The Home Of The Reliables r LANCASTER FORD TRACTOR, INC. 1655 Rohrerstown Rd. w g 5 Lancaster. PA 17601 <SBP Harrisburg Rt 283 \ „ o« 3° '(orVSi—' Ybu’vo got a friend right down the road LANCASTER FORD TRACTOR, INC. 1655 Rohrerstown Rd. Flory Mill Exit off Rt. 283 (717) 569-7063 Lancaster, PA ftl)e Dairy Business t \ Newton Bair Old Barns, New Cows Remember the old wooden stalls in Dad’s bam? The ones built on locust posts, with solid oak dividers, and the feed trough that was worn through by hundreds of thousands of lickings by a cow’s tongue? There are still some of those stalls around, although we seldom keep milking animals in them anymore. They served their purpose very well, but like most good things, they became obsolete and were replaced with concrete and steel. And those first replacements often need renewal or revision. Stalls were designed to fit the cow. Or they should be, anyway. But Grandpa’s cows were probably smaller than ours, and when Pop remodeled the old bam, he made the stalls a little longer and wider. Now, when the second stable remodeling is due, we find that the cows are still longer, and seem to require more room to lie down comfortably. So we design the stall differently, put in rubber mats, bed' with ex pensive shavings (if we bed at all), and still end up with swollen hocks, sore feet, and worst of all, injured teats. The result is that many cows do not serve their full term in the herd. And it is often the better cows that are lost to injuries that are really not their fault, and have nothing to do with genetics or natural longevity. In remodeling the old bam, we usually end up with too little space. The herd is bigger now, so it’s either build an addition to the bam, or crowd more stalls into the available space. Sometimes it is a combination of both, with the result that some stalls are just not suited to the size of our big modern cows. Many bam remodeling jobs are a hodge-podge of additions and re arrangements that were designed to fit the available layout and the National Jersey Sale Averages $2,109 NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The National Jersey Heifer Sale, held in conjunction with the National Jersey Convention, averaged $2,109 on 43 consignments. This average increased $366 over last year’s average of $1,743.- Leaving her mark on this year’s sale was a bred heifer from the Pride cow family. Consigned by the Mayfield Farm of Tennessee, she sold for the high bid of the day, $5,100, to Larry Shirley from Kentucky. Sired by Top Brass, she is due in August to Highland Magic Duncan. Her dam, sired by Samson and classified EX-92, owns two production records over 17,000 pounds of milk. A maternal brother of the high selling heifer is in AI service. A daughter of Quicksilver Magic of Ogden captured the second high Lancaster Faming, Saturday, My 5,1986-A37 available cash. They end up being less than efficient, and detrimental to the cow. We can leam to work around inefficiency of layout, but the real hazard is to the most valuable part of the dairy operation the cow herself. Most remodeling jobs include a few box stalls that end up being used for maternity, hospital, or surplus heifers. Seldom do we afford this kind of stall for our valuable milking cows. They get the old steel and concrete tie stalls, with all the hazards built in. What’s the solution to the problem? One solution that I have seen, and often suggested to farmers, is to make use of those free stalls that often go unused when heifers and dry cows are in pasture. Or if some remodeling is contemplated, INCLUDE A SET OF WIDE AND COMFORTABLE FREE STALLS FOR THOSE BIG COWS. Whether you milk in the stable or in a parlor, those cows can easily be moved, but never have to lie down in a tight place. That 20,000 pound milker is too valuable to lose. Give her all the room she needs. If space in the old bam is at a premium, THE STALLS SHOULD BE MADE TO FIT THE COW, AND NOT THE BARN. It is futile and highly dangerous to expose our valuable assets to the extreme hazard of terminal injury, just so we can increase numbers. Cow numbers must be balanced against cow turnover. Remember that it takes a cow nearly two years of production just to return the cost of owning her, before she makes a profit. After that she may start to make money for you, so you want to keep her as long as possible. You can keep her longer by making life a little easier for her, and removing the hazards that shorten her life. bid of the day, |4,500. Clarence Clay IV, South Carolina, pur chased this open consignment by Dr. D.L. Strandburg, Wisconsin. Her dam, sired by Top Brass, produced over 14,000 pounds of milk in her first lactation and classified EX-91. The top three prices of the sale were rounded out with a bid of $4,000. A open heifer by Yankee F.W. Chief garnered this pricetag from the buyer, Jerseyland Farm of Michigan. W.S./L.M. Jerseys consigned this granddaughter of Quicksilver Magic of Ogden. Her dam, EX-91, produced two records over 20,000 pounds of milk. The top volume buyer, an ab sentee Holstein breeder in Wisconsin, purchased four head. Jersey Marketing Service managed the sale while Merlin Woodruff handled the auc tioneering.
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