Loading...
The Rural Voice, 1998-05, Page 36n• • Electric Openers • Strip Curtains • Dock Bumpers • Vinyl Windows SALES AND SERVICE I• Steel Overhead Doors • Wood Overhead Doors • Polycarbonate Overhead Doors 1 OVERHEAD DOOR FACTORY OUTLET Ideal For Driving Sheds And Workshops fr FOR FIBERGLASS AND ALUMINUM DOORS — for all your door needs, see us first for expert advice and the highest quality materials. FREE ESTIMATES CaII: Andy Stinnissen for details EASY LIFT 515 James St., S. 1-800-667-3845 DOORS LTD ST. MARYS, ONT., FAX 349-2144 Door Weather Stripping • Overhead Door Hardware • Garage Doors (All Types) Ask Us About Concrete Milling .. . 4X as good 2X as fast 1/2 of the cost of grooving Call Tom Woodall 1%OODKIN AG1LI -SYS'I'FMS INC. R.R. #5, Woodstock 519-539-7550 32 THE RURAL VOICE Thornbury. Kleinschmidt designed a new ration that makes use of the their own corn silage, second cut haylage, apple pomace, corn screenings (mostly cracked corn), distillers grains, some of their own barley, a supplement to balance the ration and a small amount of dry hay to balance the wet pomace. The result "has worked fantastic," Fisher says. Kleinschmidt designed different rations for the high producing and lower producing groups which are kept on opposite sides of the barn. The milk production began not just to recover, but reach new heights. Now with the extra cows, his old milk tank, which he'd brought from the other barn with the expectation it would be large enough for another year or so, was too small and a new tank had to be installed. Now they had to go buy quota for another 15 cows. They are now actually feeding fewer cows and keeping their feed costs about the same as before. Kleinschmidt has since designed another ration to take their high producing cows to the next level. And so, life has finally settled into something of a pattern for the Fishers. "Everybody says you've got to go through a year or two to get things working and if it keeps going as good I'll be very happy." Alan and Tom share the chores, one milking and one feeding. With the convenience of the new barn, the work with the milking herd can be accomplished quickly and the biggest amount of work is still in the old barn, looking after the dry cows and calves. The TMR is heaven compared to the old barn where they were feeding grain three and four times a day, Fisher says. Now they feed once a day. They mix one TMR load for each group of the high performing and lower performing cattle. The natural ventilation with the warmer weather makes the barn "just beautiful" with the curtains down, he says. The old barn was warmer in winter and he could work in his shirtsleeves but it wasn't good for the cows, he says. The new bam is kept at 45-50 degrees F. Despite the fact he didn't want to