Model 1100 Single Screw TMR Vertical Feed Mixer Success Story
Patz Model 1100 Vertical Mixer: "It's almost a miracle machine..."
"It's almost a miracle machine and I'm thrilled with it," says Carl Hunter of Sunnyhill Acres in Northfield, Minnesota, about his 420 cubic foot vertical mixer from Patz. "I save more than $500 per month in feed costs, which is more than the payment on the mixer."
A former dairyman who raised registered Holsteins and had a top rated herd, Carl changed his operation nine years ago to raising heifers. These heifers range from 400 to 1000 lbs. when he brings them in and their condition can sometimes be poor. Carl's challenge is to put the proper condition on them as quickly as possible and to control the cost of his ration. Sunnyhill Acres tried several competitive mixers over the years but the results proved costly.
"We had a four auger [Patz competitor] mixer, and it would only mix a corn silage ration. This is an expensive ration and the heifers would get too fat on it," says Carl. "We had to feed the hay in a feeder and the heifers would waste 1/2 of it and they wouldn't eat any of the poorer quality hay."
Frustrated by the wasted feed and additional labor of cleaning the feed bunks, Carl experimented with different types of mixers.
"I tried both a single and a twin screw [Patz competitor]," says Carl. "They wouldn't process the hay as fast or as well and the ration wasn't mixed. The twin screw would have a dead spot and I would watch the ration and wonder if it would ever move."
Story Sales and Service Inc. in Faribault, Minnesota, is Carl's local Patz dealer. Owner John Story had talked with Carl about the consistent mixing and proven performance of Patz vertical mixers, but Carl wasn't immediately convinced that a Patz was going to be any better than the other mixers he had tried.
"John told me all about the Patz, but I went and talked to another dairyman who was using sweet corn silage in his Patz," says Carl. "He just loved it. This is a very difficult ration, but everything John said was right."
Carl switched to the Patz Model 1100 TMR Vertical Feed Mixer and can't believe the difference it has made in his operation.
"I am amazed by what I can feed now and the condition of the heifers," says Carl. "They like the ration and can't sort through it. I don't have to clean the bunks," he adds.
With the 420 LP their ration is 2,200 lbs. of hay, 2,000 lbs. of silage, 300 lbs. of minerals and protein and 5,000 lbs. of sweet corn silage. The sweet corn silage is a cannery waste and Sunnyhill Acres gets it for the cost of hauling. According to Carl, this ration has reduced 75% of his corn silage cost and he is now able to use round bales.
The versatility of his Patz vertical mixer has brightened up the future for Sunnyhill Acres. Carl has reduced his feed costs by eliminating waste, improved the health of his herd, and gained peace of mind knowing that the Patz can handle his current ration and future rations should his needs ever change.
"I can use high moisture bales now and will try pea waste and barley hulls later," states Carl. "I can use more of my own feed and won't have to hire someone to put up my hay. We can put anything the Patz and I don't have to worry about it."
Carl sums things up by saying, "The condition on the cattle is perfect on a cheaper ration and I don't have waste."