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5/23
Dairy Farmers Can Do
Something About The Weather
COLLEGE PARK, Md.
More than 400 years ago, the great
Spanish author Cervantes ob
served in his timeless novel, Don
Quixote, that, ‘To be prepared is
half the victory."
Dairy fanners who escaped the
devastating ice storms and electri
cal power failures that hit New
England and eastern Canada last
winter ought to take Cervantes’
words seriously, according to Co
operative Extension specialists at
the University of Maryland.
As a producer, you should dis
prove American author Mark
Twain’s observation that, “Every
body talks about the weather, but
nobody does anything about it.”
What you need, says Lee Grant,
Extension specialist in agricultur
al engineering, is a generator for
emergency standby power
available on short notice that
won’t break down under continu
ous usage for long periods.
The generator may be a self
contained stationery model, or
more likely it’ll be run by your
tractor’s power take-off (FTO).
Dr. Grant recommends testing
your generator once a month or
every six months at the very least
to make sure it is ready to go
when needed.
Randall G. Renninger
j Certified Public Accountant
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He also advises that you hire a
qualified electrician to install a
proper-sized transfer switch in or
near your milking parlor to isolate
your generator from the incoming
utility line. (See illustration).
Store your generator in a clean,
dry place with other power equip
ment not in the rear of a dirt
floor shed.
Before starting a periodic test,
clean out all vents and other open
ings in the generator; lubricate;
check and/or change gearbox oil;
inspect for rodent damage, food
and nests. Rotate slowly by hand
to make sure there is no hindrance
to smooth operation.
Run the test with heaters and
lights on, because they draw a
constant electrical load (amper
age).
Check nameplate for voltage
capacity.
If your generator is rated at
40,000 watts (40 KW), it can stand
a load of 80,000 watts for a few
seconds. This would be the surge
necessary for the generator to get a
milking machine motor started.
Make the test run at full load for
at least 25 minutes; one hour
would even be better. When you
shut your generator down after
disconnecting the power let it
idle for a few seconds
to blow out the heat
What if you don’t
have a generator on
your farm and can’t af
ford to buy one?
The Maryland Co
operative Extension
specialist suggests
checking with the ad
ministrators of local
disaster plans to see if
those plans include pro
visions for loaning gen
erators to dairy farms.
Nearby military bases
or National Guard ar
mories could be another
loan source of genera
tors for emergency use.
How Often To Milk
Cows?
In emergency situa
tions when a standby
generator is your only
power source and milk
haulers are not able to
reach your farm, it’s
tempting to milk your
cows only once a day.
Is this a good idea?
Not according to Bob
Peters, Extension dairy
specialist at the Univer
sity of Maryland.
Dr. Peters notes that
milk production can
drop significantly when
cows are milked only
once a day, instead of
twice daily. And any
cow with a history of
mastitis is likely to have
the problem flare up
when she is not on regu
lar twice-a-day milking.
A 1992 study with
Friesian and Jersey
cows at the Ruakura
AGricultural Research
Centre at Hamilton,
New Zealand, showed
that cows milked only
once a day produced
10-28 percent less milk
and milk solids in early
to mid-lactation than
cows milked twice a
day.
The loss was only
slightly less for cows in
late lactation.
“From the standpoint
of maintaining herd
production and keeping
udders healthy,” the
Maryland Cooperative
Extension specialist
conclude, “twice-a-day
milking is worthwhile
even if you have to
dump your milk for a
few days.”
A LESSON
WELL
LEARNED...
LANCASTER
FARMING'S
CLASSIFIED
ADS
GET RESULTS!