Workmen finished their chores early in September at Fair Hill farm. Con struction had started on April 6, according to Ed Frey. Pregnant herringbone (Continued from Page M 2) hour. That may increase after the cows and the milkers get used to the system T have had one man do 70 cows in an hour,” he says, but adds that the figure could change PCNNSYIVANIA AGRICULTURE 1:3 WE'RE GROWING BETTER Presently they are averaging 55 cows an hour, and that does include setup, cleanup and other chores Freys are milking with one man on each of three shifts. Men are working nine hour shifts on six of eight days In a system like Freys’ a man like the herd manager, Jay Lancaster, becomes important Milking starts for the cows in a holding area. A Ram Bird irrigation wash system cleans the cows off in u.v, holding area. Groups of 125 cows are gathered by a crowd gate in the holding area The automatic crowd gate runs for 30 seconds Heat for the water is generated in a pair of Therma-Stor heat exchange units Cows then precede through a single entrance where the milker can watch them all as they enter After the cows are milked and the milkers come off, all 10 of the milking units are backflushed by a Brown Equipment backflusher to clean out any bacteria any cow may have left (Turn to Page A 44) t rl / *■ a# *m ' * , **■ ' ft } w Because ail cows enter from the same end of the parlor, above, the operator can see them as they enter and check for stragglers. The Freys figure one man will be able to run the parlor alone. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 29,1990—A43