Patz Success Story
Producing Milk Efficiently With Automation
Dave Stencil (left) and his brother, Jerry, manage a 4,300 acre dairy operation in eastern Wisconsin near Denmark. Their father, Bob (center), started the farm with 100 acres.
Jerry and Dave Stencil emphasize homegrown forages and grains for top quality - yet economical - Total Mixed Rations.
The proof of their success is a rolling herd average of 24,976 pounds of milk for 700 cows.
Their crop acreage includes about 1800 acres of alfalfa, 1500 acres of corn, 600 acres of soybeans and 150 acres of wheat. Fifteen silos store nearly all the feed for 700 milk cows plus heifers. Thirteen silos are 25 x 90 and two silos are 20 x 70.
Patz belt conveyors and belt feeders deliver customized Total Mixed Rations to milking cows, dry cows and heifers.
"About the only feed we buy is a little meat and bone meal for bypass protein, some cotton seed for feeding during the first two weeks of the lactation, and waste pizza crusts," says Jerry.
On-farm roasting of their homegrown soybeans provides not only a high quality protein, but also the natural high energy soybean oil, point out the brothers.
Various Total Mixed Rations are fed once a day. Patz belt conveyors move the feed to a TMR feed mixer and to Patz belt feeders. The convenient push-button feeding system is especially appreciated on rainy days and during cold winter weather.
One person works alone in a double 12 parlor to milk the large herd.
For crop production, feeding, milking and manure handling, the proper equipment is essential for minimizing labor costs on this efficient dairy operation.
A Patz belt conveyor moves solids from a separator to a loading area. The solids are recycled as bedding.
Patz alley scrapers clean the three free stall barns with automatic and continuous operation.
The Patz equipment installation and service work is done by Randy Vanden Plas (Spartan Construction, Inc., Luxemburg, Wisconsin).