The next several articles will focus on cow-fnendly environments for the purpose of
- Providing cows with a comfortable, healthy environment.
- Building and remodeling facilities with cow comfort and future expandability in mind.
Cows that are comfortable and healthy generally are more productive and more profitable. Thus, it is
important to keep cow comfort and cow health in mind when remodeling or building new facilities. Dream
of what your future dairy facilities should look like. Then, spend your money wisely by building "it" right
the first Untie. In other words, be sure your plans have provisions for proper ventilation, for proper stall
design, for proper pen layout, and for the efficient handling of cattle in a non stressful manner. It’s easier
to incorporate these concepts into your building and remodeling plans at the Ume of construction, rather
than dying to fit them in sometime later, after the construction has been completed. It helps you spend
your capital more wisely and it increases the chance that you will end up with a more workable and a more
cow-fnendly setup in the future.
Some areas to focus on are air quality, shelters, rest areas, heat stress and social stresses Let’s begin with
air quality.
Our goal is to provide fresh air to the lungs without causing a cold draft. This helps to prevent respiratory
problems and lung damage, it enhances cows' appetites and milk production, and it boosts their immune
systems. The emphasis is on getting stale air out of the bam and replacing it with fresh air, not just
circulating the stale air.
Remember, cattle are cold weather animals. Fresh air is more important to them than warm temperatures'
As you design your ventilation systems, seek expert advice
Weigh Better
On four Bottom Line
ioneer® brand corn hybrids deliver more yield, more value and
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
COOPERATOR
RICHARDHOOVER PIONEER 33G26 191 3 19 5 570 $36530 KEVIN L DUDROW
NOVARTIS MAX 496 190 9 19 8 55 5 $363 48
COATESVILLE, PA PIONEER 33A14 204 4 19 7 56 5 $38949 ADAMSTOWN, MD
CHESTERCOUNTY NOVARTIS N6BOOBT 1910 19 7 55 5 $364 05 FREDERICK COUNTY PLANTED 4/25/96 HARVESTED 9/16/96
PIONEER 33Y09 191 4 16 8 57 0 $368 23
PLANTED 4/30/98 NOVARTIS MAX6O7 192 2 21 3 550 $36015
HARVESTED 10/2/96 PIONEER 32K61 190 9 19 3 56 0 $365 46 COOPERATOR
NOVARTIS N76398T 203 4 20 2 55 0 $385 68
PIONEER 3335 2"2 7 19 5 570 $40625
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
COOPERATOR
GROFF VALLEY FARM PIONEER 3384 160 9 21 6 56 0 $3OO 57
DOEBLER’S 82XP 138 7 30 3 52 0 $234 97
LANCASTEa PA
LANCASTER COUNTY PLANTED 5/14/98 HARVESTED NOTENTERED
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
COOPERATOR
SAMUEL TAYLOR PIONEER 3335 173 7 25 5 55 0 $307 41
FLO CHOICE 5115 152 5 24 5 540 $275 64
PIONEER 33Y00 155 5 25 1 560 $27029
FLO CHOICE 5111 149 1 25 1 53 5 $259 10
PLANTED 5/18/95 HARVESTED. 9/10/98
AIRMLLE PA
YORK COUNTY
TEST INCOME/ DAVID TOMS
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
COOPERATOR
PIONEER 3293
FLD CHOICE 9313
PIONEER 33Y06
MARKBRANDT
SHIPPENSBUR6, PA
FLD CHOICE 9114
PIONEER 3260
FLO CHOICE 8415
PIONEER 3173
FLO CHOICE 8116
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
PLANTED 5/1/88
HARVESTED 9/23/98
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MBT. WT. ACRE
COOPERATOR
PIONEER 33026 1413 19 6 590 $26955
OOEBLER’S 75XP 122 7 192 59 5 $23506
JOHNBURRIER
MIDDLETOWN. MD
FREDERICK COUNTY PLANTED 4/24/98 HARVESTED 9/25/96
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
COOPERATOR
J TREGO ZIMMERMAN NOVARTIS MAX6O7 133 0 21.5 975 $24880
PIONEER 33Y09 1421 19 8 590 $27063
WALKERSVIU.E. MD
FREDERICK COU NTY PLANTED 4/28/98 HARVESTED 9/29/98
m PIONEER® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are
1 J part of the labeling and purchase documents Pioneer is a brand name, numbers identify varieties and
PIONEER products ®SM TM Trademarks and service marks registered or applied tor of Pioneer Hi-Bred
SHANO PRODUCT! International Inc, Des Moines, lowa. USA© 1998 PHII
997
1066
1171
1031
1060
1019
105 3
968
Adjuatad Groat Incoma calculated with tha plica of corn at $2.00 par buihal and drying coats of $.02 par point of molstura.
Yield la raprasantad in buahals/acra at 15% molstura.
COOPERATOR
EASTALCOCO
PIONEER 33V08 1219 171 610 523873
FREDERICK. MO NOVARTIS N75-T2 1250 22 9 590 $23023
FREDERICKCOUNTY PLANTED 5/1/98 HARVESTED 10/1/98
COOPERATOR
EGYPTFARMS
PIONEER 33Y1S 111 8 172 600 $21862
BURKITTSVILLE, MD GARST 6481 1062 192 58 0 $203 47
FREDERICKCOUNTY PIONEER 33Q26 1010 17 7 59 0 $19648
GARST 8342 100 3 20 5 55 0 $lB9 52
PUNTED 4/28/98 HARVESTED 9/26/98
COOPERATOR
WALKERSVILLE. MO
FREDERICKCOUNTY
$172 32
$17882
$20351
$172 76
$174 89
$169 95
$17348
$157.47
530
550
550
550
530
312
325
31 6
32 6
337
COOPERATOR
JOHN WRIGHT
MIDDLETOWN. MD
FREDERICKCOUNTY
COOPERATOR
OYNAGRO 5566 109 5 21 2 56 0 $20549
PIONEER 3140 122 5 19 2 56 0 $234 63
POOLESVILLE, MD PIONEER 32K61 115 2 16 6 590 $22205
MONTGOMERY COUNTY OYNAGRO 5568 103 3 21 6 55 0 $192 67
PLANTED 4/30t«8 HARVESTED 9/22/98
ERIC SPATES
Get good cross flow of air Open up the south sides of barns, as well as the side walls of pole structures.
Pole bams should be constructed with 12-14 foot high eaves In addition to improving the cross flow of
air, this height will also keep heat higher off the cows' backs Opening the ndge will allow trapped heat,
moisture, odors and gasses to escape out the top Ridge vents should be 2 inches wide for every 10 feet
of building width, with the minimum width being 6 inches
If necessary, install fans to help exchange air. One fan should run continuously in order to exchange
about 50 cfm of air per 1000 lb. of body weight. This will help prevent air from getting stale on cold days
when there is minimal need to move air. As temperatures increase, you will need additional
thermostatically controlled fans, set at around 50 degrees, to exhaust about 200 cfm per 1000 lb of body
weight. For these exhaust systems to work properly, you need a fairly tight bam To provide fresh air to
all areas of the stable, air inlets should be scattered uniformly around the perimeter of the bam It is highly
desirable to locate some air inlets in the calf section of the bam so they are exposed to some fresh air
(without drafts) rather than pulling the warm, stale, moisture-laden air from the older cattle over them
, tim f ?, n u on hot days - y ol L need ‘0 move much more air. Tunnel ventilation works well for
entilatmg tiestall bams m sununer. For typical tiestall bams of average width and height, two 48-inch
fans are needed for each row of stalls. That should move air through the bam at about 3-4 mph (about
walking speed) The fans are located in one end of the bam, and all side wall inlets are kept closed so all
of the air is drawn in through large inlets at the opposite end of the bam You will need a lot of air inlet
space - - about 1 foot of clear opening from wall to wall, or its equivalent, for each 48 inch fan'
Controlling the direction of air flow in a tunnel system is very important Otherwise, dead air spots can
develop. Avoid side wall openings, as they tend to shoot air to one side of the bam and create dead air
S i' d , C !f e ? d t, W u" ope " mgs , are '"sufficient, try lifting floor boards from hay mows
and bam floors at the inlet end of the bam Prevailing winds can also alter air flow in the bam, properly
sized inlets can help reduce this problem by increasing air velocity and “straightening” out the flow of air
Timnel ventilation systems are hot weather systems, not year-round systems' When temperatures drop
be careful not to pull too much cool air over cows; you could chill them and set them up for pneumonia’
In hot weather, with all of the tunnel fans running, we may be exchanging air every 20 to 60 seconds
depending upon the length of the bam and the number and size of fans However, in cold weather we
would need to run fewer fans, and the air exchange is much less It takes longer for the air to move from
one end of the bam to the other. Thus, it has more time to pick up moisture, germs and odors, and the
cows at the exhaust end of the bam are constantly breathing fowl air - - not a healthy situation
IORE BOTTOM LINE POWER.
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
DOEBLER’S 679XP 1573 22 8
PIONEER 34K77 167 2 204
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
PIONEER 33Y09 1380 174 630 $26929
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
NOVARTIS MAX6O7 1034 19 7 57 0 $19700
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
PIONEER 32K61 96 8 29 0
HOFFMAN 4625 90 5 370
PLANTED 4/24/98
TEST INCOME/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
PIONEER 33Y16
OOEBLER’S 75X2
HOFFMAN MAX6O7
PIONEER 33Y09
DEKALB 0K626
PIONEER 33Y09
PLANTED 4/23/96
tect iMcnuc/
BRAND HYBRID YIELD MST. WT. ACRE
WWBER
$289 97
$31643
$16986
$l4l 24
HARVESTED 9/1/98
$247 77
$21678
$224 22
$23868
$21606
$239 95
130 0 197
1212 256
1210 230
128 3 22 0
1123 188
1251 19.1
HARVESTED 9/16/98
UwcMter Farming, S«turd«y, October 17, 1998-A3l
Break Down Manure
With Agßestore®
COMPOSTORE
• Prepares manure for better use
in soil
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Homestead Nutrition, Inc.
(\„„h, n '„ u:„ ,„i
245 White Oak Road
New Holland. PA 17557
' Phone and Fax:
717/354-4398
1-888-336-7878