The Rural Voice, 2000-05, Page 36(ALmAR)
L J M Crop Care
Crop Spraying
Crop Consulting
Spra-Coupe
Truck Sprayer
Licenced by Ministry of Environment
Lloyd McGillivray 353-5449
Paisley, Ontario
email: cynthialloyd@bmts.com
TOP DRY
HOW DOES THE
G. S. I. SYSTEM WORK?
1) Grain is loaded into the upper chamber
of the bin, and dried as a batch
2) When the grain is dry, the burner
automatically shuts off
3) The operator lowers the dump chutes
with a winch, and the grain falls to the
lower part of the bin for cooling/storage
4) The dump chutes are cranked closed
and another batch is loading into the
drying chamber
WHY IS A TOP DRY A BETTER INVESTMENT
THAN A STIRRING MACHINE?
1) LOWER OPERATING COSTS
* Uses much less fuel because it recycles cooling air through
the drying zone
' No gear boxes, motors, or bearings inside the bin
• 100% galvanized construction inside and outside
2) FASTER DRYING
• 2 to 3 times faster per horsepower than a stirring machine
because of lower grain depth (30")
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR A FREE ESTIMATE, CALL TODAY
131 Thames Rd. W.
GRAIN SYSTEMS LTD.
(519)235-1919 / Fax: (519) 235-2562
Exeter, Ontario NOM 1 S3 Visit our website: www.almar.on.ca
32 THE RURAL VOICE
checks costs about $ I00 every two
weeks. Johnston estimates there will
be even greater changes to larger
farmers and herds in the next few
years, judging from their calls.
Prevention means checking on
your farming practices such as
keeping pens clean and dry, feed and
water contamination -free, minimizing
stress such as moving pens, and
separating older animals from
younger ones.
One cheap, easy way to ensure
herd health is to look for and count
abrasions on cow hocks and calculate
a percentage of the herd. Also a
cow's behaviour is an important
health check. If a cow isn't standing
and eating, they should be lying
down and chewing their cud, getting
ready to give up milk.
Early signs of health problems in
cows include standing by themselves
rather than in a group, if they don't
approach the milking parlour quickly
and are slow to get up. A cow being
off feed is not as noticeable in free -
stall pens where all milking cows get
the same feed, so the key in early
Pneumonia is a problem
for calves inside a barn
•
detection is how alert they appear.
When animals are sick it is best to
isolate them to prevent disease from
spreading.
For isolation, having extra smaller
pens works well with free -stall barns.
Studies suggest animals are healthier
if they're not confined in tight pens.
Calves are healthiest separated
from cows into outdoor hutches for
maximum fresh air, but separation is
a painful practice Ingrid notes is
easier said than done. Pneumonia
inside a barn is a big problem with
calves where usually the whole group
is treated with medication if
pneumonia is observed.
Special attention for the dry cow
will prevent health concerns. Vets
suggest feeding hay low in
potassium, a result of different
fertilization for a specific hay crop
for dry cows. Also, selenium and
vitamin E supplements help protect
against mastitis.
Other tips for care of the dry cow
during the first two weeks of the dry
ft