Timberville, VA (WHSV) – The 72nd Annual Young Farmers of Virginia Conference introduced attendees to how to maximize dairy farming in Windcrest Holsteins. With over half a century of experience, Yutzy Family Farm knows that the health of their cows is everything.
“Cow comfort is a very important part of our management at Windcrest. We work hard to ensure the cows live a long, productive life here,” said Dave Yutzy.
More than a thousand cows on this farm produce milk by the gallon each day. Technology helps farmers ensure the quality of dairy products by monitoring the performance of each cow.
“We have ear tags that measure activity. It also helps us track the health of the cow’s body temperature…it gives us a chart that tells us if the cow is working properly and alerts us if she might be sick,” Dairy farmer Aaron Yutzy said.
According to Aaron, the future of dairy farming may be more automated.
“We may see a rotating parlor where the cows are rotated with equipment to clean the cows and install the milkers,” said farmer Aaron Yutzy.
Manure handling has the potential to be more automated for better regulation and efficiency, and to improve dairy farming in the future.
The pact inspires the next generation of farmers to work in dairy,
“I really wanted to go into beef or dairy farming because my family has been doing it for over 20 years and I really love looking at the cows,” said young farmer Angie McDonald.
Farmer Aaron Yutzy said there are many opportunities in agricultural technology, but the key is to choose what suits what you are after.
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