Dairy Tiestalls Boost Profit Potential For Some Producers
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
KUTZTOWN (Berks Co.)
Are tiestail barns obsolete?
Not at all, according to Galen
Kopp, Lebanon County dairy
agent. Many dairy producers in
the area have been relying on
their tiestail setups to give them
an edge in cow care and milk
production.
Kopp joined Dan McFarland,
extension ag engineer, and Clyde
Myers, Berks County extension
agent at a meeting here Thursday
to discuss how good tiestail de
sign can be used to get the most
from the milking herd. About 25
local farmers attended.
The top reasons some dairy
managers prefer tiestalls over a
freestall setup is that the tiestalls
allow more individual cow care,
observation, and feed monitoring,
McFarland said.
That can be a matter of indi
vidual management preference.
According to McFarland, the
main thing is that the facilities
“excite the caretaker” and result
in a well-kept herd.
While tiestalls tend to be more
I Pa. Ag Committee Sets
Hearing On Pooling Issues
DAVE LEFEVER
Lancaster Farming Staff
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The Pennsylvania Agri
culture and Rural Affairs Com
mittee will conduct a public hear
ing March 19 on the
establishment of an over-order
“pooling” rule for premiums paid
to dairy farmers for Class I (bev
erage) milk produced, processed,
and sold in Pennsylvania.
The pooling regulation, first
submitted last year by the Penn
sylvania Milk Marketing Board
(PMMB), would require 45 per
cent of the over-order premium
to be distributed among all Penn
sylvania dairy farmers.
The hearing was called by
Mike Waugh, chairman of the
Senate Agriculture and Rural Af-
We offer the following services for the most complete pest control
possible. Whether your need is to control pests, eliminate harmful
bacteria, or encourage beneficial insects, we have the tools to help you.
economical for smaller herds of
less than 80 cows, McFarland
noted a growing number of pro
ducers putting in tiestalls for
herd sizes of 80 to 200 cows.
A significant number of pro
ducers with tiestail facilities have
“very high production per cow,”
McFarland said. In his travels
throughout the area, however, he
has also seen a number of tiestail
operations that provided “sub
standard” attention to the cows.
Any animal housing arrange
ment needs to apply five basic
things, McFarland said, and tie
stalls are no exception. These ani
mal shelter “basics” are a clean,
dry, comfortable space; good ven
tilation; good feed access; good
water access, and sure footing.
McFarland outlined the com
ponents of good tiestail barn de
sign, including stall dimensions,
bedding, feed and water access,
and ventilation.
In many cases, older tiestall
barns can be modified to enhance
cow comfort and performance.
McFarland pointed out some
trends in tiestall systems. Natural
ventilation systems are becoming
fairs Committee.
“This issue has proven to be
quite contentious, divisive, and
complicated,” Waugh noted in a
statement. “As a result, and after
receiving questions from several
members, 1 am announcing a
public hearing to receive testimo
ny from the many affected par
ties on this issue.”
Several major milk coopera
tives in the state have weighed in
on different sides of the issue.
The House Agriculture and
Rural Affairs Comittee, chaired
by Raymond Bunt, will also par
ticipate in the hearing.
The hearing will take place at
the Toftrees Resort and Confer
ence Center in State College on
March 19 at 10 a.m.
C&M Farm Services^]
"Unique Farm Services”
Ml CLARK • Licensed & Insured
te: 717.361.6065 • Fax: 717.361.0867
'\: (noflies@paonline.com
• Fumigation
• GET READY FOR SPRING!
more popular in the area, and the
use of sand for bedding is on the
rise, he said.
As an inorganic substance,
sand has been noted for reducing
somatic cell counts and mastitis.
In addressing the all-important
topic of ventilation, McFarland
went back to the 19th century to
quote W.D. Hoard, founder of
Hoard’s Dairyman.
“We are rapidly coming to un
derstand that we have to furnish
pure air to our cows,” Hoard
pointed out in 1885.
Types of air-exchange in dairy
barns today include fan-driven
positive and negative pressure
systems and natural ventilation.
Natural ventilation relies on ad
justable sidewalls and ridge
stacks, and depends on the cows’
heat to move air out through
ridge venting.
McFarland said he doesn’t rec
ommend tunnel ventilation for
year-round use. In this system,
where air is drawn lengthwise
through the barn, air exchange is
too rapid for cold weather, he
said. Another drawback is that a
fan tends to lose its ability to pull
Keystone Farm Holstein Tops Convention Sale
BETHLEHEM (Northampton
Co.) A consignment by Key
stone Farm, Easton, topped the
Pennsylvania Holstein Conven
tion Sale here Feb. 20.
A first choice Morty or Cham
pion by Keystone Con Precious
sold for $10,300, highest bid at
the sale. Michael and Cynthia
Weimer, Emlenton, were the
buyers.
Second high-selling lot, at
$B,BOO, was a first choice Finley
by Miss Solid Gold LL Lash, con-
Elizabethtown * Pennsylvania
From left, Galen Kopp, Dan McFarland, Kevin Schlagel,
and Dave Kopfer discuss tiestail barns at a dairy meeting
Thursday.
air at distances of more than 75
feet.
An ideal ventilation system
provides fresh air to the cows on
a constant basis.
“The goal is to have air quality
inside equal the air quality out
side,” McFarland said.
McFarland quoted Robert
Graves, Penn State ag engineer,
in summing up the principle ot
complete air exchange.
“If it smells like a barn, it
needs better ventilation,” Graves
said.
signed by the Weimers and pur
chased by Sharon Gentile of Glen
Rock.
Peachey Lee Tina, consigned
by Tyler Peachey of Petersburg,
Act Quickly For Crop
Insurance Benefits
CAMP HILL (Cumberland
Co.) Pennsylvania is one of 15
states where farmers can signifi
cantly increase their crop insur
ance coverage without paying a
higher net premium, but produc
ers must sign-up by March IS,
according to Pennsylvania Farm
Bureau.
The “Targeted States Crop In
surance Financial Assistance
Program” offered by USDA’s
Risk Management Agency
(RMA) will provide the financial
Early Order Program - Save Big
On All Grain Equipment And
Dryers In March
Kopp noted the benefits that
some dairyman are seeing from
well-designed tiestall facilities.
One Lebanon County dairy
man saw his herd average jump
from about 19,000 pounds to
29,000 pounds over a 14-month
period after moving his herd
from freestalls to a new tiestall
barn. While other management
practices also contributed to the
production boost, the new tie
stalls were a major factor,
according to Kopp.
went for $7,000, third highest at
the sale. Tina Syndicate of
Harrisburg was the buyer.
The sale averaged $3,373 on 73
lots for a gross total of $246,200.
assistance to farmers in states
that have been underserved by
crop insurance.
“Crop insurance premiums
have just been discounted for
Pennsylvania farmers,” said Joel
Rotz, Pennsylvania Farm Bu
reau’s Director of National Legis
lative Program. “Farmers should
contact their crop insurance
agent immediately to take advan
tage of the new benefit.”