Resourcefulness Helps Dairy Farm Family

Lou Ann Good
Reporter

ADAMSTOWN, Pa. — In between feeding calves, milking cows and a myriad of household responsibilities she has as the wife and mother of four children, Beth Martin mixes up batches of homemade soaps to sell for a bit of added income.

Resourcefulness is an everyday necessity for the Martins and other dairy farm families to survive because low milk prices do not even cover costs, let alone provide money for living expenses.

Beth and her husband Loren own a 106-acre farm near Adamstown, Berks County, where they built a 100-stall barn and milk 90 cows. Their family includes Sheilah, 8; Kristen, 5; Matthew, 3; and Justin, 1.

For several years, the Martins had milked their registered Holstein herd three times daily. “But when milk prices are bad, it doesn’t pay to milk three times a day,” Beth said of their decision to cut back to twice-daily milkings. “That way we don’t need to hire additional help.”

Beth cans and freezes produce from their garden. She keeps a sourdough starter on her kitchen countertop to make all of the family’s bread.

She also makes yogurt on a regular basis. “I figured we might as well use the milk ourselves because we aren’t getting paid for it,” Beth said of using milk in family meals.

Neither Loren nor Beth grew up on dairy farms. Loren’s family raised pigs and broiler chickens, but Loren was always intrigued by cows. After helping some friends with milking cows, he decided that he wanted to go into dairy farming.

Before they married, they discussed going into dairying. Beth had problems with asthma and she knew the dust from chicken and hog farms aggravated her breathing problems. They were pleased to discover that working with cows does not cause asthma flare-ups or irritation. After the Martins were married, they purchased a farm that had an old bank barn. They erected a stall barn, installed a milking pipeline and added other needed facilities. In October 2004, the Martins started milking cows.

She and her husband have no additional help on the farm. Recently, Loren took an off-farm job at a feed mill to help bring in some income. While they are grateful Loren is able to work off the farm, it means more work for Beth.

Although she always helped with both the 4 a.m. and the 3:30 p.m. milking times and is in charge of the calves, she now does the afternoon feeding as well.

Heifer calves are raised on the farm until they are about one year old and then given to a custom heifer raiser until ready to calf, when they are brought back on the farm. Bull calves are marketed at the nearby sales stables.

“We adjusted our feeding program somewhat, but you can’t do too much,” said Beth. They believe it is important to maintain a registered Holstein herd.
All the milk from their farm is sold as fluid milk through Clover Farms, Reading, Pa.

“We hear milk prices are supposed to go up some by the end of the year, but we’ve heard that so often, we aren’t counting on it,” Beth said. “But we always say ‘what goes down must come up,’ so I guess you could say we are optimistic.”

She added, “It’s aggravating to see the milk prices in the stores. The middleman must be the one getting the money because we don’t get enough to even cover costs. We aren’t asking to make money hand over foot, but we’d like at least enough to make a living. But it’s no use to cry the blues, no one (who can help) listens anyhow,” she said.

They raise about 10 Boxer puppies yearly to sell. “We live on a farm, but we are not a puppy mill,” she said. “We only raise one litter from our male and female Boxers.

The idea for making soap came when Beth received some as a gift. “I was intrigued and I started researching soapmaking,” she said. She tried several recipes until she found one about a year ago that she perfected to use in developing her own line of soaps.

She is pleased that she can make the soap in her kitchen using kitchen utensils.

“It’s important to use exact measurements and temperatures,” Beth said of the process. She uses four kinds of oil including palm and coconut oils. She combines two mixtures by using a hand-held blender or emulsifier.

She makes soap in small batches to ensure quality and to make different scents. The fragrances include snickerdoodle, sandalwood, Hawaiian breeze, French vanilla, sensual amber, creamy coconut, wildflower, oatmeal milk and honey. Depending on the variety, she adds oatmeal or poppy seeds for texture to exfoliate skin.

“Handmade soaps made with natural oils have higher glycerin content that are better for the skin than commercial soaps,” Beth said. “Most soaps sold in stores are not really soaps but are detergents made with petroleum distillates and chemicals and have most of the glycerin removed. Beth explains that this is why manufactured soap often leaves skin dry and itchy. People with sensitive skin or with skins problems such as psoriasis and eczema often find immediate relief by switching to handmade soap that keeps skin soft and healthy.

“Once you try our handmade soap, you will never want to go back to commercially made detergents,” she said. “Handmade soap is very luxurious, has a creamy lather and smells wonderful.”

She does not add coloring since most customers prefer natural colors, but she has used cocoa powder to make a darker bar and makes a milk and honey soap that results in a lighter-colored soap.

Beth orders most of the ingredients online in bulk. It only takes about one hour to mix up a small batch that makes about 10 bars, but it must set about eight hours before cutting into family or guest bar sizes. Then the soap is left to sit at room temperature to cure for at least four weeks.

Beth designs her own labels and a brochure about the soap, using the family computer. She sells some to a local bed and breakfast inn, to friends and family and markets through the Internet.

“We carry only a small inventory because custom orders are our specialty,” Beth said.

“There’s only so much you can do,” Beth said of cutting corners to adjust to low milk prices.

Despite the financial crunch from low milk prices, Beth said, “We love dairy farming. It’s a learning experience. I wouldn’t trade the lifestyle.”

To order homemade soaps, write to Beth Martin at 1879 Bowmansville Rd., Mohnton, PA 19540, or e-mail heritagesoaps@dejazzd.com.