DlO—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 28,1984
Computers & crops
(Continued from Page 09)
Although the drought may have
reduced yields, Bill doesn’t believe
the crop’s quality was
dramatically affected. Even so,
the Liptons have approximately
one year’s supply of corn silage in
reserve if crop tonnage is ever
severely reduced.
Tailored rations
The rations fed at Pleasant View
dairy are tailored to each cow’s
productivity. The dairy’s typical
bunk ration contains 19 pounds of
high-moisture shell com, 15-20
pounds of silage, 27 pounds of
alfalfa haylage, six pounds of 40-
percent soybean supplement and
six pounds of cottonseed. Through
the computerized feeding system,
cows receive from three to 25
pounds of 20-percent low-soluble
protein pellets, depending on
production.
“We were one of the first dairies
on the Northeast coast to try
computerized feeding. We used to
feed a basic ration in the bunk and
then feed cows individually in the
parlor according to production,”
explains Bill. “We switched to the
computer three years ago when we
were nearing a rolling herd
average of 18,000 pounds. Cows
were fed twice a day at that time
and we couldn’t feed them enough
during the time they were in the
parlor to meet their production
needs. Furthermore, those two big
intakes of feed could also make the
cows more susceptible to acidosis.
“Now they can eat 24 hours a
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day, which is better for their
digestion,” continues Bill. “Each
cow carries a transponder around
her neck. This transponder is
programmed for how much feed
she can receive during a 24-hour
period, but no more than five
pounds of feed is delivered each
time a cow visits the feeder.' ’
Initially, the switch to com
puterized feeding played havoc
with the herd’s production, but now
bill is well-satisfied with the
system. “Our herd averaged
plummeted by 2,000 pounds when
we installed the system,” he notes.
“But once we got the bugs ironed
out with the help of our Har
vestore sales representative who
balanced our feeding program
production has steadily im
proved.”
Nothing wasted
Today, using a personal com
puter, Bill balances his own rations
and tests them on a regular basis.
“With computerized feeding,
there’s not a pound of feed wasted.
And that’s important today with
the high cost of feed. In addition,
we’ve pretty much eliminated the
danger of cows overeating or
undereating,” Bill adds.
While quality forage and com
puterized feeding have helped
boost milk production, Bill’s
aggressive breeding program is
also accelerating productivity.
“We raise our own rpnlapompntQ
and are making rapid genetic
gains with AI and embryo tran
sfer,” explains Bill. “Even though
ti! **• *
i'V h
I’ve attended AI school, I prefer to
let a local inseminator handle the
breeding.”
Considerable progress has been
made since 1967 when their rolling
herd average was 12,000 pounds.
Today it’s close to 20,000 pounds,
and Bill plans to keep improving
upon that. “Our basic goal is to
continue upgrading the gentle
quality of our herd, and hopefully
by doing so we’ll continue to in
crease production.
“We’re shooting for quality
now,” Bill continues. “I’m getting
fussier and plan to gradually cull
the herd to 100-150 of my best cows.
I want good, quality breeding
stock, and I’m working on building
good pedigrees.”
But even cows with top-notch
breeding can’t increase milk
output without receiving quality
feed. According to Bill, he doesn’t
have to worry about that. With Si
and Jeff committed to consistently
producing high-quality crops, the
future productivity of Pleasant
View Dairy looks promising.
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - A new
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specifically designed for reduced
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Conserve is a basic soybean
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“Elanco has developed Conserve
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