Next Generation
Emily Zang grew up surrounded by the rural countryside near Chicora. She didn't have much experience with farming as a child, but certainly considered herself “a country kid.”
The 28-year-old became fascinated with horses in the third grade after being introduced to her best friend's horse. Zang's first horse of her own was a quarter-horse named Lady Bug. The pair spent her teenage years competing in barrel racing and trail riding.
She “fell in love with cows” at 19 while dating a young man whose family owned a dairy farm. Their relationship may have soured by summer's end, but Zang laughs at how “I missed the cows more than I missed him.”
These days, Zang works full time on Guy Daubenspeck's 225-acre beef farm in Connoquenessing Township. And while she still likes horses and owns a quarter-horse named Legend, she prefers working with beef cows.“I still love my horses, but I am a 'cow'girl,” Zang said with a smile.The single mom works two jobs, seven days a week. She started out working part time on the farm six years ago, and soon discovered a mentor in Daubenspeck. Two years ago, she started working side by side with him full time.“I love it here. They are good to me,” said Zang. “I don't plan on going anywhere. It's more than just a job. It's a way of life.”
In addition to her job on the farm, Zang also works as a nurse at Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.She started out working for Daubenspeck primarily doing “grunt work” like feeding the cows and other chores, and was terrified of the farm equipment. Over time, the 58-year-old veteran farmer took her under his wing and taught her how to operate the equipment, constantly building her confidence.“Guy has been real good to me,” explained Zang. “I work with him every single day. We have a good friendship. He's my boss, but we are friends.”
Seeing her today, you would never guess Zang harbored any fears of farm equipment. She operates the front loader and tractors like an old pro — even easily harvesting oats with the combine. Zang typically begins her day at 9 a.m. and works until 6 p.m. or “until the work is done.”“I don't leave until we are done for the night,” she explained while sitting on an empty hay wagon parked in the barn.Mentor and mentee, Daubenspeck and Zang make for a great team. As Daubenspeck creates round bales of hay, Zang follows behind on a tractor equipped with a fork lift and wrapper.She lifts the round bales onto the back of the tractor and wraps them in white plastic. The tightly bound hay ferments and increases its nutritional value over time explained Tarrah
Freund, another mentee of Daubenspeck. The 22-year-old Butler woman is studying veterinary medicine at Iowa State University. She likens the bales to large, puffy marshmallows spread across in the field.This most recent harvest season, Zang manned the combine to cut the oats while Daubenspeck transferred them with a wagon to the barn for storage.Zang's favorite season is the two to three months annually when the calves are born. As far as the farm work goes, she doesn't have a favorite chore.“I love it all. I like watching the process of everything from planting to harvesting. There is something about watching your work turn into something,” Zang said.However, Zang's role has slightly shifted as she transitions from mentee to mentor for Freund's younger sister, Robyn, who aspires to one day be a farmer.“Robyn is more like my little sister,” said Zang. “This farm is like its own family. It's not just a job. Everybody that comes in becomes part of the family.”
