A34-Uncaster'fanningi Saturday, <Ma»clM6 1 ' 1991 WHITE HORSE (Lancaster Co.) —“Stray voltage is funny,” said Consultant Bill Roberts from Utica, NY. “You can’t see it, smell it or feel it yourself, but the dairy cow can feel it.” Speaking at Lapp’s Bam Equip ment open house Thursday, Roberts said that you can do every thing possible with balanced rations, but if the cow is not com fortable because of a stray voltage problem, the cow is limited in what she can do for you. Signs that you may have the problem in your bam could be nervous cows, cows switching their tails for no reason, or lapping water instead of normal drinking. Ninety percent of the farms that Roberts checks with his special computer equipment have a vol tage problem. The computer is hooked up to five points on the farmstead and each motor is turned on one at a time and the computer can sense what is happening at One of the top cows in the herd, according to her name card, appears to have no problem with the rubber-matted tie stall, nor the chainlink snap tie. Several of the estimate 600 or more people whp toured the Bp jrm v through the new 65-tie stall bam noting the wide center alley, the grated manure gutter. and the rubber-matted stalls. The 2% -inch pipeline can also be seen. Speaker Says Stray Voltage Reduces Milk each point. If voltage is present for only one-thousandth of a second, the computer records it. One tenth of a volt will affect some cows. It puts animals under stress, elevates SCC counts and restricts milk pro duction potential. If the voltage problem is on the pipeline, the cow doesn’t feel it until the milk starts to flow. The rubber liners protect, but the milk flow acts as a conductor. Roberts said SCC counts can be reduced by fifty percent in 30 days if the prob lem of stray voltage is solved. Roberts said most of the prob lems come from 110 equipment and not the 220 equipment Imba lanced loads on the service panel, improper AMPS on both sides of the service panel, or improper grounds can cause problems. Elec trical boxes are to be kept clean and dry and often they are not in the best places in a bam for this to happen. “With the low milk prices, all Berks County Dairy Farm Expands rmssC: -^ I- T At Lapp’s Barn Equipment open house are, left to right, Chuck Aungst, Jamesway representative; Jake Lapp, owner; Bill Roberts, consultant, speaker; and Leon Lapp, sales representative. the premiums available must be taken,” Roberts said. “When you STOUCHBURG (Berks Co.) —An open house of a 65-cow capacity dairy facility in southwestern Berks County last week attracted about 600 people to inspect the offerings of the compa nies and businesses involved in the design and construction. Mervin Brubaker, owner, declined to talk about the new facility. The farm is being operated by son Glenn and his wife Janet Brubaker.t The large crowd examined the new tie-stall bam with a wide cen ter alley and grated, gravity-flow gutters; the wide feed alleys; the ventilation system; 2'A -inch pipe line, cooling equipment and milk house; a 103-foot by 103-foot by 8-foot earth bank manure lagoon with a concrete bottom capable of holding 6 months of manure; and three large silos. In addition, there were trailers, tankers, bunkers, bunks, precast manure panels, bale choppers, shredder and crimpers, mixers and other commercial displays. Companies from Myerstown, Richland, Hamburg, Reading and Lebanon areas helped sponsor the open house. Those companies included Star Silo, Elco Concrete Products, Rufus Brubaker Refrig eration Sales, Rigidply Rafters, Cedar Crest Equipment, Shartles ville Farm Service, Clover Farms or*' correct a stray voltage problem and get better quality milk, you make Dairy Products, F.M. Brown’s Sons Inc., and Lebanon Valley National Bank. The operation’s two 20-foot by 80 foot silos and one 16 by 80 foot silo lead to a feed room with an opening to the bam, near the milk house and office. The two larger silos are used for com silage and haylage. The smaller silo is used for high mois ture ear com. According to information sup plied on fliers, the farm consists of 84 acres in rye, alfalfa, or com. Currently 60 cows are milked, but plans are to expand to the new Three large poured-concrete silos loom high above the new 65-stall bam. A calf facility is in the foreground. g MIX. FT DOES A BOOT GOOD. MIDDLE ATLANTIC MILK MARKETING ASSOCIATION. INC Check your cows more comfortable and increase your milk check as well.” barn’s capacity. The herd has been running an average of 60 pounds of milk per cow per day at 4 percent fat and 3.4 percent protein. The somatic cell count was most recen tly 81,000. The Brubakers feed one group twice-a-day with Total Mixed Ration and top feed three times a day. All cows get 23 pounds of com silage, 34.5 pounds of hayl age, 20. S pounds of high moisture ground ear com and 6.1 pounds of concentrate. The stalls are concrete with a rubber matting and a chainlink snap-fastner tie. The feeding area is level with the floor.
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