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A3Hjncmr Faming, Saturday, Novtmhtr 19, 1994
The University of Delaware
dairy herd thrives in an unlikely
location: a suburban setting in
Newark, Del., across the street
from an automobile manufactur
ing plant and next to commuter
train tracks. But the 100 milk
cows don’t seem to mind. With a
rolling herd average of 21,000
Dr. George Haenlein, University of Delaware Extension
dairy specialist, left, and Richard Morris, dairy manager,
show off a calf that is wearing a transponder for computer
ized identification. The calf can be recognized by a comput
erized nurser that will automatically dispense freshly mixed
milk powder and water.
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University Of Delaware Herd A Model
pounds of milk, and a very low
incidence of mastitis, their pro
duction and general health seem
to indicate a certain obliviousness
to the suburban development that
surrounds them. And the extra
attention they get from students
eager for hands-on experience
seems a bonus.
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Richard Morris, herd manager
since 1986, reports that the herd is
80 percent Holsteins. A handful
each of Jersey, Brown Swiss,
Guernsey and Ayrshire cows
make up the balance. With more
than 1 million dairy cows within a
100-mile radius of the college’s
herd, the management techniques
are of interest to dairy operators.
Morris says good, solid manage
ment practices, nothing fancy, are
responsible for the herd’s success.
“Our mastitis incidence is very
low,” he says. "I attribute that to
keeping the animals clean. The
free stalls are well-bedded and
kept dry, and we keep the alleys
scraped. Our cows have access to
pasture; this gets them off of con
crete and contributes to overall
foot health. We don’t do anything
special...just follow yearly vacci
nation schedules like any other
successful dairy fanner.”
Five buildings make up the
operation, a milking parlor, research
bam, free stall bam, a combina
tion dry cow and heifer bam, and
a calf bam.
“The milking parlor is a single
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8 herringbone,” Morris explains.
“The cows wear a transponder
collar so the computer can identi
fy them when they are milked and
fed. Their grain is dispensed elec
tronically based on the amount of
milk the cow produced the previ
ous .day.”
Because every cow is identi
fied by computer, Morris has a
jump on identifying any cows that
are off their feed before major
problems develop. The cows are
also fed com, alfalfa and wheat
silage produced on the farm.
“For feed studies, we use a sep
arate bam,” says Morris. “There
the silage is measured by hand to
keep track of intake per day. The
bam currently accommodates 20
cows. But by the end of Novem
ber an expansion to include a total
of 30 cows should be completed,”
Another important part of the
operation is the calf building that
houses calves for their first two to
three months. A computerized
nurser meets the calves sucking
and nutritional needs.
“Each calf wears a transponder
that signals the computer the
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amount of milk they can have
each day,” he says. “Milk powder
and water are mixed fresh each
time a calf nurses. But only 1
pound of milk is given at a time to
prevent overfeeding.”
Dr. George Haenlein, Cooper
ative Extension dairy specialist,
was instrumental in getting the
computerized nurser.
“The nurser allows calves
plenty of sucking time, socializa
tion and exact amounts of milk,”
Haenlein says. “It is now in its
fifth year of use. It’s very eco
nomical and paid for itself in 2
1/2 to 3 years.”
Professors such as Haenlein
use the herd extensively for
research and to provide hands-on
learning experiences to their stu
dents. Haenlein says he has 125
students each year who need to
learn techniques of milking, feed
ing, artificial insemination, nurs
ing calves and cheese making.
“Real experience is the back
bone of good teaching,” he says.
“And hands-on experience with
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