Model 400 Stationary Vertical Feed Mixer Success Story
"Our mixer run time is less than half of our old mixer!"
Daryl & Karen O'Hearn, own and operate their family's dairy in Cato, WI. The family farm has been in operation for almost a century!
Ninety years ago, the Korinek family established a dairy farm in Cato, WI, and nearly a century later, the farm remains in the family. Daryl and Karen O’Hearn (formerly Karen Korinek) have operated this family-owned farm since they were married twenty-one years ago.
Daryl and Karen had been using a brand "x" reel mixer to feed their herd of 110 milking cows and 130 heifers. In 2008, the O’Hearns were called upon by Roger Liebergen, sales consultant from their local Patz dealer, L & L Sales & Service, Inc. of Kaukauna, WI. Roger presented ideas for updating and improving their feeding method. With guidance from L & L, Daryl & Karen replaced their old mixer with a 240 cu. ft. Patz Model 400 Stationary Vertical Mixer and have experienced impressive results over the past two years.
When the O’Hearns informed L & L that they would require a unique installation to meet their feeding needs, L & L was up for the challenge. With the setup L &L installed, the Patz mixer is located upstairs in the hay mow, and there is an electric door opener to allow control from below. The feed is then discharged through the floor onto a belt feeder or into feed carts. According to Daryl, "They (L & L) did a great job on the installation. They installed the unit in one day, which was important. We liked the experienced crew and the way they customized the installation."
Daryl is shown with Roger Liebergen, sales consultant of L & L Sales & Service, Inc., who was instrumental in customizing the mixer installation to update and improve the O'Hearns' feeding methods.
Since replacing their old mixer, Daryl and Karen continue to reap the benefits of feeding a high-quality ration. “The Patz mixes fast and thoroughly. It does a great job on hay, and has excellent clean-out,” Daryl reported. The O’Hearn herd is also happy with the palatable, thoroughly mixed ration they now chow down. Daryl reported that herd health has improved and DAs have decreased since they began mixing with their Patz mixer. Plus, production has increased by two pounds per cow! Their current rolling herd average is 25,000 M, 3.7 F, and 3.2 P.
The benefits don’t stop there. Daryl remarked, “We’ve noticed a savings on our electric bill with our new mixer. Our Patz doesn’t need to run during filling and it mixes fast afterwards, cutting our mixer run time to less than half of our old mixer,” Daryl remarked. In addition to energy savings, the fast mixing speed decreases time and labor, a goal that all farmers strive for.
In the case of a mixer breakdown, downtime can take a major toll on herd health and production. Fortunately, the O’Hearns know that they can count on their Patz for reliability and durability. As Daryl stated, “This (decreased run time) should mean less wear and tear on the mixer, leading to longer life and less downtime.”
With all of these savings, the O’Hearns expect their payback period to be less than four years. So, it’s no surprise that they wouldn’t change anything about their decision to switch to a Patz Model 400 Stationary Vertical Mixer.