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Wisconsin cheesers, we need to know..

Started by chain, January 29, 2014, 06:05:25 PM

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chain

I know you folks have had extreme winter weather, looks as if you will get much, much, more. So what about the diary cows?

Does this extreme cold weather cut milk production ?

What does it cost to maintain a milk cow in this weather?


red oaks lumber

most milk cows are kept indoors, temps usally hoover in the upper 30's low 40's .the hot days of summer cut milk production some.
the experts think i do things wrong
over 18 million b.f. processed and 7341 happy customers i disagree

martyinmi

We milk 1400 head here in Mi. It's been quite a bit colder than normal this year, but the "girls" don't seem to mind. Our rolling herd average is typically real close to 90lbs/cow, and it will sometimes drop off a pound or two an severely cold weather. Cattle are a very hardy animal. The barns are as much for people comfort as they are for bovine comfort. It's usually about 5 or 10 degrees warmer in the barns. in fact, I believe We've only had one day in the last 30 where it was over 30* in one of our barns.
In the summer it's not uncommon to drop 5-10 lbs if we have a 2 or 3 week run of 95 - 100* weather. The heat really stresses them out.
I spent 11 hours today un-thawing waterers and bypassing a frozen underground line that feeds our sick cow parlor. We had to run 300' of 3/4 inch black plastic through rafters from one parlor to the other. Guess who had his old 52 year old 230 lb butt up in the rafters swinging like a disabled monkey. >:(

I-as a rule- love winter. I like hunting, ice fishing, cutting wood, sledding,etc. I-as a rule- do not care for summer, as I hate anything over 80*.
I've gotta say that after the last 45 days of trying to keep waterers running, farm equipment repaired, manure pumps pumping, tractors running, hydraulic lines repaired on loaders, etc.,etc.,ETC., I am SOOoooo ready for spring!
I'm guessing that we'll have at least another 4-6 weeks of severe weather.
As I said earlier, the frigid temperatures and high winds don't bother the girls much, but they are really starting to wear me down!
No God, No Peace
Know God, Know Peace!

thecfarm

1400 head!!! Are you one of them that milk 24 hours?? Have a circular milking parlor?
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

martyinmi

No, we aren't anywhere near that big.
We have a double 25 parlor and we milk 3 times a day. It takes about 6 1/2 hours to milk each shift.
Still a lot of animals to care  for. For every milk cow on a farm there is another heifer coming up in the ranks to eventually replace her.
We got adding up numbers a month or so ago and we came up with roughly 2700 animals.
That, my friend, is a lot of poop generators! :D
No God, No Peace
Know God, Know Peace!

Den Socling

Did you see in the news yesterday about a herd of methane producers in Europe? It might have been Germany. Anyway, methane accumulated in a barn and a spark set it off. The explosion damaged the roof. And burned one cow.  :o

r.man

I expect one of the teenage cows lit a match, probably on a dare and probably behind a neighbour. Ruminants.
Life is too short or my list is too long, not sure which. Dec 2014

beenthere

Ventilation is important in a herd of cows in confinement, for the methane if the confinement isn't kept clean, as well as for high humidity.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

chain

Interesting about the 1400 cow herd, we thought cold weather cut 'em down somewhat in milk production. Next question, we've understood cottonseed is one of the major rations for milk cows, if it is, is the raw seed direct from cotton-gins or must the seed be processed in some manner before feeding milk cows?

Gary_C

Yes, cottonseed is one very good ingredient in milk cow rations and it comes straight from the cotton gins. It's an excellent source of protein, fat, and fiber. At one time, you could also buy it delinted, but I don't know if they do that anymore.

It's somewhat hard to deal with because it does not flow well in automated systems. It has to be a lesser ingredient to flow thru an auger.
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Red Good

Wow  that's a bunch of cows . How much land does it take to make it all  work ? Hope you get a break in your weather soon . Red 
Stihl 211C saw
Massey 135 deisel tractor with a front loader
Can Am 800 max quad
2001 Chev S10 pick me up
Home made log arch

Roxie

Quote from: r.man on January 29, 2014, 09:38:18 PM
I expect one of the teenage cows lit a match, probably on a dare and probably behind a neighbour. Ruminants.

:D :D :D :D
Say when

Jason_AliceMae Farms

Den - you are right it was out of Berlin. 

Watching over 90 acres of the earth with 50 acres being forest.

Someday I would like to be able to say that I left thes 90 acres healthier than when I started watching over them.

clww

No joke, that same article was posted on GasBuddy.com.
Fairly ironic now that I think about it.
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

thecfarm

Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

ND rancher

I almost got lonesome reading martyinmi's post!(not) Been 14 years since I quit milking 70 cows year round!
TimberKing B-20.  Have been bitten by the bug! Loving life !

sandhills

Quote from: ND rancher on January 30, 2014, 09:00:52 AM
I almost got lonesome reading martyinmi's post!(not) Been 14 years since I quit milking 70 cows year round!
I was thinking the same, used to milk for a neighbor or two and I almost miss it  :D.  Really not bad work but it sure ties you down, martyinmi, I can't even fathom 1400 head of those high maintence machines around!

martyinmi

1400 head is actually considered an average sized herd in our area. Within a 50 mile radius there are many herds in excess of 3000, quite a few over 4000, and a few that milk over 6000(not all at one location).
A few of the larger dairies are going to carousals when they expand. There is one being built about 30 miles Northwest of us that handles 96(I think that that was the number I was told) cows at once. It'll be one of the larger ones in the US. I think the largest one is in Texas or Florida, and it can handle about 110.
We farm about 2600 acres. We plant 1200 or 1300 acres of corn, 900 to 1200 acres of hay, and the remainder in wheat, all depending on what carryover we have from the previous year.
We weigh every load that gets chopped. We process about 20000 - 22000 tons of corn silage and between 8000 and 15000 tons of hay.

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. It's been a hectic week! Only one waterer out of close to 50 that I can't get thawed. We'll get it tomorrow!

I hope I don't come across as being winey. I am one who gets up in the morning and looks forward to going to work almost every day. 8)
No God, No Peace
Know God, Know Peace!

Red Good

Hence the term Dairy State . Not whiny at all . Thanks for the responce kinda neat to look into other things people do for a living . Red
Stihl 211C saw
Massey 135 deisel tractor with a front loader
Can Am 800 max quad
2001 Chev S10 pick me up
Home made log arch

sandhills

No apology required whatsoever, I know the life!  makes my stock cows look better and better all the time  :).  I don't know what you have for a milk barn but I regularly worked swinging 5 milkers with weigh jars in a herringbone, not what you'd do 1400 head with by any means  :D, we averaged 110 head basically.   I also helped out a guy a few times where it was a double 12 and 300+ free stall barn, milked 50 some cows through it but that's a long story, took longer to get set up and clean up than it did to milk  ::)

chain

Had to bump this thread up....to tell about a really 'feel good' story in this month's[February] "The Furrow "magazine. Success in a very small diary out in Utah,  specializing in cheese. Some historical value attracted the couple as well as a strong interest in animal husbandry......Work hard at what you love and do your best!

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