On beta
a farm
-And o
hazar
Joyce 1
Only a few cows remained to be
milked at the far end of the dairy
bam. And, outside, the pale light
of dusk was fast fading into night
Suddenly, the barn interior
brightened, as the long rows oi
florescent fixtures lit up over the
feeding alleyways in front of each
row of cows.
At almost the same instant,
brief “mooing” sounds erupted
from scattered spots down the
double row of cows. Welcoming
greetings they were, acknow
ledgement of the evening’s round
of grain feeding which was about
to commence.
Though it should be old hat to
me by now, the response of the
dairy herd to such small happen
ings still fascinates me. Even
though its member makeup
changes somewhat constantly, and
only a few individuals remain
from, say, ten years, the herd’s
overall reaction to certain stimuli
remains constant and predictable.
The moment those side-alleyway
lights come on in the barn, the
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Box 265
Lamar, PA 16848
(717) 726-3275
PAUL ZIMMERMAN
Rt. 4, Box 173
Utitz, PA 17543
(717) 733-7674
RANDY BOTTEICHER
R.D. #l, Box 2396
Milroy, PA 17063
(717) 667-2066
EDWIN R. OTT
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cows take for granted that scoops
of their grain ration are forthcom
ing. And, by gosh, if it isn’t forth
coming soon enough, the wel
come tone of the mooing abruptly
turns loud and demanding, almost
bossy you might say.
Feeding of baled hey evokes a
similar response. Apparently that
gentle “plunk” of a dull pocketk
nife breaking through a string of
baline twine can be heard at a dis
tance of 40 cows away. Or maybe
it’s the aroma of the hay as the
sections fall apart Or the cloud of
hay dust particles that accompa
nies the task of slicing open bales.
Whatever the reason, hay feed
ing gets the attention of even the
most laid back herd member.
Every head comes up, ears perk
and staring eyes remain riveted on
one’s every move until each cow
has her share and in some
cases, a little of her neighbors’ if
she can manage to snag a section
and yank it closer to her own
trough turf.
Few bam sounds are more satis-
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Box 215, Bainbridge, Pennsylvania
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GLENN E. MARTIN
2409 Marsh Pike
Hagerstown, MD 21740
(301) 733-0796
808 ELLIS
RD 3, Box 470
Lewisburg, PA 17837
(717) 568-0530
fying to me than the loud rustling
of the whole herd of cows chew
ing their way through a feeding of
fragrant alfalfa hay.
Another collective habit prac
ticed by the herd is lying down in
their stalls, almost as soon as the
milkers are removed. Remove the
milker, dip the teats, and boom,
down goes that cow, almost as if a
button were pushed to collapse her
legs. Occasionally, one will get
off her timing a bit, and flop right
down on the milking unit before
it’s finished the job.
It’s not unheard of to have a
cow almost flatten you in her rush
to rest, as you remove the milking
machine.
This is especially noticeable on
days when the cows don’t get back
into their stalls until a bit later in
the day than normal. That seems
to mess up their late afternoon
naptime schedule. Eating and
chewing one’s cud all day long
must be a fatiguing job.
But it’s not just the cows which
respond to “trigger” sounds.
The clanking of a stainless steel
bucket into which we milk fresh
cows separately brings a stampede
of cats. The slamming sound of
the metal milk house door some
times generates a .similar
response, but not as dependably as
does that ringing tone of the buck
et’s handle jangling against its
side.
Of course, sound of the milk
house door might mean anything
from milk truck pickup to inspec-
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Rt. 2, Box 113
McAllisterville, PA 17049
(717) 463-2551
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Box 246, Pine Street
Cochranton, PA 16314
(814) 425-7401
FRED CLARK
PO Box 43
McEwensville, PA 17749
(717) 538-9109
tion to sales people to somcone
simply wanting to rinse their boots
off with the hose. Then, too, it
might mean a dish of milk for the
cats.
But the milk bucket clanking is
almost guarantee of a dish of milk
for the cats. And you had better
believe those felines figure that
out, too. Fast.
Come to think of it, people
aren’t much different from ani
mals in their response to trigger
stimuli.
We have a standing joke in this
Diamond Anniversary
WEST CHESTER (Chester)
Chester County Cooperative
Extension has announced plans to
celebrate the 75th anniversary of
the Cooperative Extension Sys
tem. According to Trudy Dough
erty, Chester County extension
director, the local celebration is
part of a national recognition of
May 8, 1914, as the beginning of
the Cooperative Extension System
in the nation.
The local celebration, “Lift Off
with Extension”, will take place
on Saturday, May 6 at Oakbpume
Park in Westtown Township and
will include a formal opening
ceremony at 11:00 a.m. with a
75th anniversary cake served to all
in attendance at 11:30 a.m. At
noon, a precision skydiving team
will land on the green in front of
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 15,1989-B5
tbs call of the,ice
cream. Like most fanners, out
falls sound asleep the momsnL he
stretches out on the couch in front
of the TV. Talking to him, asking
questions, even the ringing of the
phone may never be heard.
But let one of us tiptoe to the
kitchen, open the freezer door and
mumble under our breath the
words “ice cream.” That gen
erates an immediate, awakening
response.
It might be something we could
adapt to the alarm clock industry.
the mansion at Oakboume. Other
attractions include a family fitness
walk, a guided nature trail walk,
educational displays highlighting
Cooperative Extension’s pro
grams, 4-H exhibits and demon
strations, Chester County farm
commodity food booths, a model
airplane club’s exhibition, and a
day-long visit from Penn State’s
Nittany Lion (the same Nittany
Lion that prowls the sidelines of
Beaver Stadium during each Penn
State home football game).
Oakboume Park is located on
Matlack Street, 1 mile east of the
intersection with Route 202. The
park will be open from 9:00 a.m.
until 3:00 p.m. Parking and admis
sion are free. For more informa
tion, contact the Chester County
Cooperative Extension at 696-
3500.
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