A36-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, March 10,2001 DcliriGS Cdll Form IVlllltiplC Milk Production (Everyon*) _ , __ Average Daily Milk/Cow Partnerships To Stay Competitive RHA (Continued from Page A 1) ■•»«, go. fotihotS mlth said. To increase production, you PI Count <20,000 combining resources to create have to either milk more cows or Dairy Team Standard Plate Count <lO,OOO larger, smarter dairy enter- milk more per cow. Milking Management prises. more per cow involves paying At the conference, Tom Craig Herd Health (Herdsmen) It’s a trend worth noting, ac- close attention to dry matter of Murmac Farms, Bellefonte, yg|( p ayws <5% cording to the dairy specialist. (DM) content of forages and with an expanding facility in <lO% According to USDA, for 2000, overall feed quality for the cow. Zion, spoke about his 500-cow High Fever Cows <20% about 54 percent of the milk “Increased production per production management teams AKomycnm <lO% comes from cows with more cow can be one of the biggest op- on two separate sites. They farm Haw Quarter Infection Rate (cmt»* OFiwhaning) <5% than 200 cows (up from 35 per- portunities here,” said Smith. 2,000 acres over a 10-mile Dyatoda <5% cent in 1993). Production has in- Smith has heard from produc- stretch. Birth Rate >95% creased per cow on these ers before about how “they’re The farm installed a freestall culling Rale <30% operations of herds with strapped” and milking cows for barn in 1992. To be viable, said greater than 200 cows, they have all they can. In the 1980 s, cow Craig, it was important to Reproduction (Herdsmen) only 48 percent of the total cow production increased 2,400 expand cow numbers. Average DIM to Ist Service <64 population, but they supply 54 pounds per cow, then up an- He spoke of the importance of Average DIM to Conception <llO percent of the nation’s milk. other 3,000 pounds in the 19905, planning, writing a vision state- % Pregnant by 120 (MM >70% In 2000,5,915 herds went out and just last year alone, in- ment, and cultivating teams. Calving Interval <l3 Months of the business. That’s six per- creased 432 pounds on average Make the teams work together Pregnancy Rate >85% cent of the entire herd number in per cow. as a cohesive group “heading in the country in one year. “We have not hit the ceiling one _ direction for growth, profi- calf Health and Performance (Calf Manager) The larger dairies are at- per cow on economic produc- tability, and longevity, Craig Mortality <l% tempting to reach tanker-load tion,” Smith said. sa *d- ...... , , Scours <5% pickup size, and the kinds of To do so, producers must ex- The main facilities includes Pneumonia <5% premiums paid for that size load amine cow nutrition, watch cow 400 cows in a flat parlor, open are “real drivers” for the indus- comfort, manage the cow prior front. The other includes 250 Youngstock Health & Performance (Heifer Manager) try, noted Smith. to and after calving, reduce heat cows milking in a double-6 Mortality The producers are trying to and cold stress, watch biosecu- parlor. Average Growth Rate dilute the fixed assets of the rity and udder health, improve Murmac includes 15 full-time Height at Ist Breeding larger size operations over as reproduction management, and an d f> ve part-time workers. Weight at Ist Breeding many cows as possible, said forage test regularly. Murmac employs six Hispanic Weight at Ist Calving Smith. The cost of producing Smith mentioned how the Me- workers. Age at Ist Calving milk per cow thus drops. But Donald’s Restaurant company An organization chart care- Dystocia with larger herds come the chal- now dictates how much space fully outlines responsibilities at lenges of managing employees. must be provided to individual Murmac. Craig said the farm s Murmac Farms’ goals for 2000 were posted and re- Smith noted the university layers for egg sandwiches. Those long-range goals are to transi- viewed. This appeared in the conference proceedings, gets calls from large scale, 1,000- types of processor mandates t' on the barn building to a parlor and freestall and build the busi- associate with the Penn State ness to 1,000 cows. Dairy Alliance, repeated a quote Craig noted the importance of he learned from a Mason Dixon listing the goals for the organi- Farm video; “change is inevita zation and to meet with the ble,” Hilty said. “Success is op teams weekly. tional.” To be profitable and competi- Successful Business tive, producers need to take a se- Managers rious look down the road, James Peck, who operates a according to Hilty. “Dairy pro consulting business, ConsulAgr ducers need to be looking at how Inc., employs two and has more to get 30,000-35,000 pounds per than 100 clients. cow n the next five to seven Clients manage a total of years and 40,000 pounds within about 5,000 dairy cattle. 10-12 years.” Peck, who has worked with The 1960 s were a time that Murmac, spoke about the char- dairy production really started acteristics that make farm busi- to escalate throughout the coun nesses stand out for success. try. Peck said they “grow produc- Nationally, average herd size tivity, grow people and manage- remains at 100 cows. Pennsylva ment, develop long- and short- nia is at an average of 64 cows term plans, focus on really per herd, important things, seek and use Production nationally stands good information, respect the at 17,764 pounds on rolling herd basic principles of business, pro- average. Pennsylvania is at vide strong leadership, consider 17,745 pounds. In 2000, some growth as an ordinary part of national herds reached, on aver business, and make the best of age, more than 18,000 pounds, land and equipment. They make To herds; 26,000-28,000 pounds Speakers at the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Management Conference included, from left, Tom «“ W ,he bllls ” f Craig, Brad Hilty, Sean Jones, James Peck, Bernard Erven, Gregorio Billikopf, Bill Adapting To Change “The more cows you have, the Heald, and John Smith. Photo by Andy Andrews Brad Hilty, senior extension (!■„„, to Page A 44) 2,000-cow managers, for em- could someday be considered for !Sr„“i“, s u y h cl sp Lt he? 'XSajSESSS- to Murmac Farms Organizational Chart “background” potential em- expand the facilities and add ployees —it can’t be in the posi- more cows, Smith cautions: F .. tion to supply a labor pool. watch udder health. It’s the Tom 9 Producers are demanding “biggest problem by far with ex- Personnel Finances better labor, but there is simply panding facilities,” he told those Tam/shtiry stieny “not enough people in the at the conference. Secretary I market who have large dairy ex- “We often manage by disaster - j^ ry perience,” he said. “(They are) rather than by prevention,” he pretty tough to find.” said. , Also, the nature of milk Heat stress can be reduced by 1 demand has changed drastically proper east-west orientation of Equipment/ r _ raDS Dairv Manaaer Dairy Office Dairy Manager in 30 years. In 1970,40 percent - facilities. Cool the cow in Operations Manager Murmac I Manager Murmac II of the supply went to fluid milk summer with spray on their Manager M awn Pom Dove processing, and 20 percent to backs, blow air over them, and I -| — 1 1 . 1 ■ —■ cheese. Today, 29 percent goes evaporate the moisture. Use cur- 1 - 1 —11 I 11 ‘ ; ' ‘ ' to fluid milk markets and 49 tains in the winter to retain heat. Operations Milking u . Calf Nutrition Youngstock Nutrition u, rrtcm9 „ percent to cheese. Keep cows as comfortable as aw, Tom b Supervisors er C i!, ,nan Manager Specialist Manager Specialist S(in Smith did note, however, that possible and, many dairy experts Pom/Tom/Jemr 3 p * ffl Wie " Dqvq pm Kansas milk pricing is less than agree, cows will produce more I I I .. 1 I the Northeast. “I would like to milk. Maintenance Milkers Assis,anl Calving Milkers have the nice fluid market you “The number one pitfall is a P , m B Nolt , Herdsman Assistants Dove have here,” he said. lack of planning,” he said. “You Kem Tony Tommy sion.Ni c* need to take the time to establish Giiberto. Jorge Megon pm, Som In 1990, only 33 percent of the milk produced came from the West. Now it’s about 42 percent. Northeast producers make up about 18 percent of the nation’s a business plan.” The keys: worry more about managing people, inputs, infor mation, and capital, and you Tom Craig poin This appeared in tl ited out this Murmac Farms organizational chart at the coi the conference proceedings. >Bo#/cow 2S.ooMtfcow <l% HJMDay >52 inches >7so# >1250# <23 months <20% inference.
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