Good things in smaller packages

A relatively small dairy farm with fewer than 100 cows was the norm not long ago, and it’s working today on Becky and Dave Troop’s farm in Cochranville, PA.

Becky grew up on a dairy not far from where she and Dave are farming now. Cows were housed in a tie-stall barn that wasn’t much different than the barn she’s milking in today. Becky said Dave’s father Harry always kept a herd of quality registered Holsteins, and while she enjoyed exhibiting dairy cattle locally, she didn’t become heavily involved with showing.

With Harry’s encouragement, Becky attended dairy meetings to learn all she could as the industry progressed. In addition to learning from industry speakers, Becky found that she gained a lot of practical knowledge from fellow dairy farmers around the table.

The Troop milking herd currently numbers 80 with calves and replacement heifers raised on the farm. A young man with interest and experience in dairy farming will soon be adding his own cattle to the barn and building the herd to the barn’s 95-cow capacity.

“He’s going to bring his cows,” said Becky, adding that they’re forming a modified partnership. “I will sell some of my cows but still keep some here.”

Another young person, Sarah Pate, is interested in the dairy industry and has been working on the farm six days a week for a little over a year. Becky described Sarah as an animal lover and excellent worker. Sarah purchased a young heifer at a local sale and has two more cows in the barn as she works to build her own herd.

The herd is predominantly Holstein, with some Brown Swiss owned by the Troops’ granddaughter. Several 4-H’ers who have dairy breeding projects are fortunate to have their lactating Ayrshires housed on the Troop farm. With outside animals coming onto the farm, everyone involved is committed to observing strict biosecurity.

Becky said that with a relatively small herd, it’s much easier to keep an eye on individual animals and provide personalized attention. One recent example is a first calf heifer that had a large calf, resulting in the heifer having a pinched nerve. Becky said it’s easy to observe the heifer frequently because the box stalls are at one end of the milking barn and people pass that area throughout the day.

Harry Troop was devoted to developing and maintaining a closed, registered herd, and Becky is working to uphold his standards. Harry was especially instrumental in helping her learn how to select bulls for the herd. As Becky learned more about bull selection, some of the AI techs who had been breeding cows on the Troop farm provided guidance about the cow type that would work best in their system.

The farm where Becky grew up was designed for the genetics and cow size of the 1950s and early ‘60s, much like where she’s farming today. As cow size across the industry increased, Becky was drawn to selecting for larger-framed cows but learned they didn’t fit well in the existing tie-stalls.

For bull selection, Becky now focuses on feet and legs, longevity and medium stature. Because there’s a premium for A2A2 milk, breeders have encouraged her to select for this highly heritable trait, so she also chooses bulls that can pass this valuable economic trait to offspring.

The Troops work with a team that includes a nutritionist, veterinarian and crop advisor. Dave’s cousin Grant handles crop planning and manure management. The nutritionist samples crops to ensure they’re harvested at the ideal stage for optimum nutrition. Manure is stored in a pit with a Dairypower Smart Manure Aeration System with continuous aeration so it’s always ready for field application without agitation.

Cows are milked twice a day in the tie-stall barn. The cows remain comfortable and fly-free with a combination of tunnel ventilation and fans, and during hot weather, they’re showered with water. Becky’s noticed that the darker cows have more trouble dispersing heat, so everyone keeps an eye on them in extremely hot weather.

Calves are raised in individual pens and fed raw milk. At about one month of age, calves are moved into groups of four. Becky selects heifer calves to raise as replacements based primarily on genetics.

At one point, Becky was feeding calves fermented colostrum but found it requires a lot of management. Today, calves receive regular colostrum followed by raw milk directly from the line.

“Raw milk works well because whoever is feeding calves is feeding them at the end of milking,” she said. “The milk that would be washed through is drained into buckets for calves. We haven’t had any issues with that.”

Dave and Becky’s son Zach handles the field work. Primary crops are corn and alfalfa, as well as rye grown as a cover crop.

“The rye coming up now will go in the silo, then corn goes in after the rye,” said Becky. “We have about 50 acres of alfalfa and usually get four to five cuttings that go into the silo. We also have several fields of grass hay we farm on shares.”

Rather than growing soybeans, the Troops purchase protein for the TMR that includes high moisture corn, corn silage, alfalfa, concentrate and minerals. Dry cows are fed corn silage with grass hay and chopped straw if necessary to balance the diet.

Becky didn’t foresee herself operating a dairy farm, but her love of cows has kept her in the industry and on the farm, with a steady eye on modern technology to improve management and the herd.

by Sally Colby