Patz Success Story
For Feed and Manure Handling Malecha Brothers Trust Patz!
Brothers Don & Jim Malecha of Northfield, Minnesota, have two very similar farming operations. Both milk 100 cows and have tie stall facilities. Both raise their own heifers and Don feeds steers. And if you took a walk around either of their farms, it would appear that both Malechas love the color blue - Patz blue, that is.
It's difficult to imagine what life would be like without Patz for the Malechas. Between their two dairy farms, Don and Jim own over 30 Patz units including mixers, conveyors, feeders, silo unloaders and barn cleaners.
When asked which piece of Patz equipment he would least likely want to do without, Don replied, "It would be hard to be without the feeding system or the mixers. The in-barn feeders are very helpful and save us a lot of time." Don adds, "The mixers are a very easy way to feed cattle and to get them to eat what they need."
Don's collection of Patz equipment includes two Model 8912 feeders that are over 220 feet long; a Model 4000 380 cubic foot stationary TMR; one Model 8916 belt conveyor; one Model 262 and four Model 162 conveyors; one Model 1512 manure pump; a Model 400 barn cleaner with nearly 500 feet of chain; four Model 98B silo unloaders; and one Model 1000 500 cubic foot mixer.
Jim has an impressive assortment of Patz equipment as well, including four Model 8912 feeders with two of them over 220 feet; one Model 9100 290 cubic foot mixer; one Model 8916 and one Model 8912 conveyors; two Model 162 and two Model 262 conveyors; six Model 98B silo unloaders; and two Model 400 barn cleaners with one of them nearly 500 feet.
The brothers are not only impressed with their Patz equipment, they are also impressed with their local Patz dealer, John Story of Story Sales and Service, Inc., in Faribault, Minnesota.
"We like the parts availability, the service and equipment," says Jim.
"We have a good dealer with good equipment," adds Don. "We call it the John Deere of feeding equipment. Dennis Drentlaw and Rick Story are the best guys you could work with."
When it comes to the reliability of Patz equipment and their Patz dealer, the Malechas are in total agreement. But as is often the case with siblings, these brothers disagree about at least one thing.
Don, 38, and Jim, 34, both claim to have been milking cows all of their lives and each brother claims to have been milking longer than the other. We can't be sure which one is right, but we can be sure that they both rely on Patz to save time and labor on their farms.
And this leaves more time for them to spend with their families. Jim and Jennifer Malecha have two children, Michael, 6, and Matthew, 3. Don and Kerry Malecha have six children - triplets Andrew, Austin and Ashlynn are 9; Abbie, 7; Emily, 5; and a 20-month-old son, Evan.