A2o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 27,1980
They went to 3X milking for different reasons
BY DICK ANGLESTEIN
ELIZABETHTOWN -
Only a handful of Lancaster
County dairy farmers are
milking three tunes a day
Many more have tried it
and soon went back to the
traditional twice-a-day
schedule.
But along Bossier Road
near Elizabethtown thei e
are a couple of dairy
operations which are pretty
well committed to staying on
the 3X milking program
Each went to the new
accelerated schedule for
different reasons though.
Probably the Lancaster
County pioneer in three
times milking is the Lester
Hawthorne family farm,
which has followed such a
schedule for nearly three
years
The Hawthornes, par
ticularly the younger
generation involved in the
operation, favor the new
milking hours. They much
prefer sharing the 11 pm.
milking chores over getting
up every morning at 4 30
a.m for the customary pre
dawn shift
A few miles farther east,
the Penn Springs Holstein
farm of the Robert H
Kauffman family has an
entirely different goal.
Primarily a purebred
breeding operation, the
Kauffmans are interested
essentially in improving the
individual production
records of their best cow
families for marketing
purposes.
While their basic goals and
objectives may differ, both
agree that three times
milking programs will likely
not be a big new wave of
dairying’s future Key to
making it work, they both
explain, is having enough
personnel to share the added
labor burdens.
Going from twice a day to
three times milking has both
its pluses and minuses,
according to Hawthorne and
Kauffman, and here are
some they’ve encountered m
their experience with the
new system
It was the boys’ idea to go
to milking three tunes a
day,” Lester Hawthorne
explains
“They just didn’t like that
getting up at 4:30 a m And I
can’t say that I blame them
I’ve never liked it either.”
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Shown with a member of one Penn Springs' top
cow families are, from the left, Arlen Keener,
herdsman, Bob Kauffman and son, Steve. Rated EX
-90 as a three-year-old, Cii-der's production topped
25,000 lbs of milk with 854 fat She’s expected to
go over 25,000 again this year. Her dam, a Cm
So for nearly the past three
years, milking has been done
at7a.m ,3and 11 pm.
Sons Doug and Phil and
son-in-law Keenan Price now
are sharing the 11 p m shift.
That means each has an 11
p m milking twice a week
and each pulls it three times
every third week.
But the next morning, the
final shift milker gets to
sleep in and doesn’t start
until 9.30 a.m If there’s a
conflict, they also trade off
their shifts
At the 7 a.m and 3 p.m.
milkings, two handle the
work - one milking and the
other feeding and scraping
Only one handles just the
milking at lip m.
As far as advantages of the
three times schedule, the
Hawthorne’s like the 7 a.m.
tune.
' It’s daylight by that tune
and makes it much easier to
feed,” Lester Hawthorne
said.
•Also, it’s warmer at 11
pm. than during the early
morning and we find it a bit
Better to milk at 11 p.m.
than get up at 4:30 a.m.
more comfortable,” Doug
Hawthorne adds
The Hawthorne believe
there’s less stress on the
cows and they’re able to
catch any mastitis problems
quicker since the herd is
being observed a third again
as often.
The only disadvantage,
they point out, is a bit more
trouble in getting Some
animals into the parlor,
particularly the lower
producers, because they’re
not as full
The Hawthornes herd ot
130 to 140 milkers is not on
test, but they observed an
immediate increase in
production
"On the first day we went
to three times milking, we
saw 500 to 600 more pounds
of milk in the tank,” Lester
Hawthorne said.
Based entirely on milk
sold, production is up about
1,500 pounds per cow to an
average of about 16,000
At the Kauffman farm, the
three times schedule in
cludes milkings at 6 a m 2
and 10 p m Herdsman Arlen
Keener handles the first two
J
/•%
Sharing the three: time milking duties at the
Hawthorne family farm are, from the left, son-in-law
Keenan Price and sons Phil and Doug. All prefer the
11 p.m. milking shift to getting up at 4:30 a.m.
under the traditional twice daily milking. Each milks
ti;;<■« -> —--i' —j ♦hnof' *■—--.-or* third week
milkings and the 10 p m. slot
goes to Bob Kauffman. His
wife or son, Steve, can also
fill in tor the late shift
Kauffman readily admits
that he went to the three
times milking schedule in
order to develop and im
prove the individual records
of members of his top cow
families
• One of the big ad
vantages I like is that it’s
much easier on the cow,” he
said.
• We try to breed tor more
milk production, but don’t
want the bigger udders. It’s
just so much easier on a cow
that might be producing 100
lbs a day
Kauffman found that it is
particularly easier on-the
first call belters. Their
udders are not nearly as
tight with the more trequent
milking
Also, the Kauffman cows
are hanging on longer in
their lactations as compared
to before.
Kauffman went to the
three times milking last
April and can’t make hard
and fast production com
i
dreiia cow, woa ca-34 wild lo(j piuauction . more
than 31,000 lbs. and 1100 fat. An Elevation
daughter is headed to be the third generation
Excellent with 87 points as a two-year-old. Three
times milking is working to bring out the best
production records for this type of cow
pansons yet. But in the last
six months, he’s noted a
production jump of a couple
thousand pounds to bring the
herd average ov*. 1 18,000
But as a purebred breeder,
he’s not particualarly in
terested in herd averages
It’s individual production
that concerns him Often
cows are kept in the herd
primarily tor breeding
purposes.
This year, he’ll have
several over the 30,000-
pound mark and about eight
topping 1,000 lbs. in tat
The Kauffman barn, ex
panded in the summer ol
1979 has 68 stalls, but the
3X milking is helping
to improve individual cow
production achievements
milking herd has not quite
gotten up to that capacity
yet
• I can’t really s>ay how
much ot the added
production is due to the three
times milking because we ve
made some other recent
changes, too," Kauttman
said.
"But it is one ot the major
factors ”
v «- s «• a**-w * tt * r
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during the 11 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. shift. Norte are
interested in returning to the old system. As Phil
states: “I wouldn’t go back even if it meant a drop in
production.” But actually the accelerated milking
has meant a significant increase in production.
Besides the barn
enlargement, a liquid
manure Slurrystore system,
two silos, a feeding room and
feed mixer were added A
total mixed ration is now ted,
consisting ot high moisture -
corn, haylage, corn silage
and 40 percent supplement.
But breeding and
marketing are the focal
point ot the Penn Springs
operation A program ot
-Hushing several cows tor
embryo transters is con
tinuing.
Bull calves have gone to
Prance and Italy and a
heiter to Atnca One bull is
in ABS and one is contracted
to go to Carnation
Hint., two neighboring
dairy tarming operations
have gone to the three times
milking tor different reasons
and an increase in
production has been
recorded at both.
1981 wool and mohair
support prices
announced by USDA
LEESPORT
supports of $1.35 per pound
for wool and 3.718 per pound
for mohair for the 1981
marketing year has been
announced by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture,
according to a spokesman
for the Agricultural
Stabilization and Con
servation Committee.
Each support price is 72.2
percent of parity and
compares with 1980 support
prices of $1.23 for wool and
$2,903 for mohair.
Pulled wool will continue
to be supported at a level
comparable to the support
price for shorn woo] through
payments on unshorn lambs.
As in past years, shorn
wool payments will be based
The accelerated milking
schedule in other sections ot
the country generally has
been cited as a major factor
in production inci eases
ranging from 8 to 20 percent
But both the Kauffmans
and Hawthornes are quick to
agree that it isn t toi
everyone, testimony to this
are those who have tried and
since abandoned it
The essential key to
making it work is the
availability ot sufficient
personnel toi the one-third
increase in time and effort
Whether it be additional
help or a family operation
large enough to perform the
increased milkings, labor is
the primary governing
tacloi in considering any
change
As Doth Lancaster County
practitioneis state
.’We couldn t do it without
the extra help, accoi ding to
Kauttman
We can do it because we
have sutticienl people
without putting a Dig burden
on any one person,
Hawthorne said
¥es, three tunes milking
can woik, but it lakes an
operation that can be geaied
to its special i equn ements
Price
on a percentage of each
producer’s returns- from
sales. The percentage will be
that which is required to
raise the national average
price received by 'all
producers for shorn wool in
1981 up to the support price
of $1.35 a pound. Currently
shorn wool prices are
averaging about 90 cents per
pound.
Mohair payments will be
calculated in a manner
similar to wool However,
mohair payments for 1981
probably will not be
necessary as it appears that
the average price received
by producers in the open
market may be higher than
the support price