In what some 50 years ago would have equalled the production of approximately 150 family owned dairy farms in Hopkins County, Still Meadows Dairy Incorporated, located in Pickton, Texas, offered an Open House to dairy farming "on the cutting edge," Friday. The farm, owned by Jack and Luut Kempenaar, is milking 2600 to 2700 cows and plans to expand to approximately 4000 head, once the expansion is complete.
The new milking facilities at Still Meadow Dairy Inc. were featured in a tour of
dairy farming "on the cutting edge," Friday, as the new 80-cow rotary parlor was
viewed by approximately 300 visitors.
The Open House, that featured the newly constructed 80-cow rotary milking system was hosted by the Kempenaar family and AgriLand Farm Credit, City National Bank, Ross Refrigeration, Ballard Trucking, S&S Dairy Supply, Dairy-Max, Mueller Milk Company, and Prime Building Company. The event was attended by approximately 300 visitors on Friday and featured an "up close and personal" view of the most modern technology in dairy farming.
Approximately 300 visitors attended the Open House at Still Meadows Dairy in Pickton.
The new rotary designed parlor features a carrousel that holds 80 cows and the cow enters the stall, milkers are attached from behind, and she rotates around the constantly moving platform, until she completes her milking cycle, and exits to the exit lane. Two employees were attaching milkers and preping the cows for milking.
Dairy farm workers "prep" the cows for milking, as they enter the 80 cow carrousel and attach the milkers from
behind, then the cow completes her milking cycle, as she rotates around the parlor.
"Things have definitely changed in the dairy business," expressed Jimmy Wayne Winfrey, a retired dairy farmer, who was milking Jersey cows, some 50 years ago, in a family-owned operation, in the Martin Springs Community. "More cows entered that carrousel for a shift, than we milked in our entire herd, back in the 1950's!"
Cows at Still Meadows Dairy Inc. are housed in a modern free-stall environment.
Individual milk weights are computer recorded and cows are milked as they rotate around the newly designed facility. Still Meadows is the largest dairy producer in Hopkins County and Northeast Texas and grows a variety of their own feed, raises many of their replacement heifers, and applies the dairy wastes to their cropland, in a modern operation.
A "sea" of Holsteins.......These dairy cows at Still Meadows Dairy Inc. await in one of the coolest places on
the farm, the holding pens, as they are misted with water before entering the rotary parlor.
Visitors were treated to the tour of the modern operation and then were fed a delicious BBQ luncheon provided by the sponsors.
BBQ and all the trimmings......
Once visitors left the dairy tour, they were invited to stop by Community Bank, in Sulphur Springs, where the bank was celebrating July as National Ice Cream Month, by providing homemade ice cream, made by Hopkins County Ice Cream Maker, Carly Penson. The summertime treat was just one way to "beat the summer heat" on Friday, as local temperatures hovered near the century mark!
Meanwhile, back in Sulphur Springs folks were enjoying some of the favorite summertime dairy treats
at Community Bank, when bank employees offered homemade ice cream, in celebration of July as
National Ice Cream Month.
_______
