added.
anything else lying around
should be picked up and thrown
away if necessary. Watering
tanks should be emptied once a
week and kept free of algae.
Mosquitoes breed in shallow
water that stands for more than
three days. Low areas in drive
ways, barnyards, and pastures
should be drained or filled with
dirt or gravel.
Saville reminds farm owners to
also look for mosquito breeding
areas around the house. Roof
gutters need to be cleaned and
tight covers should be kept over
cisterns, septic tanks,.and rain
barrels. The water in birdbaths
and wading pools should be
drained once a week. If there is a
farm pond, keep the banks
mowed and free of vegetation. A
stocked fishpond, which is well
managed for weeds and algae,
will help reduce mosquitoes.