Home Care In Cochranville, PA

The movie “Field of Dreams” has the famous line: “If you build it, they will come.”

Mount Joy, Pa., dairy farmer Arlin Benner lives by a similar mantra.

“You just do the best you can with what you have and the opportunities will come,” he says. “You just can't force them.”

Benner and his wife, Deborah, have taken many chances in growing their operation, Yippee! Farms, always with the goal of making their business more efficient and better than it was before.

The farm comprises 745 owned and 550 rented acres in Mount Joy and Cochranville. They raise 2,300 cows and nearly 1,000 heifers. Average production is 92 pounds per cow, with a rolling herd average of 29,100 pounds. Milk is marketed through Dairy Farmers of America.

Arlin has been farming nearly all his life, working for his parents on their Mount Joy farm as a teenager and young adult. When he was 26, Arlin bought a herd of 150 cows, some equipment and rented land from his parents.

He met Deborah, a former actress, in August of 1995. Deborah came to Lancaster County from New York City after getting an acting job at Sight & Sound Theatres. She was staying in a cottage she rented from Arlin’s aunt. The two fell in love and they married on Dec. 23, 1995.

Rapid expansion

In 1998, the couple got the chance to buy a neighbor’s farm. They then rented another neighbor’s farm in 2001. Within a span of a few years they went from 150 cows to more than 700 cows in three separate milking parlors.

“This time period taught me that if you do the right thing for the cows and the employees, they will take care of you financially,” Arlin wrote in his Master Farmer application.

This was the same time that the farm name, Yippee!, was born. Every time a heifer had its first calf, Deborah would always say “yippee” to celebrate the occasion. Arlin joked that if they ever had their own farm that he would call it Yippee! Turns out, he was serious.

Three years ago, the couple, looking to expand again, took their biggest risk yet. They purchased a 1,500-cow farm in Cochranville, 50 miles from the home farm.

Buying the farm, Arlin says, gave him the chance to consolidate three milking parlors into one.

The older milking parlors were closed and retrofitted for dry cows.

Calves are born and cared for on the Mount Joy farm. They are freshened and then milked for 7 to 14 days on the home farm and are then sent to Cochranville. In fact, all cows are freshened at the home farm before going to the milking farm.

“Our greatest efficiency was purchasing the large dairy to increase our herd size and consolidate milking facilities, which lent to maximizing efficiencies of both the newer facilities and the existing facilities,” he wrote in his application. “It opened new opportunities and roles to expand and utilize employees in their unique skill and demonstrate their talents.”

The distance between both farms has forced Arlin to become a better manager. Even though he has 30 full-time employees, he still likes to have his hand in all parts of the operation.

“It's hard to manage two operations 50 miles apart, so I have to learn how to manage better,” he says. "We'll have to make adjustments for next year. I'm not sure what all they are yet.”

Efficiency and technology

With expansion has also come improvements to technology and the way the farm operates.

In the past five years the farm has purchased systems to monitor animal activity, new ultrasound technology and a TMR Tracker.

Arlin likes to keep the feed ration simple: corn silage and rye along with some distillers’ grains.

Most of the feed is homegrown — 1,160 acres of corn silage and 1,400 acres of rye. Feed is stored in nine bunks on the home farm as well as in bunks at the Cochranville farm.

All manure on the home farm flows into a 1.4-million-gallon manure digester that also takes in food waste from local stores and restaurants. The digester is a three-phase electric system where power goes directly to the grid. The farm operates on a single-phase system and can’t use it.

The liquid manure flows into an adjacent 6-million-gallon earthen lagoon. Spreading is done twice a year.

An extensive underground piping system enables dragline manure spreading to the surrounding fields, though some traditional spreading is also done.

“The neat thing about this is we were able to take old facilities and be able to use efficient new technology piping this manure around. It’s set here for the future. It's worked out alright," Arlin says. “It’s great because I haul the manure and it doesn’t have the odor. It’s already predigested, so it’s really plant-ready with the nutrients.”

Raising future farmers

For years the couple wanted to have kids, but for various reasons they couldn’t do it.

So, they turned to adoption. When a friend of theirs told them about a program to adopt children from war-torn areas of Ukraine, the couple saw an opportunity and took it.

Eight years ago, they adopted two children from Crimea. They then adopted a trio of siblings ages 2, 4 and 5 years old. Within 13 months they went from having no kids to five kids.

Deborah, who still manages the farm office and coordinates training and other human resources functions, had to step down from day-to-day work on the farm to raise the children. They have three boys and two girls: Oksana, Valera, Diana, Yarik and Nikita.

"When you get home from work, the work just almost begins, but then it's the most rewarding, too," Arlin says.

Planning for the future

It’s a lot of stress managing a large farm, but Arlin keeps his focus on the overall plan.

"You gotta have a business plan that is solid. It has to work on paper really well because reality comes along,” he says. “You got to have some room for margin, you got to have a business plan that has a viable chance. Start with that and then do the basics; good feed, take care of the cows and reinvest in the operation as wisely as you can.

“You just do the best you can with what you have. If you have to force something too hard, it's probably not going to work out too well. It has to fall into place because it's hard enough if it don't.”

What’s Arlin’s next plan? Perfecting what he has now.

“Being a good size spreads out my cost. It's a good economy of scale,” he says. “We need to sit still and capture some of that efficiency.”

Arlin and Deborah Benner, at a glance

Operation. Yippee Farms!, Mt. Joy and Cochranville, Pa., 1,295 acres, 2,300 cows and 900 heifers

Family. The Benners have five adopted children: Oksana, Valera, Diana, Yarik and Nikita.

Ag and Community Involvement. Arlin is a board member of Dairy One, delegate to DFA, member of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, member of Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania, Koinonia Support team member, member of Lawrence Chiles Support Team and DFA Gold Standard Superbowl of Forager.

About the Author(s)

Chris Torres

Editor, American Agriculturist

Chris Torres, editor of American Agriculturist, previously worked at Lancaster Farming, where he started in 2006 as a staff writer and later became regional editor. Torres is a seven-time winner of the Keystone Press Awards, handed out by the Pennsylvania Press Association, and he is a Pennsylvania State University graduate.

Torres says he wants American Agriculturist to be farmers' "go-to product, continuing the legacy and high standard (former American Agriculturist editor) John Vogel has set." Torres succeeds Vogel, who retired after 47 years with Farm Progress and its related publications.

"The news business is a challenging job," Torres says. "It makes you think outside your small box, and you have to formulate what the reader wants to see from the overall product. It's rewarding to see a nice product in the end."

Torres' family is based in Lebanon County, Pa. His wife grew up on a small farm in Berks County, Pa., where they raised corn, soybeans, feeder cattle and more. Torres and his wife are parents to three young boys.

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West Chester, PA − April 2, 2024 – A portion of Route 41 (Gap-Newport Pike) in Cochranville will be named in honor of Corporal Brandon Hardy, a soldier from our area who gave his life in service to our nation in Iraq in 2006.

Under legislation introduced by state Senator Carolyn Comitta, Route 41 from the intersection with Bernard Avenue to the intersection with Highland Road in West Fallowfield Township will be dedicated as the Corporal Brandon Hardy Memorial Highway later this month.

This span of Route 41, close to the Hardy family home and running to Octorara High School, is a route that Hardy would have traveled each day.

“We are so honored to have this section of Route 41 dedicated to Brandon. We know Brandon was proud to serve in the military and would say the same as Nathan Hale, ‘I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.’ It warms my heart that even almost 18 years after his death, this community still remembers him and honors his sacrifice,” said Jill Hardy, Corporal Brandon Hardy’s mother. “A big thank you to Rich Miller who came up with the idea and Senator Comitta and her staff for making it happen!”

A graduate of Octorara High School, Hardy knew from a young age that he wanted to serve his country and defend our freedoms in the armed services.

He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1999 and, as an airman, was deployed three times to the Middle East, serving in Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

In 2005, Hardy made the unusual decision to forgo his rank and pay – to basically start over – and enlist as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. As a crew chief of an amphibious assault vehicle, Hardy was deployed to Iraq in March 2006, as part of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines.

During his deployment, fellow soldiers took note of Hardy’s traits as a natural leader, as well as his concern for the children of Iraq. He would often take time to interact with them and give them food, water, candy, school supplies, and books.

On April 28, 2006, Hardy was on an aid and assist mission while serving with the Scout Platoon of the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, in the Haditha Dam area of Anbar Province. Upon completing the mission, the vehicle in which he was a passenger, struck an improvised explosive device (IED). Three of the five passengers of the Humvee, including Hardy, were mortally wounded.

Following Hardy’s tragic passing, Richard Miller, whose children attended high school with Brandon, approached Jill with the idea of dedicating a road in his memory.

“Both my children played in the marching band with Brandon, and I would help out with the instruments and transportation. I got to know a lot of the kids, but as a Marine, he was special to me. He was a fine young man,” Miller said.

Upon learning of Hardy’s story through Miller and the Corporal Brandon Hardy/Chester County Detachment Marine Corps #286, Comitta introduced legislation (Senate Bill 621) to enact the road renaming.

“Corporal Hardy was an exceptional American and his story is that of so many brave soldiers who put themselves in harm’s way in service to our nation. We cannot forget. We must continue to support our veterans and remember our fallen heroes,” Comitta said. “I hope that when drivers travel this road, they remember not only Corporal Hardy but all those who answered the call of duty and the sacrifices they and their families made for all of us.”

The bill passed the legislature with overwhelming support and was signed into law as Act 17 of 2023. The road dedication will not impact postal delivery or mailing addresses on Route 41.

For more information, please contact Adam Cirucci of Senator Comitta’s office at adam.cirucci@pasenate.com

###

The Cochran Family receives recognition for being a tricentennial farm at the Century Farm Awards Ceremony.

At the Pennsylvania Farm Show, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding honored six families whose farms had been in the same family for more than 100 years. Among the farms recognized was a Chester County farm, only the second in the state to reach the Tricentennial Farm milestone. Other farms recognized were in Lehigh, Montgomery, Perry, and Union counties.

“These families represent the best in Pennsylvania agriculture,” Secretary Redding said. “Reflecting the 2024 Farm Show theme, Connecting Our Communities, they have been uniting and feeding our communities for generations. They are connecting future generations to their legacy.”

Since the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture started the Century Farm program in 1977 and the Bicentennial Farm program in 2004, over 2,300 Century and Bicentennial Farms have received the honor.

The oldest farm recognized was from Robert F. Cochran, Jr. of Cochranville, established in 1724.

In a town named after their family, Robert Cochran’s family farm endures as a significant tribute to 300 years of local history. Today, 120 acres of the original farm remain in the Cochran family, who preserved the farmland in 2003, ensuring that the farm will remain a farm and not be sold to developers.

Farms owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years are eligible to be named a Pennsylvania Century Farm. A family member must live on the farm, and the property must include at least 10 acres of the original farm or earn more than $1,000 annually from sales of farm products.

In December 2023, the department announced that the Shapiro Administration had invested $46.3 million over the year to protect 166 farms forever from development For more on Pennsylvania’s work to protect more 632,000 acres of prime farmland and the PA Department of Agriculture’s investments in our $132.5 billion agriculture industry, visit the website.

_______

COCHRANVILLE, PA — Chester County’s historic St. Malachi’s of Doe Run is set to celebrate its 185th anniversary in a grand style with the highly-acclaimed A Celtic Christmas in Doe Run Holiday Concert Series. The series will take place on December 2, December 3, and December 10, 2023, at 7 pm, promising three memorable nights filled with music and festivity.

Nestled in the heart of Chester County horse country, the church will light up the winter nights with enchanting candlelight concerts, each offering a unique blend of Celtic tunes and Irish step dancing. In the true spirit of Christmas, attendees will also have the opportunity to enjoy complimentary holiday hors d’oeuvres served in a magical Christmas setting.

These concerts are not just a celebration of the church’s rich history, but also an invitation to experience the timeless gift of music this festive season. Each evening promises a different set of performers, ensuring every night is a unique experience for the audience.

Tickets for adults are priced at $25, while children can attend for $10 (children under age six enter for free). Given the popularity of these events, reservations are strongly recommended to avoid disappointment.

St. Malachi’s of Doe Run is located at 76 St Malachi Rd, Cochranville, Pennsylvania. For tickets and more information, reach out via phone at 610-383-5068 or email at kadaholo@verizon.net. Tickets can also be procured from Eventbrite.com.

Celebrate the Christmas season in a unique way this year by joining the community at St. Malachi’s of Doe Run for a night of music, dance, and festive cheer. Let the spirit of the season, coupled with the rich history of the church, make this a Christmas to remember.

For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and Microsoft Start.

The movie “Field of Dreams” has the famous line: “If you build it, they will come.”

Mount Joy, Pa., dairy farmer Arlin Benner lives by a similar mantra.

“You just do the best you can with what you have and the opportunities will come,” he says. “You just can't force them.”

Benner and his wife, Deborah, have taken many chances in growing their operation, Yippee! Farms, always with the goal of making their business more efficient and better than it was before.

The farm comprises 745 owned and 550 rented acres in Mount Joy and Cochranville. They raise 2,300 cows and nearly 1,000 heifers. Average production is 92 pounds per cow, with a rolling herd average of 29,100 pounds. Milk is marketed through Dairy Farmers of America.

Arlin has been farming nearly all his life, working for his parents on their Mount Joy farm as a teenager and young adult. When he was 26, Arlin bought a herd of 150 cows, some equipment and rented land from his parents.

He met Deborah, a former actress, in August of 1995. Deborah came to Lancaster County from New York City after getting an acting job at Sight & Sound Theatres. She was staying in a cottage she rented from Arlin’s aunt. The two fell in love and they married on Dec. 23, 1995.

Rapid expansion

In 1998, the couple got the chance to buy a neighbor’s farm. They then rented another neighbor’s farm in 2001. Within a span of a few years they went from 150 cows to more than 700 cows in three separate milking parlors.

“This time period taught me that if you do the right thing for the cows and the employees, they will take care of you financially,” Arlin wrote in his Master Farmer application.

This was the same time that the farm name, Yippee!, was born. Every time a heifer had its first calf, Deborah would always say “yippee” to celebrate the occasion. Arlin joked that if they ever had their own farm that he would call it Yippee! Turns out, he was serious.

Three years ago, the couple, looking to expand again, took their biggest risk yet. They purchased a 1,500-cow farm in Cochranville, 50 miles from the home farm.

Buying the farm, Arlin says, gave him the chance to consolidate three milking parlors into one.

The older milking parlors were closed and retrofitted for dry cows.

Calves are born and cared for on the Mount Joy farm. They are freshened and then milked for 7 to 14 days on the home farm and are then sent to Cochranville. In fact, all cows are freshened at the home farm before going to the milking farm.

“Our greatest efficiency was purchasing the large dairy to increase our herd size and consolidate milking facilities, which lent to maximizing efficiencies of both the newer facilities and the existing facilities,” he wrote in his application. “It opened new opportunities and roles to expand and utilize employees in their unique skill and demonstrate their talents.”

The distance between both farms has forced Arlin to become a better manager. Even though he has 30 full-time employees, he still likes to have his hand in all parts of the operation.

“It's hard to manage two operations 50 miles apart, so I have to learn how to manage better,” he says. "We'll have to make adjustments for next year. I'm not sure what all they are yet.”

Efficiency and technology

With expansion has also come improvements to technology and the way the farm operates.

In the past five years the farm has purchased systems to monitor animal activity, new ultrasound technology and a TMR Tracker.

Arlin likes to keep the feed ration simple: corn silage and rye along with some distillers’ grains.

Most of the feed is homegrown — 1,160 acres of corn silage and 1,400 acres of rye. Feed is stored in nine bunks on the home farm as well as in bunks at the Cochranville farm.

All manure on the home farm flows into a 1.4-million-gallon manure digester that also takes in food waste from local stores and restaurants. The digester is a three-phase electric system where power goes directly to the grid. The farm operates on a single-phase system and can’t use it.

The liquid manure flows into an adjacent 6-million-gallon earthen lagoon. Spreading is done twice a year.

An extensive underground piping system enables dragline manure spreading to the surrounding fields, though some traditional spreading is also done.

“The neat thing about this is we were able to take old facilities and be able to use efficient new technology piping this manure around. It’s set here for the future. It's worked out alright," Arlin says. “It’s great because I haul the manure and it doesn’t have the odor. It’s already predigested, so it’s really plant-ready with the nutrients.”

Raising future farmers

For years the couple wanted to have kids, but for various reasons they couldn’t do it.

So, they turned to adoption. When a friend of theirs told them about a program to adopt children from war-torn areas of Ukraine, the couple saw an opportunity and took it.

Eight years ago, they adopted two children from Crimea. They then adopted a trio of siblings ages 2, 4 and 5 years old. Within 13 months they went from having no kids to five kids.

Deborah, who still manages the farm office and coordinates training and other human resources functions, had to step down from day-to-day work on the farm to raise the children. They have three boys and two girls: Oksana, Valera, Diana, Yarik and Nikita.

"When you get home from work, the work just almost begins, but then it's the most rewarding, too," Arlin says.

Planning for the future

It’s a lot of stress managing a large farm, but Arlin keeps his focus on the overall plan.

"You gotta have a business plan that is solid. It has to work on paper really well because reality comes along,” he says. “You got to have some room for margin, you got to have a business plan that has a viable chance. Start with that and then do the basics; good feed, take care of the cows and reinvest in the operation as wisely as you can.

“You just do the best you can with what you have. If you have to force something too hard, it's probably not going to work out too well. It has to fall into place because it's hard enough if it don't.”

What’s Arlin’s next plan? Perfecting what he has now.

“Being a good size spreads out my cost. It's a good economy of scale,” he says. “We need to sit still and capture some of that efficiency.”

Arlin and Deborah Benner, at a glance

Operation. Yippee Farms!, Mt. Joy and Cochranville, Pa., 1,295 acres, 2,300 cows and 900 heifers

Family. The Benners have five adopted children: Oksana, Valera, Diana, Yarik and Nikita.

Ag and Community Involvement. Arlin is a board member of Dairy One, delegate to DFA, member of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, member of Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania, Koinonia Support team member, member of Lawrence Chiles Support Team and DFA Gold Standard Superbowl of Forager.

About the Author(s)