A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 8,1986
GRATZ When a new dairy
barn is built these days, that’s
news especially a 160 by 76 foot
free stall barn. Earl and Tamie
Campbell of Gratz had four good
reasons to build their sons.
The northern Dauphin County
couple pondered all winter, then
talked financing with their first
banker in late March while still
drawing plans. Agway put the shell
up by mid-June, and the cows
moved Aug. 28.
Everybody’s invited to see the
new barn Saturday, Nov. 15 bet
ween 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. It’ll be a
gala event with refreshmens, the
state dairy princess and county
dairy ambassadors and a personal
tour by the Campbells.
From Gratz, drive east on Route
25 about a half mile and turn left on
Picnic Road. It’s the first dairy
barn on the right.
Farm Credit, Penn Jersey
Harvestore, Telemark Leasing,
His new milking parlor features double-four side-opening
stalls. Earl held down costs by installing 9-year-old Universal
milkers, weight jars and much of hardware from old parlor.
Earl and Tamie Campbell of Gratz in northern Dauphin county host open house Nov.
15 for those interested in seeing their new 76 by 160 foot free stall barn. Refreshments
will be served. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Open House Features New
Kreider Manufacturing Company,
Agway, Hershey and the Penn
sylvania Dairy Promotion
Program co-sponsor the open
house.
To keep costs down, Campbells
did most of the work on the bam
themselves...design, all interior
work and 160 yards of concrete.
“We shaved costs about one
third,” Earl says, “but we couldn’t
have done it without the boys.”
Glen, 15, was named temporary
herdsman for the 95 cows during
construction. With the help of
Garth, 14, Grant, 12, and Garrett,
10, he handled milking, feeding and
clean up. Earl only milked Sunday
mornings.
An early okay by Farm Credit
moved up the construction
schedule. So did the quick tur
naround by Agway on the building.
But the decision to build wasn’t
easy. Earl and Tamie about had it
by the end of February. Cows are
Buildi
For The Futun
lined up two deep for feed in the
converted steer bam they rented.
And it was even more crowded
around the one water fountain.
“We were feeding eight times a
day to make sure all the cows got
enough,” Tamie recalls.
They were discouraged, and
dairying didn’t look that
promising.
“It came down to three choices
build, buyout or sellout,” Earl
says.
The Campbells were at the
crossroads. They’d been farming
full-time since 1977.. Earl, a Her
shey shipper, is a progressive
dairyman shipping SO pounds of
milk per cow.
What to do? One look at their
four sons made the decision easy.
The building would give them a
stake in fanning. “Let’s go for it,”
Earl and Tamie agreed.
Cool and Airy
Designed for 100 cows, the barn
features maintenance-free steel
sides, an open ridge and aluminum
roof. The latter to reflect more
sunlight in the summer.
Triple side vents on both sides of
the free stall area keep air moving.
They are adjusted manually.
A 100-foot feed bunk and belt
feeder splits the bam down the
center. That’s twice the bunk
space of the old bam.
Pour water fountains meanwhile
relieve traffic for thirsty cows.
Milkers will be divided into two
groups once com is harvested. The
feed bunk on the high-plroducer
side is lined with heacUocks to
catch cows for AI or vet care.
Actual breeding or treatment is
done in a nearby cattle chute with
the standard headhold. No more
examining or treating cows in the
parlor.
Free stalls are 3 foot 10 inches by
7 foot. Campbells use suspended
dividers with oak plank platforms
over a dirt base.
“Warmer than concrete in
winter and cooler in the summer,
and cheaper than rubber mats,”
Earl reports.
Alleys and holding areas were
grooved in a diamond pattern
when concrete was finished. A
specially adapted “floater” did the
trick.
Cleanup is cheap and easy. The
boys scrap alleys with a
skidloader, pushing the manure
directly into a pit behind the barn.
The Campbells stayed with side
opening stalls in their new parlor
but expanded from a double-three
to double-four.
Much of the equipment was
transferred from the old parlor on
Free Stall Barn
ntilation is no problem in the new Campbell barn, thanks
to three tiers of adjustable vents along both sides of barn.
Agway design called for two vents. Earl insisted on three.
In his old rented set up, Earl Campbell bred and treated
cows in parlor. New working chute, and headhold, will make it
easier for Al and vet care.
moving day, including weight jars
and nine-year-old Universal
milkers. A used 1500-gallon tank
was purchased to replace their 800-
gallon tank.
“We got help moving day from
the equipment people,” Tamie
says. “We milked at 4:30 in the
morning, moving the equipment
and cattle to the new barn up the
road, and were milking that night
atB:3op.m.”
Has production increased? Not
really, says Earl, but it hasn’t
decreased either. And that could
be expected in a new barn. But fat
test went up. Pour points the first
month.
Everything is fed in the bunk.
And it’s all home grown. Only
trace minerals are purchased. The
daily ration includes alfalfa
haylage, high moisture com, corn
silage and raw soybeans. Earl
grinds beans daily, feeds five to six
pound per head.
Earl doesn’t like to purchase
labor, either. With the built in
efficiencies of the new barn and a
growing family that possibility
looks remote.
What about milk quality? Can
the Campbells expect an im
provement? “We carry a low
bacteria and somatic cell count,”
says Tamie, “Always have.”
“Quality’s important if we hope
to increase milk sales,” Earl adds.
The Campbells are big on dairy
advertising and promotion. Tamie
is active with the county dairy
princess group. Their local ad
vertising and promotion con
tributions go to the Pennsylvania
Dairy Promotion Program.
“If you don’t see it, you don’t buy
it,” Earl says about dairy ad
vertising.
The Campbells see their open
house Nov. 15 as still another way
to reach consumers as well as
fellow dairymen.
No buyout or sellout here.
They’re ready for the 21st century.