farm and land
FROM
F A M I LY T O
family THE STOLTZFUS FAMILY HAS WORKED TOGETHER ON THEIR FARM IN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA TO BUILD A HOLSTEIN
TO G E T H E R
HERD THAT INCLUDES STRONG COW FAMILIES. AMOS AND ANNA MARIE
they have it all
ENJOY SPENDING TIME WITH THEIR SIX
CHILDREN, TWO OF WHICH ARE DUANE AND AMY, PICTURED TO THE RIGHT. SINCE TAKING OVER MANAGEMENT OF THE FARM, DUANE CONTINUES TO ENJOY ALL ASPECTS OF DAIRY FARMING, WORKING WITH HIS FATHER TO MAKE BREEDING DECISIONS.
DERLY TRANSITIO R O : AN| AMOS STOLTZFUS STARTED DAIRY NFARMING
assuring continuity
STORY AND PHOTOS BY SALLY SCHOLLE IN HONEYBROOK, PENNSYLVANIA, WHERE HE DEVELOPED A SMALL, HIGH-QUALITY HERD OF HOLSTEINS. WHEN HIS FATHER-IN-LAW PURCHASED A VACANT 82 ACRE DAIRY FARM IN NEARBY GAP, AMOS AND HIS WIFE ANNA MARIE MOVED THE HERD AND THEIR GROWING FAMILY TO THAT FARM AND CONTINUED TO BREED SELECT HOLSTEINS.
When he was operating the farm, Amos handled most of the milking, and all six Stoltzfus children helped with milking and other chores. Anna Marie home-schooled the children and helped in the barn and on the tractor. Today, she manages the secretarial duties for Stolhaven Genetics, Amos’ cattle breeding enterprise. While Amos and Anna Marie didn’t push any of their children to stay on the farm, their oldest son, Duane, was the most interested in continuing what his father started. Five years ago, Amos and Anna Marie handed the day-to-day operations of the dairy farm to Duane,
who rents the farm from his parents. The Stoltzfus family has a long history with Farm Credit, starting with Amos’ father. Duane financed his house with Farm Credit and says he “appreciates the ease of doing business with them.” Merlin, another Stoltzfus son, also financed a property with Farm Credit adjacent to the farm. As Duane grew up on the farm, he milked cows, helped fill silos and took on other daily tasks. He became familiar with nearly every aspect of the dairy farm operation, and observed the changes that took place over the years. “We built a heifer barn in 1989
RE THE
’S NOWHERE
when we moved to the farm,” says Duane. “We also made some improvements to the tie stall barn, including new stalls and mattresses, and built a dry cow barn in 2000.” Tunnel ventilation was added to both the tie stall barn and the dry cow barn to optimize cow health. About four years ago, a new calf barn was constructed to house calves from birth until they move to the heifer barn at six or seven months. Growing up on a farm with good cattle genetics helped Duane learn to choose correct, high-performing cows that last. Following in Amos’ footsteps,
I would rather be
4
the other side of ag
| VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 4 | mafc.com
