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
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