Devoted to the dairy business
By Sally Cole, The Guardian (Charlottetown), 2007.07.30
Dylan Howard’s face lights up when he talks about dairy farming.
“There’s a definite routine, but every day is different. One moment you could be treating a cow for mastitis (inflamed udder), the next you could be fixing a piece of broken machinery, building a barn or watching calves being born.
“So for me, it’s not work, it’s something that I really enjoy,” says Howard, laughing as a day-old calf tries to suck his finger during mealtime at Howardvale Holsteins.
This passion for farming has recently been recognized in a big way. The 20-year-old Springvale resident is the recipient of the 2007 Hoard’s Dairyman award.
“It’s a pretty big honour. I was very surprised,” says Howard, who picked up the award after completing the dairy herd management program at Lakeshore Technical College in Cleveland, Wis. The nine-month program covers everything from reproduction and cattle management to accounting and nutrition.
“The best thing about the award was that it was voted on by my classmates,” says the Kensington intermediate senior high school graduate, who was one of two Canadians in the U.S. program.
It’s not surprising that Howard was chosen for this honour, says P.E.I.’s former udder health specialist.
“Dylan is a very quiet, intelligent and efficient young man who has a great love for the dairy industry. He’s committed to it. He’s known in the industry as a cow man. He understands and likes cattle,” says Ron Sampson.
His instructor, Sheryl Nehls, also sings Howard’s praises.
“I can think of no one more deserving than Dylan. He really deserves the recognition,” says Nehls, adding the award, based on character, academics and community involvement, is sponsored by Hoard’s Dairyman magazine.
Now back home on P.E.I., Howard is busy applying the skills he learned south of the border as he runs the family farm with his brother, Tyler, who is 22.
“We’re milking 90 cows, and our current facility is maxed out. We’ve doubled in size over the past year and we’re hoping to expand,” he says.
In a free moment between morning and evening milking sessions, he reflects on the things that he’s learned.
“One of the most helpful courses in the program was herd health. Every week we would go to a different farm with over 500 cows and we’d work with the sick ones. We learned how to deal with all kinds of situations,” says Howard.
The other was nutrition.
“Feeding a cow is like feeding a high performance athlete. You have to have everything in check. For example, if there’s too much starch in the food it can make the cows’ feet go bad or give them a sour stomach,” he says.
Along with his newly acquired knowledge and skills he’s got a realistic view of his future.
“I’m just getting into the industry, but I realize that you can’t just work hard; you have to start thinking hard and working smart.
“You’ve got to start crunching numbers. And you have to always be thinking of ways to improve production.
“You also have to deal with rising costs. And having said that I wouldn’t do anything else,” he says.
This commitment to the dairy industry is good news for Michael Carmichael, one of the three advisers on Howardvale Holsteins’ dairy team. Charmichael is optimistic about Howard’s future.
“Dylan has taken on a big responsibility and he’s going forward with it.
“I can see him as one of the key players in the P.E.I. dairy industry in the future,” says Carmichael, who is from Borden-Carleton.
cow trivia
There is an estimated 920 breeds of cows worldwide.
People domesticated cows about 5,000 years ago.
Cows spend six hours a day eating and eight hours chewing cud.
A dairy cow can produce enough milk to make five gallons of ice cream a day.
Cow paths laid out the city of Boston.
A cow stands up and sits down about 14 times a day.
There are approximately 350 squirts in a gallon of milk.
Source: www.thecowcorral.com
Posted by FFC on July 13th, 2009 :: Filed under Animal health,Canada,Dairy cattle,Farm life
Tags :: dairy cattle
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