An electron scale installed under neath the mixer instructs the loader operator as to how much of each ingredent is needed.
Week 5
A busy schedule has distracted me from blogging but alas the time has come for an update on the activities here in Texas. The past few weeks have been filled with an abundance of fun activities.
The cost of feed composes approximately 50% of a Dairy Farms costs. Additionally nutrition is essential to the growth, health and production of the cows so essential to profitability. As a result the production and processing of the cattle’s feed are very important activities within the dairy. I spent two days feeding the cattle on the farm with many different rations throughout the herd. Feed ingredients include homegrown silages and hays as well as purchased products such as Dried Distillers Grains (byproduct of ethanol production) and various minerals necessary for adequate cow health. Through these two days I fed over half a million pounds of feed for nearly 7,000 animals including heifers, and milking and dry cows.
Unloading a mixture of alfalfa, corn and wheat silage into the feed bunks. Max capacity of feed truck 30,000 libs.
Also essential for operation on such a large farm is organization and documentation. Overt the past weeks I have been working to integrated some additional technology, utilizing RFID ear tags, to electronically document events such as pregnancies, freshenings, sicknesses and deaths. This information is later used to analyze the status of the dairy, an impossible task without the help of modern technology.