Patz Equipment Success Story
Both Holsteins and Jerseys rank #1 at Milk 'N' More Farms!
Patz dealer Gary Raymakers (left) and Ron Wussow.
Ron & Nicolle Wussow of Milk 'n' More Farms in Cecil, WI, have been ranked #1 in Wisconsin* for their Jersey herd as well as their Holstein herd. Their 112-head herd includes 27 Jerseys and 85 Holsteins. Nicolle credits their excellent employees and family members for helping to keep the cows producing at the high levels.
According to Ron, their 2 full-time and 3 part-time employees stay busy all year with the dairy and their custom harvesting business, especially during the summer and fall harvest season. In addition, the Wussows children Kaila, 10, and Colin, 7, help out with chores along with both Nicolle's and Ron's parents.
Nicolle is the 4th generation to farm on her family's 110-year-old, Century Farm. When she and Ron took over the dairy business from her parents in 1999, the barn had only 54 stalls in it. As the herd increased in size, the extra animals were housed in a bedded pack barn and were rotated into the stalls for milking.
Since they were on a 3X milking routine, this was labor intensive and also made it difficult to keep the cows clean and healthy. The Wussows knew that they wanted a better housing system for their growing herd and considered various alternatives including a freestall barn as opposed to simply adding more tie stalls.
After extensive research and consulting with their dealer, Raymakers Inc., they settled on extending their existing tie stall barn, bringing total stalls to the current 109. One of the main factors in their decision was the ability to continue to give "one on one" attention to their animals, which is critical in maintaining their outstanding production. It also makes it easier to display their cattle to prospective buyers of either their cattle or their embryos.
As part of the expansion, the Wussows purchased a Patz Model 1512 Manure Pump and a Patz Model 400 Gutter Cleaner with 485 feet of Patz Gutter Cleaner Chain. They have enjoyed the reliability of their Patz manure handling equipment.
Top producing cows require a top-notch ration. Ron and Nicolle feed their cows very high quality forages and began adding wheat straw to provide effective fiber to their ration. They purchased a Patz Model 800 Vertical Mixer to process the straw sufficiently so the cows couldn't sort the ration.
"The Model 800 processes the straw with ease and has virtually eliminated sorting," said Ron, "which has led to better herd health as well as increased production."
The Wussows mix up a single group TMR two times per day and feed the cows five times per day with feed carts. Refusals are cleaned up once per day.
Herd health and production have increased due to the better mix provided by their Patz Model 800 Vertical Mixer. The total herd is averaging over 100 lbs/day, with the Jerseys at 85-90 and the Holsteins at 110-120 lbs/day respectively.
Whole herd fat test increased from 3.5 to 3.8 and protein went from 2.85 to 3.0. These increases were attributed mainly to the better quality mix - especially the proper processing and incorporation of the wheat straw.
The Wussows are very happy with Raymakers Inc.'s service and also appreciate Gary's help and input in planning the barn addition.
"Gary, Ellen, Paul, Brian, Travis, and Bryan all helped out and do a great job," said Nicolle. "They also provide a loaner mixer if it is ever needed."
According to the Wussows, all of their Patz equipment has been very reliable keeping downtime to a minimum. And their addition has proven to be such a success that they wish they would have done it sooner.