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Mitch Breunig of Mystic Valley Dairy, LLC in Sauk City, Wisconsin, raises 225 calves each year for the 430-cow operation. About 180 of the herd is raised by a heifer grower from age 7 months to about 60 days before calving.
Keeping tabs on weights and the growth of the animals has always been an important part of calf rearing on the operation, though the method wasn’t always consistent.
Transitioning to an automatic milking system can often be challenging in terms of feeding from the start, and feeding may require more time and effort than a conventional system at certain stages.
The automatic milking system is basically a computer feeder that milks cows. If you do not understand, adapt to or believe in this system, your success rate will be limited and you will certainly be frustrated.
The shift from conventional to automatic milking systems is one of the biggest decisions a producer can make. Many questions and concerns that come with this decision relate to the dairy’s feed management. Read on for real robot nutrition experience and the best approach to ensure success before, during and after startup in an automatic milking system.
For herds milked with robotics, the secrets to success may be in the palatability and quality of the pellets fed in the milking station and the consistent delivery of the remainder of the ration.
Jim Salfer discussed how robotic milking dairies are feeding their cows during his presentation at the Four-State Dairy Nutrition and Management Conference held this summer in Dubuque, Iowa.
If you are considering switching to robotic milking, you’re entering a period of very active decision-making for your business.
This is an important time to bring together your entire dairy management team.
A new daughter-in-law asked, “How long do you have to be married before you get to be family?” This powerful question is part of Jolene Brown’s book “Sometimes You Need More Than a 2 x 4! How-to tips to successfully grow a family business.”
My last few articles have been about marriage and how it is important in the beginning to “burn the boats” as Hernán Cortés did in the early 1500s. He did not leave his men with any possible escape. They must take the Aztec city that was filled with treasure and return in the boats of the enemy or die trying.
If the word “accident” is used with something that has happened on the road or freeway, then some kind of crash or collision is generally part of the incident.
Just for kicks, let’s dissect the events leading up to a recent crash/collision and see if the term “accident” really applies. For this discussion, I won’t even identify the location.
This last summer, we had a family move in here unexpectedly. They never asked us if they could come and live here or not. They just set up their home out by my silos. One day, Joshua was mowing the grass out there, and he spotted four of them.
CRI has awarded five high school seniors with $750 college scholarships. The scholarship recipients include Taylor Behnke of New Glarus, Wisconsin; Klay Oland of Sheldon, North Dakota; Emily Daniel of Tiffin, Ohio; Clint Dallas of Shawano, Wisconsin; and Dustin Salter of Eden, Wisconsin.
