—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 10,1977
120
Bigger barn
(Continued from Page 95)
when feed vehicles drive through. Manure alleys are
feet in width. “When this barn was designed, different
people wanted to sell me on the idea of narrower alleys,”
Williams remembered. All of his dairy animals are
housed indoors at all time, and he therefore prefers roomy
facilities. Floors in the new barn were designed to be skid
proof. “I wouldn’t want to be without that,” the dairyman
noted.
One item Williams is doing without is an automatic
scraper. Considering them to be a costly machine
requiring high maintenance, Williams prefers to clean the
barn using a skid loader. Manure is scraped into a cen
trally located gutter, from which the droppings are
mechanically conveyed into a holding pit, and finally into
aSlurrystore.
Should automated mechanical scraping mechanisms be
desired at a future date, Williaftis had his floors designed
so that they can be easily installed.
A change Williams would make if he had to build his
barn over again would be to install the feed trough bars at
an angle instead of directly vertical. He also wouldn’t
install fibreglass doors again since his cows have a habit
of licking them until holes appear.
The new loose housing facility is naturally ventilated
and is generally 10 degrees cooler during the Summer
than outside air. While last Winter’s harsh cold was an
exception, the barn generally stays warm enough to not
have water pipes freeze. Manure freezes on very cold
days.
To help boost production to even higher levels, Williams
is considering fans over his feeding area so that cows
might be persuaded to go there to keep cool during the
Summer and take in a little more feed while they’re there.
“If they eat more, they produce more,” deducts Williams.
The Williams herd is milked in a 14-stall rotary parlor
equipped with DeLaval Model 200 milkers. Unconcerned
>
Farming 1700 acres to feed his 450 head of Holsteins, Glen Williams of Walnut Port R 1
believes in doing things in a big way.
about the length of time it takes to milk his herd, and
noting that it varies according to the number of fresh
cows, first-calf heifers, total production, etc., Williams is
primarily interested in the amount of milk he gets in his
bulk tank. He has two men milking.
The young dairyman, who received his initial farming
experience while spending Summers on his grandfather’s
farm, markets nearly all of his milk through his modern
dairy store. Processing and bottling is done right at the
farm. Although this marketing channel has demanded
greater investments, more work, and extra book work,
Williams sees no reason why a dairyman shouldn’t be
entitled to better potentials for profits. As a member of the
National Farmers Organization (NFO), he makes no
excuses for his aggressive views on agricultural
economics.
lywood Feed Bins - Will Inst
Outside Calf Hutches
Wagon Beds and Gears
Feed and Silage Carts
Farrowing Crates
Pipe and Panel Gates
2-16 Hole Hog Feeders
Stihl Chain Saws
STOLTZFUS WOODWORK
’ RD Gap, PA Box 183
1 Mile North Rt. 897 From Gap
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Grown to the size operation which he’s presently
satisfied with, Williams now wants to “fine-tune” it.
Among other goals, he will concentrate now on raising all
of his own herd replacements. It’s a plan whichls already
underway. Calves are housed in a near hospital-like
facility which was formerly the old dairy barn. Heifers
and dry cows are kept in the old barn as well.
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