Lancaster farming. (Lancaster, Pa., etc.) 1955-current, May 23, 1998, Image 21
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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 i Specializing in agncul.ture and construction industries i ■ 1 I “We help business people discover ways to cut costs, save ' taxes, and be more profitable” i 535 W. Orange Street, Lancaster, Pa. 17603 Call about our FREE seminars (717) 299-6480 ♦ Fax (717) 299-6390 Lancaster County’s RENTAL HEADQUARTERS Over 300 Items Available For Rent 3-Point Hitch Post Driver 3-Point Hitch Post Hole Digger Hydraulic Self-Contained Post Hole Digger 3-Point Hitch 60" Rotary Mower 3-Point Hitch 60“ Rototiller John Deere 955 4wd Tractor With Loader Case Skid Steer Loader Hydraulic Jack Hammer Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 AM to 9 PM Sat. 8 AM to 5 PM • Closed Sundays Also featuring ACE Hardware Lawn & Garden Equipment Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 23, 1998-A2l 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!