From Family to Family

FROM FAMILY TO FAMILY

THE STOLTZFUS FAMILY HAS WORKED TOGETHER ON THEIR FARM IN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA TO BUILD A HOLSTEIN HERD THAT INCLUDES STRONG COW FAMILIES. AMOS AND ANNA MARIE 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.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SALLY SCHOLLE | AMOS STOLTZFUS STARTED DAIRY FARMING 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 helpedwith milking and other chores. AnnaMarie home-schooled the children andhelped in the barn and on the tractor.Today, she manages the secretarialduties for Stolhaven Genetics, Amos’cattle breeding enterprise.

While Amos and Anna Marie didn’tpush any of their children to stay onthe farm, their oldest son, Duane, wasthe most interested in continuing whathis father started. Five years ago, Amosand Anna Marie handed the day-to-dayoperations of the dairy farm to Duane,

who rents the farm from his parents.

The Stoltzfus family has a longhistory with Farm Credit, startingwith Amos’ father. Duane financedhis house with Farm Credit and sayshe “appreciates the ease of doingbusiness with them.” Merlin, anotherStoltzfus son, also financed a propertywith Farm Credit adjacent to the farm.

As Duane grew up on the farm,he milked cows, helped fill silos andtook on other daily tasks. He becamefamiliar with nearly every aspect of thedairy farm operation, and observed thechanges that took place over the years.“We built a heifer barn in 1989

when we moved to the farm,”says Duane. “We also made someimprovements to the tie stall barn,including new stalls and mattresses,and built a dry cow barn in 2000.”Tunnel ventilation was added to boththe tie stall barn and the dry cowbarn to optimize cow health. Aboutfour years ago, a new calf barn wasconstructed to house calves from birthuntil they move to the heifer barn at sixor seven months.

Growing up on a farm with goodcattle genetics helped Duane learn tochoose correct, high-performing cowsthat last. Following in Amos’ footsteps,

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Duane observes the performance of strong cow families. “I can look at most of my cows and hope they have a heifer calf,” he says. “Before I took over the dairy here, I had bought some good cows, did some flushing and got a lot of heifers from that work.” Duane added that nearly every cow in the barn traces back to cows that other Holstein breeders would recognize as being from strong cow families.

As Duane makes day-to-day management decisions for the farm, he appreciates his father’s hard work in building a high-quality herd. “We like a cow to stay around until she’s seven, eight or nine years old,” says Duane. “The biggest thing is getting her bred back quickly and keeping her udders healthy.”

Both Amos and Duane manage herd reproduction, with Duane making most

of the mating decisions. At one time, Duane bred most of the herd based on heat observation, but has found that a synchronization program has resulted in a more consistent pregnancy rate.

In addition to managing the herd, Duane handles crop work for the farm. He believes that a forage-based diet is important for cow health and production. “A big part of what I push to the cows is forage,” says Duane. “I feed about 60 percent forage and 40 percent concentrate.”

To ensure optimum nutrients in crops, Duane works with an agronomist for soil testing and seeks advice on soil amendments. Primary crops are corn and beans, which are part of a TMR (total mixed ration). Duane also grows triticale, which is preserved as haylage, and completes the ration

with ground roasted soybeans and a TMR supplement.

Like others in the business, Duane admits that dairy farming is challenging, and realizes the importance of staying abreast of the current dairy situation. “I consider this to be a conventional dairy,” he says. “We aren’t really attached to a niche market or direct market.” However, Duane is open-minded and prepared to make necessary changes to remain profitable. To supplement his income, Duane is on the sales team for a company that makes steel-framed, fabric-covered structures.

Duane will be the first to admit that this year has been challenging for farmers, but he remains optimistic. “If you do it right, the cows do well without even trying,” he says, “and that’s when it’s fun.”

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