The Rural Voice, 2019-05, Page 31 “We hope the SomaDetect will
help us save on veterinary costs,
labour time, and lost days from not
knowing if a cow is pregnant or not”,
says Lorenz.
So far, Lorenz is more than
pleased with the barn. Milk
production dipped only slightly
over the move and has now increased
by one litre per cow with a 4.15 to
4.35 butterfat percentage. Lorenz is
planning to change the ration to focus
more on milk yield. Though it was a
long and stressful build given the
weather conditions this past fall and
winter, the bulk of the work is done.
The office, chemical storage and
employees’ room need to be finished
as do the lanes around the barns. It’s
still pretty mucky. Also, Lorenz has
plans to create a pasture on the road
side of the barn for the dry cows.
“I love cows. I love to see them
outside when I drive by,” he said.
Once the number-crunching was
done and the courage was found to
take on the financial risks of a large
expansion, Lorenz became excited
about the challenge of becoming a
large-farm operator. On a practical
level, he enjoys the efficiency of the
new build and says it’s just more
enjoyable to work in. He’s excited
that it situates the family for both
modest or aggressive growth.
“The cows like it better and I
enjoy it too. I don’t want to ever milk
1,000 cows but I don’t want to stop
growing either,” says Lorenz. ◊
Lorenz Guntensperger
chose tunnel ventilation
for the new 330-stall
dairy barn at
Gunternsperger Dairy
near Seaforth. Fans have
been running at 40 per
cent capacity since the
cows moved in during the
month of March. The
system is controlled by
computerized dashboard
(middle photo) and keeps
the cows cool all year
around, while also
minimizing flies because
of the negative pressure
inside the barn.
May 2019 27
A Complete Tu
Providing Inn
Congrats to Gun
519-666-1404 | www.da
rnkey DLS Project
ntensperger Dairy!
snovative Solutions for Progressive Dairies
airylane.ca | Komoka, ON