Clean Cows (Continued from Page 12) “There are no magic bullets” when it comes to making clean milk, Jeff said. Cow and udder cleanli ness is the most obvious practice. “Keep those udders and teats clean,” he said. Thor ough handwashing, and pre- and post-milking dips are the main parts of that program. With a background in nutrition, Jeff keeps a close eye on the TMR and on the cow’s eating habits. A recent count of the milking string showed that all but five percent of the herd were chewing their cud at that time, he said. At the time of this interview, none of the cows had had a displaced abomasum for more than a year. The cows are let outside to eat at the bunkfeeder every morning and, in the summertime, graze during the night. The Hostetters installed a new manure concrete liquid manure storage tank two years ago. The system holds more than a half year’s worth of slurry, allowing some room for herd expansion. The Hostetters grow about 100 acres of corn and 60 acres of alfalfa for the TMR they mix on the farm. The rolling herd average at the end of 2001 was 23,700 pounds of milk, 858 pounds of fat, and 691 of protein. C^m.citvtc $ IC C- ut C.t o I H.E. HEINDEL & SONS Brogue, PA 272 COW FREESTALL BARN 124’ x 240’ x 12’ Robotic Milking Center Custom Builders of Dairy, Horse, Storage, Residential & Commercial Buildings (Turn to Page 16) Featuring TRIPLE H Construction 430 Springville Road, Ephrata, PA 17522 717-738-2142 • 1-(800)-874-7531 • 1-(800)-TRIPLE-1 Website: TripleHConst.com Jeff Hostetter, left, discusses breeding option: with Sire Power technician Rick Krall. We at TRIPLE H Construction believe our experience with agricultural projects ensures our fulfillment of your needs. In an agricultural application, we are the one company you can absolutely trust to handle every step of construction. Give Us A Call! We would be pleased to show some of our completed facilities
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