Manure Handling Systems Success Story
Popular Door County Dairy - Good Steward, Good Neighbor!
The Schopf family farm was one of the first dairy farms in Door County to have a milking parlor and they continue to be a leader in farming technology today.
The farm was founded in Carlsville, Wisconsin in the late 1800's, but it wasn't until the 1980's that Dennis and Roxanne established Schopf's Hilltop Dairy. Since then, the farm has grown from 50 cows to a 575 cow dairy and now has a country store, educational tours and classroom, a viewing room for visitors to watch the milking process, a complete onsite ice cream processing center, and his and her employee locker rooms complete with showers and employee lunch room.
Door County is a popular tourism destination because of its natural scenic beauty, rolling landscapes and quaint shops. The Schopfs have made a positive impact in their community by educating the public about farming practices, promoting the dairy industry and contributing to the local economy. This is a great accomplishment nowadays when large dairy farms can often be viewed negatively by non-farming neighbors and city dwellers due to the smells and fears of manure runoff contaminating water supplies.
Manure handling is no small matter for a farm like Hilltop Dairy with a total herd size of over 800 cows. Dennis and his brother Steve Schopf have put their trust in Patz for handling the 25,000 gallons of manure pumped out of their barns each day.
"We've been very satisfied with our (Patz) dealer so far and the price was competitive with other brands," said Dennis.
Hilltop uses two Patz Model 4444 Pit Pumps to transfer manure from their larger barn to a storage tank. They decided to install a Patz barn cleaner and a Patz Model 1512 Manure Pump in their smaller, 15-year-old barn soon after they remodeled it. The Schopfs specified using Patz on this job based on the performance of the other Patz pumps and their experience with their Patz dealer, L&L Sales & Service, Inc. in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.
"We trust what they do and like working with (L&L service technician) Frank," said Steve, adding "Good service and our trust in the dealership played a major role in deciding to purchase more Patz equipment."
The Schopf's smaller barn includes a Patz Model 400 Barn Cleaner and the Model 1512 Manure Pump. The manure is pumped 520 feet to a reception pit located in the larger barn. From there, the "twin" 4444 pumps agitate and pump the manure about 2100 feet downhill to the storage tank.
In addition to Patz manure handling equipment, the Schopfs also rely on their Patz Model 2405 Belt Conveyor and Model 8916 Belt Feeder to simplify feeding in their conventional barn. They have recently purchased two additional 8916 feeders to replace the last two competitive brands that were operating.
Dennis and Steve both agree that time savings is the biggest benefit of installing their Patz equipment. "Time is money," says Steve. "We can put our hired help to better use...(the Patz) takes one man off the job to do something else."
Photo courtesy of www.dairyview.com.
Learn more about Schopf's Hilltop Dairy -- visit dairyview.com or stop in for a tour the next time you are in Door County!
That's great for Schopf's Hilltop Dairy because there is definitely a lot of work to keep their staff busy. As if operating a dairy farm, country store and hosting numerous school and public tours wasn't enough throughout the year, the Schopf's summer and fall are peak tourism seasons in Door County. Their annual corn maze is a huge attraction for visitors, providing "miles of fun" with the help of GPS mapping and computerized corn maze cutting. The corn maze becomes "haunted" in October and the Schopfs have helped out local charitable organizations by donating a portion of the proceeds.
To see pictures of the Schopf's corn mazes or to learn more about this dairy, visit www.dairyview.com.
Are you interested in updating your farm for more automation and efficient manure and feed handling like Schopf's Hilltop Dairy? Contact your local Patz dealer for ideas and suggestions based on your specific needs.