Bi2-Lahcaster Fanning, Saturday, September 13, 1997
Producer Believes Mattresses Keep Cows
Cool, Comfortable, Productive
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
COCHRANVILLE (Chester
Co.) Can cows be too
comfortable?
Sometimes, stall mattresses are
so comfortable that the cows don’t
even want to leave the bam.
Just ask dairyman Tim Barlow
of Pinta Lane Farm Holsteins.
Mattresses installed in January
of 1995 help the cows so much that
sometimes, Barlow said, “we can’t
get the cows out of the bam.”
Cow comfort has proven to be a
big factor in milk production. The
more comfortable you make a
cow, dairy experts agree, the more
healthy it will be and the more
milk it can produce.
Barlow, who farms with wife
Phyllis and children Angela, 12;
Krystal, 10; and Steven, 8, in addi
tion to hired help, noted that using
the mattresses contributes to a long
list of items that have helped him
achieve high milk production on
his Chester County farm.
Barlow said it was a combina
tion of “good cows, good feed, and
good herd health,” along with
genetics, that helped him achieve a
herd average on DHIA of 24,000
pounds.
Another big factor in cow com
fort in the bam is the tunnel venti
lation installed in the spring of
1995, a pivotal year for improve
ments. The tunnel ventilation
draws fresh, cool air through the
stalls.
Barlow maintains about 400
acres, including 200 acres of com,
100 of soybeans, 60 of alfalfa, and
40 acres of small grains (wheat and
barley) at the farmland owned by
Ben Beiler.
Barlow also employs hired help
at the farm, including herdsman
Mike Pratt and part-time help from
Ken Shivery and Milton Edwards.
The Barlows care for 90 regis
tered Holsteins along with 90
heifers.
In January 1995 Barlow
installed 78 cow mattresses filled
with chipped car tires and sneakers
at a cost of $5,000. The mattresses
were made in Canada.
Barlow insists that the mattres
ses have gone a long way to
improve herd health and, conse
quently, herd average.
“If I had to put them in every
year. I’d do it,” he said.
The mattresses, laid in individu
al tiestalls, include a top cover of
straw to allow even more comfort
and as further protection to the
covers. The outside of the mattres
ses is made up of a tough, resilient
nylon that sheds water and other
material. The rubber pieces are
contained in a cloth material
underneath the tough, sturdy
nylon.
The only challenges Barlow
faces with using the mattresses is
potential for tears or rips in the
mattress. Water can seep in and
cause real problems, he said. Cost
to replace each mattress is $7O.
Barlow, who has been dairying
for 25 years, believes too many
dairy farmers are concerned with
spending a lot of money on bed
ding but don’t believe mattresses
are worth the investment.
But the mattresses provide a sof
ter, cooler environment for cows.
And when cows are relaxed,
they create more milk.
Barlow also makes use of a
TMR by a nutritionist.
Farm responsibilities are shared
by the whole family. Tim’s wife
Phyllis keeps the books. Angela
Barlow, 12, is in the seventh grade
in the Oxford school district and
helps with a wide range of bam
chores. Krystal, 10| in the fifth
grade, helps wittv calf feeding
along with Steven, 8, in the third
grade.
Full-time help is provided by
Mike Pratt, herdsman, and part
time help from Ken Shivery. Ken
helps mostly with odd jobs, said
Barlow. Milton Edwards, a retired
Mattresses installed in January of 1995 help thepows so
much that sometimes, Tim Barlow said, “we can’t get the
cows out of the barn.” The mattresses, laid In Individual
tiestalls, Include a top cover of straw to allow even more
comfort and as further protection to the covers.
In the early summer, Tim Barlow, standing, far. . was
cutting and baling barley straw with help from family and
friends. In front with Tim are his wife Phyllis and hired man,
Ken Shivery. In back are, from left, Krystal Barlow, Mike
Pratt’s daughter Nichole, and Angela and Steven Barlow.
dairy farmer, helps with crop
work.
Tim Barlow began working for
Ben Beiler about 25 years ago.
For a number of years, Barlow
was in partnership on the farm with
Beiler. Then, in 1988, Barlow pur
chased the business and rents the
land from Beiler.
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