D4-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 5,1993
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.
(Centre Co.) Is your milking
parlow cow-friendly? If you’re
not sure, take a cow’s eye look at
what milking lodes, sounds and
feels like on your farm, suggests
an animal housing expert in Penn
State’s College of Agricultural
Sciences.
“Crouch down and examine
your milking parlor from the
cow’s point of view,” says Dr.
Robert Graves, professor of agri
cultural engineering. “This will
help you identify factors that may
make your cows uncooperative,
endanger their safety or interfere
with the milking routine.”
Rough handling, slippery
floors, shaky, uncomfortable
grates or protruding pipes or bars
can upset cows and disrupt
milking.
Factors to consider include:
walking and standing sur
faces in bams, lanes, holding areas
and on parlor platforms.
walls, fences, gates, doors
and doorways
parlor hardware and
appliances
animal catching and separa-
Md. Land
Preservation
(Continued from Page D 3)
am pleased we could
purchase these ease
ments which keeps our
state number one in the
nation in the number of
acres saved for agricul
ture,” Walker said.
“Governor William
Donald Schaefer has
always been a strong
supporter of our agricul
tural preservation
efforts. His determina
tion is a strong reason
why Maryland remains
in the forefront of these
efforts to save farmland
as we move into the next
century,” said Walker.
In making the
announcement, Walker
noted that Gerald Red
den of Worcester Coun
ty, with the selling of the
development rights
easements on his
241-acre farm, was the
person who pushed the
state over the 100,000
acre milestone.
“Farmers like Mr.
Redden in every area of
our state have demon
strated a tremendous
commitment to preserv
ing agricultural land for
future generations. This
will have positive long
range consequences
both for the economy
and environmental qual
ity of life for all Mary
landers,” Walker said.
For more information
on the Maryland Agri
cultural Land Preserva
tion Foundation, contact
Paul Scheldt, executive
director at the Maryland
Department of Agricul
ture, 50 Harry S. Tru
man Parkway, Annapo
lis, MD 21401, (410)
841-5860.
Think Like A Cow To Achieve Cow Comfort
lion areas
lighting
noise
people and animals, such as
visitors, children and dogs.
Because cows walk on their
hooves, they are at great risk of
slipping. ’Treat walking surfaces
to provide friction without irritat
ing, abrading, puncturing or other
wise injuring the hard and soft
parts of the cow’s foot,” Graves
says.
“It’s common for milking par
lors to use grooved floors to
improve friction', but the floor
should have no sharp concrete or
aggregate edges sticking up to
injure the hoof. Ifr the flow’s too
rough for your bare feet, it’s prob
ably too rough for your cows.”
Cows have panoramic vision of
more than 300 degrees, which
means they can be easily dis
tracted by things people don’t see.
“Objects or activities to the side or
rear may be very troublesome to a
cow,” Graves says.
Cattle also have limited depth
perception, especially at ground
level. “Cows often lower their
heads and stop to get a better look
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at strange items on the ground,”
Graves says. “They may balk at
drains, grates, hoses, shadow lines
or changes in floor texture
because they can’t see them very
well.”
Cows readily adapt to reason
able levels of continuous noise,
such as a radio, but are more sen
sitive than people to high frequen
cy noises. “People hear in the
1000 to 3000 hz level,” says
Graves. “A cow’s hearing is most
sensitive at 8000 hz. Sudden loud
noises, such as banging metal
gates or loud exhaust from air
cylinders, can bother them.”
Cows, like people, have a per
sonal space, referred to as the
flight zone. “People or dogs in a
cow’s flight zone may make her
uncomfortable and discourage her
from moving through the parlor,”
says Graves.
Since cows are herd animals,
they can become agitated when
isolated. “Pens and other methods
for separating animals are neces
sary to contain them, but allowing
cows to see other cattle nearby
will help them stay calm.”
Also make sure your gates,
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fences and other containment constructed gates and fences, she
facilities are strong enough to do will try it again ” Graves says,
the job. “Once a cow successfully “Subsequent attempts may lead to
escapes over or through poorly injury or damage.”
Kroeck’s Advice
(Continued from Page D 3)
good because the price of the milk don’t know how we ever did it
is down. You really need to look before without computers.”
at the increased supplies in milk
over the last 10 years and the
increase in total consumption.
“I’d really be concerned if we
hadn’t have increased sales.
(Before the dairy promotion prog
ram) the consumption trend of
dairy products for years had been
dropping rapidly. Yet, as soon as
the large amount of dollars has
come in to promote dairy pro
ducts, sales have gone up.
“The whole agricultural process
is very complex. People who grew
up on the farm 20 years ago don’t
realize what farmers are facing
today. They need to file a farm
plan, be licensed to use pesticides,
things are constantly changing.
Computers keep track of records. I
“Some things
are just built
tougher than
others.”
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Karl said changes will occur in
the future, too.
“You’re going to see a lot of
technology, particularly biotech
nology. Whenver I go on one of
these trips to farm meetings, parti
cularly when I fly over the cities, I
see all the growth, the houses. I
can see the farms deteriorate, yet
we’re feeding more and more peo
ple all the time. Some day there
may even be a shortage of food.”
Although farming has undoub
tedly become more difficult, with
operating costs rising so drastical
ly that no room is left for error,
Karl sees a ray of hope.
“Ultimately, fanners will have
to get more out of the market place
for their products.”
PA DEALERS
C.B. HOOBER & SON
Intercourse, PA
(717) 768-8231
C.H. WALTZ &
SONS, INC.
Cogan Station, PA
(717) 435-2921
CHARLES SIEPIELA
Honesdale, PA
(717) 253-3334
DUGAN TRACTOR, INC.
Ulysses, PA
(814) 848-7575
ECKROTH BROS. FARM
EQUP. INC.
New Rmngold, PA
(717) 943-2131
ERB & HENRY EQUIP.
New Berlinville, PA
(215) 367-2169
J&M MACHINERY CO. INC.
Greensburg, PA
(412) 668-7850
MORRIS
INTERNATIONAL INC.
Everett, PA
(814) 652-6101
R & W EQUIPMENT CO.
Carlisle, PA
(717) 243-2686
MD DEALERS
CERESVILLE FNH, INC.
Frederick, MD
(SOO) 331-9122
GIBSON FARM
EQUIP, INC.
Ingleside, MD
(410) 751=0262
RIO DEL MAR
ENTERPRISES
Easton, MD
(410) 622-6166
NJ DEALERS
FRANK RYMON &
SONS, INC.
Washington, NJ
(90S) 689-1464
MID-STATE
EQUIP. CO. INC.
Titusville, NJ
(609) 737-7400
PONIATOWSKI BROS.
EQUIP. CO.
Clinton, NJ
(201) 735-2149
RODIO TRACTOR
SALES, INC.
Hammonton, NJ
(609) 561-0141