Mabarbil Farm
By Jerry Westbrook
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Snyder County Conservation District's Farmer of the Year for 2009 Tim Wetzel was born to farm. The son and grandson of farmers, Tim, a Beavertown
native, married a farmer's daughter and carried on the family farming tradition,
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raising three farmer's daughters along the way.
Wetzel's Mabarbil Farm, a dairy located along Route 35 just outside Mount Pleasant Mills in Washington Township, Snyder County, has been in Denise Wetzel's family since 1946. It currently supports about 75 heifers and more than 110 milk cows on 190 acres of hay and pasture land. Pastures are managed by a rotational grazing system. Hay is custom-harvested by contractors who can harvest 100 acres in five hours or chop 135 acres in 10 hours. Instead of raising their own, the Wetzels purchase corn and chopped silage from other farmers to permit the Wetzel family to commit time, equipment and space to other essential operations. Storage is provided by a hay barn, corn crib and four silos, including an original concrete silo. Management techniques on the other end of the business include a super-sized manure digester, specially designed to be kid-proof and cow-proof.
Of the several barns on the property, the largest is a bovine lounge that permits cattle to get in out of the weather, relax and socialize. Overhead fans offer climate control, and motorized conveyors provide snacking opportunities. Concrete walkways running between the barns and also leading out to the pastures limit the cows' exposure to mud and keep the barns cleaner.
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