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Warren AGRICULTURE In The News |
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WARREN COUNTY In The News Archives - 2009 stories of interest |
GEORGE & JANET SAVKO,
SUGAR-LOTT FARM
by Mark Lawson, Future of Ag Task Force
and Warren County Farm Bureau
6/16/10 Located on Route 957, halfway between Sugar
Grove and Lottsville, Sugar-Lott Farm recently made the front page of
the Times Observer (Seeing
Triple) and Corry Journal (No
Bull: Cow Delivers Triplets) when one of their cows had triplets.

In the Times Observer photo by Brian
Ferry, George and Janet Savko of Sugar-Lott Farm wrangle triplet
Holstein calves at the barn. The calves are (clockwise from
bottom) Hot, Pepper, and Chilly. |
The dairy farm was
started in 1952 by Florence Savko and her late husband, George.
Today the farm is run by her son George. He returned to the farm
after working 22 years in the oil fields when qualified farm
labor could not be found. That was 18 years ago. He is helped by
his sister Janet who feeds the calves, keeps things organized
and arranges for seasonal labor among other things.
They milk 40 Holstein dairy cows and raise another 45
heifers and calves. They also grow 100 acres of hay, 25 acres of corn,
and 24 acres of oats on their 300 acre farm.
George said the best part of his job is working outside and
being your own boss. The part he likes the least is removing all the
manure from the barn.
He also said things haven't changed much on their farm.
They still do things the old fashioned way......slow. |
No bull:
Cow delivers triplets
By
Stephen Sears
sears@thecorryjournal.com The
Corry Journal
PUBLISHED: Wednesday, June 9, 2010 2:33 PM EDT
LOTTSVILLE
— George Savko thought his pregnant 6-year-old cow — known only as No.
154 — might be carrying twins.
“I told my sister that I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Savko, who helps
run the family’s 300-acre dairy farm on Route 957, just east of
Lottsville. “She was carrying pretty low.”
Savko and his sister, Janet, a longtime first-grade teacher in the
Youngsville School District who also works the farm, and their mother,
Florence, were in for a bigger surprise.
The 1,150-pound Holstein delivered not one, not two, but three seemingly
healthy calves early Tuesday morning.
To top it off, the newborns were all female calves, known as heifers,
which makes the triple births even rarer still.
A young female calf from birth is called a heifer until she has had a
calf of her own.
“You look at one and then there are three — yikes!” said Savko, whose
family has owned the farm since the early 1950s. “They’re little
cuties.”
The Savkos had never experienced triplet births at their farm, which now
has about 100 head of cattle. Not many dairy farmers have, said George
Wilcox, the Penn State Cooperative Extension’s dairy agent based at Penn
State Behrend.
“I’ve been involved in this job for nearly four decades, and I can
remember there being only one other set — in Erie County,” Wilcox said.
“To have triplets is rare, to have them born alive is even rarer, and to
have them born healthy is even more exciting.”
Savko estimates each calf weighs about 50 pounds, which is quite a bit
smaller than the typical birth weight of about 90 pounds. Still, they
appeared to be in good health, he said.
Wilcox, who has not seen the animals, said the Savkos were fortunate to
have their cow deliver three heifers.
If a cow has multiple births — twins or triplets — that include a male
calf known as a bull, the heifers would have been infertile, Wilcox
said. That means the heifers would not have calves of their own and
would not produce milk, he said.
“But three heifers can be raised, bred and become productive,” Wilcox
said.
Savko knew No. 154 was nearing her 9-month term Monday evening.
“She wouldn’t come into the barn,” he said. “She wanted no part of it
like she usually does.”
When Savko hopped on his four-wheeler to check his animals at about 5
a.m. Tuesday, he found the cow lying in a small pasture near his barn
with a black calf. He scooped up the newborn heifer and took her to the
barn.
When he returned, his intuition about twins had been confirmed. Another
newborn heifer he hadn’t noticed before was nuzzling up to her mother.
The mother cow soon headed to the barn leaving the second calf behind.
He took the other calf to the barn and then rode his four-wheeler to
tend to other cows in the pasture.
In the barn, however, Janet Savko noticed something. “A foot was coming
out,” George Savko said.
Janet Savko caught the third — and final — calf as it was born.
“Twins — that’s fantastic. But having a third heifer, that’s a shocker,”
George Savko said. “She turned into a Xerox machine.”
Wilcox said it would take a little time for the mother cow to
recuperate.
“That’s hard on a cow,” Wilcox said. “She’ll sacrifice a little milk
production, but I expect the Savkos’ excitement to supersede losing a
little milk production from the mother.”
The cow, who was bred by an 1,800-pound bull named Gus that recently was
sold, deserves credit, Savko said.
“She’s a dandy,” he said.
Source:
http://www.thecorryjournal.com/articles/2010/06/10/news/doc4c0fda3fdebd9439626002.txt
4-H Program
Looks to Past to Help its Present Members
By
LYDIA COTTRELL
lcottrell@timesobserver.com
Times Observer
POSTED: May 17, 2010.
4-H members and
leaders of the past have an opportunity to help the young members of the
present.
The Warren County 4-H program has announced the
development of the Warren County 4-H Alumni and Friends Association.
The concept of establishing an alumni association was
cultivated by the Warren County 4-H Development Board as a means of
financially supporting the current 4-H program, according to Jennifer
Grooms, 4-H extension educator for Penn State Cooperative Extension.
"If this was a university, you would have an alumni
association," she said.
The concept involves reaching out to past members and
volunteers. By tapping those sources and asking for a membership
donation, the current 4-H program is able to raise funds while gaining
valuable information from the alumni's past experience.
"It would be great to do some of our leadership
(seminars) with the past leaders," Grooms said.
As a framework for giving, the development board
created four contribution levels: Green Clover, $20 to $50; White
Clover, $51 to $100; Silver Clover, $101 to $250; and Gold Clover, $251
or more.
The goal for 2010 is to raise $10,000 through
membership contributions.
"It will help with our after-school (program)," Grooms
said of the funding.
She added, "We have numerous opportunities for the
(4-H) children to travel outside of the county and this money can help
offset those costs."
For example, local 4-H members travel to other
counties for regional and state camps, seminars and activities.
"4-H is bigger than your county and the county fair,"
Grooms said.
The alumni association will also benefit its members.
"It gives them the opportunity to continue to be
involved," she said. "People can have the opportunity get a foot in the
door for the development of new clubs and to have new volunteers
screened."
Grooms would also like to plan alumni social functions
so former members can re-connect.
"I would like to do an alumni day at some point during
the fair," she said. "We're definitely open to ideas to get the
association going."
Membership is not limited to Warren County's past
members and leaders. People who were involved in 4-H in another county
or state are welcome to join.
"That's a way to bring outside experience in," Grooms
explained.
Although
the alumni association is in its beginning stages and the development
board is just starting to get the word out, the association already has
its first Silver Clover contributor. John and Lynn Allen of Sugar Grove
recently made the second-highest level membership contribution. For
their generosity, the Allens' names were etched on the Silver Clover
plaque which will be displayed at the 4-H center. There is a plaque for
the Gold Clover level as well.
According to Grooms, both John and Lynn were 4-H
members as kids and both became leaders as adults. They passed their 4-H
roots on to their children, who also participated in the program.
The mission of the 4-H program is to provide
opportunities for youth to acquire knowledge, develop life skills and
form attitudes and practice behavior that will enable them to be
self-directing, productive and contributing members of society.
In Warren County, the 4-H was established in the late
1920s. Currently, over 20 clubs exist and there are hundreds of members
countywide.
For information about the Warren County 4-H Alumni and
Friends Association or to join, contact Grooms at 563-9388 or email
WarrenExt@psu.edu.
Source link:
http://timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/530931.html?nav=5006 |
New truck
regs could affect local farmers
By COLIN KYLER
ckyler@timesobserver.com
Times Observer
POSTED: March 25, 2010. Farmers in
Pennsylvania may soon have to adhere to the same rules as commercial
truck drivers when operating farm vehicles.
George Wilcox, director of the Warren County Penn State Cooperative
Extension, said his first reaction to the rules was they could have been
worse, and he thinks they're doable.
According to the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration determined PennDOT's exemptions of farm trucks
were deficient and the state would lose federal funding if not
corrected. New regulations go into effect March 31.
Todd Benedict, owner of Sunset Dairy in Bear Lake, said the requirements
would not be good at all even though some of the original proposals had
been lifted.
Farmers with trucks would have to keep daily inspection logs, Wilcox
said, which would add to the record keeping.
Such record keeping would be onerous, Benedict said, citing the
"ungodly" hours farmers already work.
All trucks weighing at least 17,000 pounds would be subject to most
regulations, Wilcox said, which is not a very high limit. This may prove
to be more cumbersome than the daily logs.
Vehicles weighing at least that much are on the road all of the time,
Wilcox said, reaching that amount when hauling a cattle trailer with
only three or four animals.
Currently, Wilcox said the state Farm Bureau and others are trying to
lobby to get the limit raised to 26,000 or 27,000 pounds. The upcoming
state budget may put such alterations on hold, however.
Other than that, Wilcox said farmers will have to comply with the
regulations which also require annual medical examinations for drivers.
Throughout the county, Wilcox said a few people haul grain while four or
five are in the cattle hauling business. Almost any of the bigger farms
have 60 or 70 animals and transport them to fairs, farm shows and sale
barns.
The Farm Bureau also listed a minimum age requirement of 18 years old to
operate vehicles.
The age limits would not affect his business as much, Benedict said, as
the equipment costs so much he already trusts it only with responsible
drivers.
Exemptions do apply on the regulations, Wilcox said, including for
trucks operating within a 100-mile radius. Trucks operating during the
harvest season are also exempted as well as farm tractors.
Benedict said he has not yet taken steps to implement compliance and
just plans to wing it.
Source link:
http://timesobserver.com/page/content.detail/id/528949.html |
Conewango
Creek Watershed group receives $25,000 grant
Posted 2/5/10
The Conewango Creek Watershed Association (CCWA)
has been selected by the Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds (FWP) to
receive a capacity building grant. The funding, a value of $25,000, will
include intensive training and consulting services based on the needs of
the CCWA.
Full story on the Times Observer website
For more information about the Conewango Creek Watershed
visit their website:
http://www.conewangocreek.org/ |
A little
help is big boost for Mike Doty
Reprinted from
Farmshine,
Friday, January 8, 2010, p.32
PITTSFIELD,
Pa. -- Ten years ago Mike and Reta Doty, who farm near here in Warren
County, purchased their dream farm. It was a dilapidated farmstead with
collapsing buildings and weed-encroached fields. They weren’t naive about
the state of the farm; but where others saw despair, they saw hope. The
Dotys thought they’d raise beef cows and Jersey bulls, but when a neighbor
needed six cows milked by hand, the Dotys stepped in. Before too long,
Mike Doty was envisioning pastures filled with a healthy dairy herd
and proper facilities to care for them.
This hard working and industrious couple began the
laborious transformation of the farmstead, doing a vast majority of the
work on their own, and primarily using the existing physical resources of
the farm. “The only part of the milk house that isn’t made from re-used
materials is the plywood on the wall,” explains Mike. “Similarly, the
first-class milking parlor was purchased for $200 from a producer who
wanted to see it used by a fellow family farmer.”
The Dotys were open to whatever resources were available
to them, and decided early-on to work closely with the
local
conservation district in the improvement of their farmstead. Since
2002, improvements have included: clearing brush, creating tree
windbreaks, and building fencing for intensive grazing; installing running
water in a 1200-gallon in-ground holding tank in the pasture; a
hard-packed surface holding area and laneway to decrease hoof problems;
and two diversion ditches to keep water from pooling at the barn. Their
efforts earned them the 2008 Conservation Farm of the Year Award.
For Mike, all the physical work involved in the farm’s
transformation has come at a steep price. A few years ago, he took a
pretty hard fall onto his back and backside. It hurt pretty badly at the
time, but with no health insurance, he decided not to get it checked out.
The effects of the fall continued to linger, and a few months later, while
they were digging out their proposed milking parlor by hand, Mike found
himself flat on his back in bed for more than three weeks. The diagnosis
was a herniated disk and severe arthritis in the upper back, and surgery
wasn’t a viable option.
Since then Mike has continued his efforts to transform
the farmstead, working around his condition as much as possible and
accepting the support of his family, neighbors and friends when it proves
to be too much. However, when he noticed an advertisement about the
AgrAbility
program in Hoard’s Dairyman this past spring, his natural curiosity
and willingness to explore resources led him to contact AgrAbility for
Pennsylvanians’ Project Coordinator, Linda Fetzer.
“Mr. Doty has been a true pleasure to work with,” states
Ms. Fetzer. “He is so hard working and resourceful, and we were glad to
assist him in identifying ways to decrease the amount of stress on his
back on a daily basis.”
Fetzer and David Troutman, AgrAbility case manager,
completed an on-farm evaluation of Mike and his needs on the farm, and
provided that information to the local Office for Vocational
Rehabilitation, or OVR, at their request.
“Our OVR agent, Sara James, had never worked with
farmers,” explains Mike. “However, she went out of her way to help us, and
was willing to learn all she could about farming, and the challenges of
farming with a bad back.”
With the financial support of OVR, the Dotys completed
the work in the milking parlor, as well as, procured additional mirrors
and ‘quick hitches’ for the tractor to reduce the need to get on and off
as frequently.
“We are so grateful for all the assistance
we received from OVR,” says Mike today. “It would have taken us another
year or more to finish the parlor, and in the meantime it would have meant
more hauling milkers and bending to milk in the tie-stall barn. Also, the
hitches and the mirrors have really decreased the stress on my neck and
back.”
The hitches and mirrors were installed on
the Dotys’ ‘new’ International 1586 that they purchased from a neighbor
with additional assistance from AgrAbility. In Pennsylvania, the
AgrAbility partners include Penn State Cooperative Extension, Easter Seals
Central Pa., and the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation, or PATF.
PATF is an under-used resource by producers who are
farming with a disability or health condition. The organization provides
low-interest loans for the purchase of assistive technology, or equipment
that helps people cope with a disability.
The Dotys were able to receive a $5000 loan at 4%
interest. The tractor was more powerful, and came with a more ergonomic
seat, power steering and brakes, and hydraulic clutch – all of which made
a world of difference in the level of discomfort Mike was experiencing on
a day-to-day basis.
“We were so glad to be able to work with Mr. Doty,” says
David Troutman, AgrAbility case manager and PATF employee. “He is exactly
who we want to be helping more – hard working farmers who can really
benefit from new or modified equipment that will make their lives easier
and their pain less. Our organization exists to help anyone with a
disability, and farmers and farm family members are just not taking
advantage of the resources we can offer. I hope Mr. Doty’s story will help
change that.”
AgrAbility for Pennsylvanians helps individuals who are
coping with many different kinds of physical challenges, including
arthritis, stroke, knee and back problems, amputations, vision and hearing
disabilities, and many others. AgrAbility is a funded project by the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute for Food
and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and
Industry (PDLI) Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR).
For more information about the project, or to find out
how AgrAbility
can help you or someone you know, call toll free in Pennsylvania:
800-416-6061. The project may also be found on the web at
http://AgExtEd.cas.psu.edu/agrab/. PATF may be reached by calling
888-744-1938; their TTY number is 877-693-7271.
For more information about Farmshine, a weekly
newspaper serving the farming community, visit their
website
www.farmshine.net
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WARREN COUNTY In The News Archives
- 2009 stories of interest |
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