ft3B—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 3,1982 Cumberland couple (Continued from Page A 37) organizations, getting the specifics he needed for setting up his dream business. Brian and Wendy were on their way. But before they moved another step, they wanted to make sure they had a buyer for their product. They were accepted by Hershey Milk Company, the last to be signed-on in their area- With the advice of Hershey’s field representatives, Brian learned how to set up bis operation ac cor< 'to' ’lifications. Maple, the Brown Swiss, is Wendy's and Zachary’s favorite cow. Zachary gets a free ride on Maple as Brian leads her around. Their year in dairying has been no "free ride” for the Hairs who had their share of problems. 1070 Steinmetz Rd., Ephrata, Penna. 17522 Brian, his father and his father in-law, immediately went to work putting in stalls, calving pens and a vacuum system. The only con tracted labor used in the bam renovations was to build the milk storage area. Brian purchased used, but workable milking machinery. His milk tank is a rarity a Dairy Cool ice bank tank with a capacity of 445 gallons. Brian remarked that only several hundred of these old tanks were made, but it works perfectly although most of the 717-733-1206 milk haulers need help with the tank; they don't know how to get the milk out of it. Brian recalled the hardest thing was buying the cows. “I didn’t have any guide to follow telling what to or not to buy, only the advice of local fanners. So that’s what I followed,” he said. Brian started his herd with 23 animals, of which 14 were first-calf heifers. Brian remembered how many area farmers thought he was making a mistake buying bred first-calf heifers to start his new business. “But,” he said, “I bought them for a purpose. The heifers were already bred and milking. I didn’t have any cows to fall back on, and I couldn’t afford the aged cows. So, the milking first-calf heifers were really my only choice.” Now, after a year of milking and several calves later, he sees the reason for their opinions. He said, “Those first-calf heifers were milking 40-45 pounds at peak. Now I have several second-calf heifers and I see the production dif ference.” When asked what it was like that first day of milking, Brian and Wendy chuckled. Brian said, “That first night we milked' it took us several hours to milk only 20. But, a year later we have in creased our efficiency by 100 percent. During that first month, we had the veterinarian here every otherday.” The Hairs experienced their first problems with milkers. They started milking , with pail-type milkers hanging on the cows’ udders. Brian said he later discovered the cows had never been milked with that type of milker and they proved to be too heavy for their udders. Their teats became sore and they wouldn't milk. The problem was solved, said Brian when he switched to DeLaval milkers with the pails on the floor. “The milker problem was minor compared to the breeding'* problems we had,” said Brian. Never being around cattle before , Brian and Wendy bad trouble detecting signs of heat and getting cows bred back in time. He said, “I really couldn’t afford to waste time and money, but now I am catching on to those tricks of the trade.” Looking back over the entire year, the young couple reflected that their biggest problems were breeding the animals and health problems. He said, “My knowledge was so limited when it dame to cows and how they acted or reacted to feed, if they had tem peratures or an infection, that those first few months were very trying for Wendy, me and the veternarian.” said Brian. A year later Brian and Wendy feel more confidence in their new business. Brian observed, “New problems arise every day, but now we can learn from them and cope with them all at the same time.” Financially, Brian and Wendy are feeling the pressures of a debt load. Brian remarked, “We are like any other new business with a debt load. If we manage properly, with the most we will have a successful business. And we have lad a successful business for a year now.” The Brown Swiss, Maple, is Wendy’s. Brian said; “She fell in love with the chocolate brown animal, as did our son Zachary. And that was one of her requests when we started the dairy business —to have a Brown Swiss. After a full year at dairy-far ming, Brian and Wendy are proud of their accomplishments. They said, “We haven’t lost a calf, we haven’t had bacteria problems or mastitis. But we give each and every cow special caiClt is an 18- hour-a-day job, but it is our business and every minute is worth it. The young couple added, “It has truly been a dream come true and we are going to make it work.”
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