RONKS, Pa.  – “Most people don’t know how many great cows are in this county, hidden in all these barns up and down these side roads,” stated Justin Burdette of Windy Knoll View Farm in Mercersburg, Pa. “I saw more good cows in three days in Lancaster County than I could’ve if I’d struck out on my own and rode around for a week looking for them.”

Speaking to the assembled group of farmers, Burdette was reflecting on his time evaluating cows for Lancaster’s On-Farm judging contest held a few years prior. “I always enjoy coming to this area. But when I got to spend those days going through your barns and looking at your cattle, I thoroughly enjoyed that. It was quite an event. I’ve been singing its praises ever since.”

Burdette appeared in an official capacity in Lancaster County again to serve as the judge and guest speaker during the festivities of the county’s Holstein field day, held during the afternoon of Friday, July 11th on the dairy farm of Amos L. Lapp and his family.

Burdette spoke about the farm practices and breeding decisions he uses on the Franklin County dairy farm he operates with his wife, Claire, and daughters, Reese and Brinkley.

“We are type-oriented, but we don’t like to sacrifice on production. We want our cows to have productive lives and stay there a long time,” Burdette shared.

Burdette said he’s happy with the Thunderstruck and Maran offspring he bred. Through IVF work, he produced several Solomon daughters that have turned out well. A few of the sire selections he mentioned using lately are Sidekick, Bullseye, Hatchet, Direct, Major, Energy, Epiphany, and Hinge. “We still go backwards sometimes and use Diamondback here and some Doorman there, depending on what we’re mating cows for. Sometimes we’re slow on using bulls. I’m a year or two behind everyone else because I like to first see some calves freshen around,” he said. 

He feels some of the modern bulls lack strength and makes breeding decisions accordingly. “We don’t want to breed the front ends out of them, and we don’t want to breed the feet and legs off of them, so we kind of cross back and forth.”

“Everyone has a different philosophy in the way they want to breed their cows,” Burdette stated. “Everyone can make their own choice about what works for them and breed cows for what makes you happy.”

“I think the biggest thing we have in the Holstein breed right now is having a lot of options about what you want to use as far as bulls. Go in the direction that works the best for you and your farm. You don’t always have to do what your neighbors do,” he asserted.

The Burdettes enjoy showing their cows as a family. “The show ring’s not for everybody, but it’s one way you can showcase your cattle and for other people to see different types of cows,” he said. “We’re not chasing high genomic numbers and we’re not trying to swing a home run on every single one thinking she’ll be the All-American cow. There’s only about 12 of those every year. The other 120 in my barn better do something good like make a lot of milk, get around the barn, and not cause a lot of trouble.”

Representatives from the national and state Holstein associations also addressed the group. Emily Wolfe is in her first year of regional sales for Holstein USA. She is the source for any questions on registering animals or using Holstein USA programs.

Dale Zimmerman, representing Lancaster County, mentioned the redistricting that happened in the state association in the last year. Six regions were reduced to three, but the championship show areas will remain the same. He also mentioned upcoming sales and shows.

Glenn Ranck, PHA Executive Committee member for the region, spoke of the advantages of Holstein Association membership. Using the discounts and deals given with a membership renewal alone will cover that cost, he affirmed.

The tie stall barn was full of casual observers all day but it was also the place for the judging contest. Justin Burdette led the way through the barn, explaining his reasons for the three classes presented in the contest. Each division had a tie for first place.

Wilson Eberly and Josh Martin claimed the men’s division with a score of 145. For the women, Mary Jane Leid and Emily Wolfe scored 135 to win. The youth division had Turell Zimmerman and Mervin Wayne Kauffman winning with a score of 138. Coming in second for each division were Ben Kauffman, Mary Blank, and Daniel Arlan Blank, respectively.

Attendees enjoyed a catered lunch and soft ice cream. There was plenty of time to visit with each other or talk with the many vendors present. The children at the event had the most fun. The goodies for their candy scramble were dispersed to them from 100 feet in the air by an ultra-light aircraft, which made several passes over the waiting children as candy rained down. Once the candy was gone, the pilot entertained the crowd with loopty loops, death-defying dives, and low passes at high speeds.

Many businesses and individuals provided items that were auctioned off for the benefit of the Lancaster County Holstein Club. A nice selection of donated door prizes was also available. It was a wonderful way to spend a summer day.

Premier sponsors for the event included: AgriBasics, Little Britain Ag Supply, NextGen Genetics, Bottomline Ag Supply, Five Points Ag Service, Channel Seed, Messicks Farm Equipment, Bank of Bird-in-Hand, Agri-Trac, Milky Haven Farms, Agricultural Vet Associates, JRS Ag Assemblies, Steven’s Feed Mill, Innovative Dairy Solutions, Stolhaven Genetics, Shady Lane Curtains, ELS Manufacturing, J&L IBA Dairy Supplies, Norlanco Ag Solutions, Skyview Tractor Repair, Powl’s Feed Service, Premier Select Sires, Levi’s Concrete Grooving, Trans Ova Genetics, Fisher & Thompson, Stoney Ridge Masonry. Supporting sponsors were Lanchester Farm Service, Stonehurst Farm, Ephrata National Bank, R&J Dairy Consulting, Martin’s Ag, Homestead Nutrition, Super Spray, Lancaster DHIA, and PaulB Hardware.