A little bit more

Wrestling season is here again and I can hardly wait for the first meet. Although I will miss watching Dan on the mat, I am beyond excited that Monika and Daphne are wrestling on the same team this year. Last year, Dan, Monika, and Daphne all wrestled in different programs, which meant lots of meets and tournaments and lots of choices between the three different directions they were often headed in.

Monika and Daphne spent lots of time in the weight room during the off season. They’re stronger than ever. They also dedicate extra time to fueling their bodies with nutritious foods. Our dish drainer is usually full of the thermoses they use to pack their own hot lunches.

The extra effort they put in can be summed up by the slogan on a wrestling T-shirt they often wear: “1% Better Every Day.” Meaningful improvement doesn’t require huge changes, it can happen when we do a little bit more each day. Or do something a little bit better every day.

This could, perhaps, be the guiding mantra of dairy farmers, too. We don’t always have the capacity or resources to do more each day. So how do we do a little bit better with the resources we do have?

When we switched from using an automatic calf feeder back to bottle feeding several years ago, I regretted not being able to feed our calves larger quantities of milk. Feeding calves three times each day isn’t feasible with our schedule, so I looked for 4-quart bottles. The only 4-quart bottles currently on the market are not compatible with our polyethylene bottle holders – and I absolutely do not want to switch to wire bottle holders. I even asked the company that makes the 3-quart bottles we use to consider making 4-quart bottles, but got a noncommittal answer.

Until someone in the dairy industry creates a 4-quart squat bottle, I decided to find a way to feed a little more milk each day with the 3-quart bottles we have.

A little more really is just a little more. For a couple years now, we’ve been feeding 3.3 quarts of milk at each feeding instead of 3 quarts. The difference is filling our 3-quart bottles full to the top instead of filling to the 3-quart line. But, just like with wrestling and so many other facets of our lives and businesses, a little more each day adds up to a large impact.

To make the change, I started by measuring the volume difference between a full-to-the-top bottle and a bottle filled to 3 quarts. Then I calculated how many extra grams of milk replacer powder would be needed for the extra volume. This also required making a new calibrated pail, which is what we use for mixing milk replacer. We often combine transition milk with milk replacer, so being able to measure the quantity of each is critical. Especially since we also add a supplement to the whole milk that provides vitamins and a coccidiostat.

Filled to the top, our bottles hold 10% more volume. Ten percent more each day over 50 days ends up being the equivalent of five extra days on milk. Instead of feeding 92.6 pounds of milk replacer to each calf while they’re on milk, we’re feeding 102.5 pounds. The difference in our weaned calves now is noticeable. They’re bigger and stronger. And we don’t have the challenges we experienced with the automatic calf feeder.

The change makes feeding calves a little easier, too. Instead of paying attention to the fill line, we can just fill bottles until they are full. This slight change also makes the volume fed to each calf more consistent between everyone who feeds calves.

Better for our calves. Better for us. These little win-win changes with larger impacts are the types of improvements we’re constantly seeking.

Sadie Frericks and her husband, Glen, milk 100 cows near Melrose, Minnesota. They have three children: Dan, Monika, and Daphne. Sadie also writes a blog at www.dairygoodlife.com. She can be reached at sadiefrericks@gmail.com.