A4O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 18, 2000
Frequency Makes A Beneficial Difference
George F.W. Haenlein
Extension Dairy Specialist
Emeritus
University of Delaware
Frequency can be a philo
sophical principle with many
consequences. I always told my
students that if they wanted to
succeed on their tests, they must
adopt the principle of frequency
in their studies. They could not
hope to be successful on a test by
studying only the night before.
The term “frequency” may
also mean, in many cases, repe
tition. To study a language, for
example, one must memorize
vocabulary, which requires a
certain frequency of repetition
to succeed.
Many situations in dairy
farming call for repetition, and a
certain frequency of repetition
has interesting results. As we
study the fermentation in the
rumen of animals fed a certain
ration, we observe peaks of fer
mentation soon after each meal.
If we feed twice a day, we get
two big fermentation peaks in
the rumen. However, if we
divide the feed into several
meals in a 24-hour period, we
observe smaller peaks after each
meal, which is nutritionally
better to handle and more effi
cient for our animals-dairy
cows, dairy goats and dairy
sheep.
A higher frequency of feeding
meals or more repeated meals
during 24 hours benefits the
dairy animals nutrition, there
fore benefiting milk production
and profits.
The question then is: how can
repeat feedings be done-labor-
PUBLIC AUCTION
MODERN FARM MACHINERY. (4) TRACTORS,
N.H. L-565 DIESEL SKID LOADER, CASE #5BO
BACKHOE, TMR MIXER, DAIRY EQUIPMENT,
PATZ BARN CLEANER, TRUCKS. HAY &
STRAW, LUCK NOW 8 1/2’ SNOW BLOWER &
(1) WAGON SMALL ITEMS
SATURDAY, APRIL I. 2000 AT 10:00 AM
LOCATION: Turn off Rt. 78 at Exit 8 (Shartlesville) onto Mountain Rd.
past Mountain Spring Campground for 1.7 miles to farm on left. Upper Bern
Twp., Berks Co., Pa.
TRACTORS: Int. #1066 turbo w/Cab & TA 18-4-38” rubber & weights, Int.
#856 TA w/weights, Farmall #460 tricycle fast hitch, Farmall C (needs
work). Case #5BO diesel backhoe.
TILLAGE: White 4-bottom 16” auto reset plow, Taylorway 10-tooth chisel
plow. Ford 14’ disk, ID. 12’ disk.
HAY EQUIPMENT: N.H #326 baler w/#72 thrower & hyd. tension (nice),
N H #640 round baler w/Agri-King applicator (nice), N.H. #258 side rake,
(3) 18’ Hetty steel hay wagons w/8-ton Zimmerman gears, N.H. #492 hay
bine, Zimmerman 36’ pipe elevator on transport, Farmlund round bale wrap
per (like new), N.H. #33 chopper, Badger forage wagon w/10-ton
Zimmerman gear, Fox forage harvester w/2-heads - 1000 RPM.
DAIRY & BARN EQUIPMENT: Delaval 1000 gal. milk tank #17304,
Surge bulk tank washer. Surge electroban pipeline washer, rinse tubs, (5)
Westtalia Visotron milk units, (5) Surge orbit claws, Alamo Surge vacuum
pump, I 1/2” st st. & glass pipeline for 54 cows w/3” airline, (3) large cir
culating fans, (35) drinking bowls, Zimmerman head gate (new), feed carts
& troughs, round bale feeders, cattle gates, lots of steel & step in fence posts,
pile ot 1 1/2” PVC pipe, Rissler TMR mixer (like new), GSI 10-ton feed bin
(new), Rissler conveyors, GSI 4” auger.
HAY & STRAW: Approx. 1000 bales 2nd & 3rd cut orchard & alfalfa
mixed, approx. 1000 bales rye straw, (35) round bales mixed, Hay & straw
sold by bales.
MISC. EQUIPMENT: J.D. #B3OO grain drill w/grass box (nice), Itco 300
gal. field sprayer, N.I. #314 2-row corn sheller, Int. 4-row 2-pt. cultivator, Int.
T 2 pt sickle mower, 295 bu. gravity bin wagon on 10-ton Zimmerman gear,
45 kw, PTO generator on trailer, Hedlund Martin #8166 tank manure spread
er, 28’ feeder wagon, 20’ Cardinal alum elevator.
AUCTIONEER NOTE: Small items 10:00 AM - Farm Machinery approx.
11 00 AM - Milking Equipment, Hay & Straw approx 1 00 PM.
TERMS: Cash or PA check day of auction. NO OUT OF STATE CHECKS
without cunent bank letter addiessed to Ken Leiby. Auctioneer guaranteeing
payment
I up**®'’
Kenneth P. & Jason K. Leiby, Auctioneers
1126 Moselem Spring Rd., Hamburg, PA 19526
PA L#: AU00541-L - AU003821-L
/< N
LEIBY
AUCTIONEER
SERVICE
and equipment-wise-and still be
profitable? Free choice feeding
of hay, silage, haylage, and to
tal-mixed ration will provide a
more frequent availability of
feed.
Will animals actually eat
more frequent meals? Not to the
extent that is nutritionally opti
mal. However, grain supplement
feeding can be provided by com
puter feeding equipment with
out additional labor.
We have programmed the
University of Delaware dairy
farm computer feeding system
for a minimum of 6 meals in a
24-hour period for each cow. No
cow can eat more than l/6th of
her daily grain ration at one
time. This optimizes frequency
of feeding for nutritional bene
fits.
In addition to the frequency
of grain feeding, we can also reg
ulate the frequency of milk nurs
ing by our calves. Feeding milk
more frequently than twice a
day reduces overfeeding scours
and provides the same nutri
tional benefit as frequent grain
feeding.
Our computer system is also
programmed for a minimum of
6 milk meals for our calves.
With ordinary labor, this would
be impossible or unprofitable. So
more frequent but smaller meals
are beneficial for animals, and
with today’s computers, it is fea
sible and profitable.
Among other benefits of “fre
quency” on the dairy farm is in
teresting new research about
milking. We know that twice-a
day milking of our cows yields
more milk per cow per day than
SALE FOR
PATRICK SHEA
610-562-3929
once a day and three times milk
ing yields more milk than twice
a day, especially in fresh and
high milking cows. We also
know that more frequent milk
ing improves the recovery from
mastitic infections.
On the other hand, it is not
uncommon to find in other
countries (for example, in the
mountains of Italy, Greece or
Spain) that the many goat flocks
are milked only once a day. The
explanation is in the different
udder anatomy. Goat udders
usually have much larger vol
umes of gland cistern than cows,
which means they can produce
milk much longer in their secre
tory alveoli before the back pres
sure from the filled-up cistern
reduces alveolar secretion. Thus,
once a day milking is less detri
mental to high milk production
in goats than in cows.
Comparing this situation with
dairy sheep or even with milking
horses (as in some countries in
northeast Asia) explains why
frequency of milking is critical
for good yields or, under natural
situations of suckling by lambs
or foals, is typical. These species
usually have an udder anatomy
that shows very little gland cist
ern, thus very little storage
volume before back pressure re
duces alveolar secretion.
The practical dairy sheep or
horse farmers know this without
going to college. When I was in
the mountains of Romania last
year, where there are many
thousands of dairy sheep pro
viding the only source of liveli
hood for mountain farmers, I
observed that shepherds living
KENNETH C
MACHINERY A 1
MON.
MARCH 27. 2000
AT 11:00 AM
ia. NY (Orleans Count
[edii
Located at 10324 Mill Road, 3/4 mile east of Rt.
269, 3 miles south of Rt. 104, 10 miles northwest
of Medina.
SELLING 4 TRACTORS &
JOHN DEERE COMBINE
TVactors & Combine: 1990 JD 9600 4WD com
bine w/2800 hrs, #9600 8-row com head & #922
22’ flex platform; ‘B9 Versatile #936 4WD tractor
w/cab, Cummins 6-cyl turbo, 310 HP and
20.8x42 duals; JD 8430 articulated tractor
w/7500 hrs & 18.4x38 duals; JD 4430 tractor
w/6700 hrs. and 18.4x38 duals; JD 4030 tractor
w/8000 hrs. & 18.4x38 tires;
Tillage & Planting: Wil-Rich 9-btm 18” trailer
plow w/INT bottoms; JD #7OOO planter 6-row
w/insecticide & liquid fert; Brillion 25’ hyd
foldup cultimulcher; Amco 24’ hyd foldup disc;
25’ Knowles transport drag; JD #960 31’ field
cultivator; JD #8350 21x7 grain drill; Dunham 6-
row 3” cultivator; 3-pt ditcher; 4000 and 11000
gal. glass-lined upright tanks; two 10,000-gal.
steel fertilizer tanks;
Forage & Harvest: Hi-Cap #4O grain cleaner;
J&M gravity wagon 350-bu; 3 transport augers -
B’xs3’ PTO, 6”xsl’ w/elec motor, 7”x35’ PTO;
INT #lBOO truck w/16’ dump box; Chevy C-60
and C-50 trucks with 16’ dump boxes.
NOTE: This Equipment is well cared for and is
field ready.
CONSIGNED; 9000 gallon tank trailer.
Terms: Cash or good check day of sale with ID,
nothing to be removed until settled for. Out of
State buyers must bring a Bank Letter of
Guarantee made out to William Kent, Inc.
with their flocks milked them
three times a day, thus yielding
milk and income for 9 months a
year instead of the usual 5
months in other parts of the
world. I observed the same situ
ation on a horse-milking farm in
Germany, where the mares are
milked three times a day, even
though in both cases this means
tremendous labor costs.
Research on these topics is
done mostly in other countries.
In the United States, we don’t
worry much about problems in
milk production of goats or
sheep or even horses, although a
trend toward more goat and
sheep dairying is increasing
here.
A Virginia State University
study 10 years ago (Journal of
Dairy Science 73 (1989):1603-
1611) showed that a three-times
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SAT.. MARCH 2S - 9M) A M
Included in this auction, a fine collection of
firearms from the WILLIAM O. ROUTSONG
ESTATE - Bendersville, PA
SALE DAY INSPECTION ONLY FOR Tms:
AUCTION - DOORS WILL OPEN AT 7. 00 A M
NOTE: This Is A Fine Auction - With Many Hard
To Find & Rare Older & Modern Firearms - Mark
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milking frequency increased
milk yield of Holstein cows over
twice-a-day milking if cows also
ate more feed with a higher nu
trient density.
A later study at the Volcani
Research Center in Israel (Jour
nal of Dairy Science 78
(1995):2726-2736) comparing
three times with six times milk
ing of cows per day found that
“increased frequency of udder
emptying increased milk pro
duction.” They also found that
the higher milk production was
associated with increased but in
sufficient feed intake and ele
vated blood levels of growth
hormone, prolactin, and oxyto
cin.
It has been known for a long
time that oxytocin is necessary
for milk let-down and complete
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