Farm Horizons
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June 6, 2016
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Page 6
Grangroth’s Holstein herd began with 60 cows, and has grown
to 135 cows today.
Modern day milking parlors have a lower floor for the person
milking the cows, which is easier on one’s knees, hips, and
back.
It takes 3.5 hours to milk all of the cows with one
person milking, and about five to eight minutes to milk
each cow.
“We start at 5:15 a.m.,” Grangroth noted, with 12 cows
being milked at a time. In between, calves are fed.
Once the milking is done, the milking parlor needs to
be sprayed down and cleaned, along with clean bedding
put down.
When asked what the worst part of farming is,
Grangroth said, “Someone has to be here to milk the
cows, even on holidays.”
To help with that, he has two full-time employees he
can count on, along with part-time help, including his
son, Josh.
Grangroth added, “The best part of farming is the variety – chopping hay, new calves, and working with the
cows. Because I love what I do, I do a better job, which
will make me more successful in the long run.”
Grangroth’s milk is picked up each day by a truck,
and is brought to First District Association in Litchfield,
along with milk from more than 1,000 other farmers in
a 100-mile radius.
Find out what happens to the milk there in a later issue. n
Lano Equipment
of Norwood, Inc.
(952) 467-2181
1015 W. Hwy 212,
Norwood Young America 55368