Shipped Milk!

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We shipped our first load of milk today! Only 788 pounds, but it'll get better! As I described in Milk Keeper post, we dipped the milk out of the Milk Keeper tank into the Mueller tank, and the truck showed up 30 minutes later. Didn't even freeze on the bottom. The county agent is supposed to be here at noon tomorrow to observe the calibration of the Milk Keeper tank. Once we get the 5 gallon readings, Dennis Brady will do the spreadsheet to fill in the blanks.

So far so good! We might just have that party yet!

Vicki, heard from Rick. Sounds like he's put together a good system! He was worried that the vacuum level might be too high, but at 13 inches he'll be ok. Recommended is 12 and I know people that milk at 15. I'm wondering why the DeLaval pulsators won't work at 10 inches though. Our Surge pulsators will work way lower than that. Wondering if they need a shot of WD 40. Guess I should ask him if he's using the original DeLaval pulsators or Interpulse replacements.

Dennis

-- Dennis Enyart (westwoodcaprine@yahoo.com), April 17, 2002

Answers

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU DID IT:):):):) Seems like to ttook forever to there for you and us too. Take care. When you decide to ahve the party let me know, I'll definately bring some of my good ribs and the cake:):)

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 17, 2002.

Yahoo!!! That is so exciting, Dennis, and Joe too! Hope it just gets better and better for you. Keep up the good (hard) work. Cara

-- Cara Dailey (daileyd@agalis.net), April 17, 2002.

That is so exciting for you! Lots of work.

Thanks for helping out Rick, I wish he would post a photo of his big ole blue machine, it is beautiful! I was out counting pulsations since I couldn't help him with his guage, mine is set between 250 and 290 , not in inches. My pulsator is a Surge on a Delaval lid and can. I know the WD 40 worked for mine the other day, my one slide under the lid slams back and forth the other sort of was dragging, it is slower, but not as bad as it was. It being slow also makes that side not suck as hard, which really you can only tell when you want to clean milk from the line. I enjoy my machine, I really enjoy it when I know how little I spent on it :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.


wow, finally :) i really like the idea of switching the milk, true ingenuity at work ..... even if it seems slightly underhanded, you know the milk was safe, the rest was just regs....

so how often is your pick up ???

you know this brings me to another question, it is really nosy, but if we were willing to open up the can of worms it might help out folks who are "thinking " about starting a dairy, you know, what our set up costs are, budget, and expected pay for our cwt of milk, nothing exact, but a range, you know , like, i get base price of XX.00 per CWT, but with milk and SCC bonuses , i can make up to XX.00 then my witner price is XX.00 per cwt......

you know what i mean , not saying we have to be exact, but it would help people who are just "considering" getting into milking..

by the way, in case i missed it , what are you milking ?, saanen nubians ?? Alpines??

all right i am babbling, i guess , i am just so glad for you , and slightly jealous at the same time, since we wont be shipping till next year it looks like ..(dont have enought adult does in milk yet, and without a loan , its gonna be a one here , one here kind of thing, wish me luck on seeling the boers this weekend, though actually , its just a "Trade" , going to the auction , selling the boers, and buying more milking goats :) someone else emntioned the same company , and auction on the countryside board , supposedly a reputable auction company , all they do is animals... and they do this Bird and animal" auction 2-4 in spring , and again in fall :)

so should be good for me :)

nevermind, i am babbling now.....

-- Beth Van Stiphout (willosnake@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.


Thanks all! (We're beaming here!)

Vicki, If Ric doesn't mind, I can post that pic for him. I do love that pretty ole pump of his. Our old Surge pump isn't nearly as pretty. And the motor is held on with two pairs of Vice Grips! I'll get it painted up and bolted down when I get a chance.

Ok here goes on estimates.

We have about $3,500 in the barn and need about $500 more work on it, but we started from scratch. Hmmm equipment.

2 surge buckets, pulsators, small Surge vacuum pump, tank washer (minus pump) inflations shells and tubing for four goats, four goats. Traded $500 in horse tack that we didn't pay that for wholesale;-) Big Surge vacuum pump, traded a saddle we paid $327 wholesale for. 2 more buckets and pulsators we got on ebay for about $50 each. Bought lid gaskets, pulsator rebuild kits. Uh, hmmm, think about $30.00.

So far

-- Dennis Enyart (westwoodcaprine@yahoo.com), April 17, 2002.



Sorry, sent that too quick! The bulk tanks are 150 gallons each and paid $200 a piece for them. But the Mueller cost another $107 for a valve, $60 for an adaptor and will need more freon. Oh, and a $60 Calibration Chart.

So far then Barn $4,000 Equipment 1,654 (Didn't really pay all that) 37 goats@ave. $125 4,625 (Still need more!)(Cheap!)

Total $10,279

Milk Contract $20.25 per hundred weight at 3.6% butterfat, with a 50 cent bonus for each butterfat point above that. If we make our quota, $1.75 per cwt bonus. They take excess above contract amount at base price. But that's cool with us. $1.00 charge for cartage per cwt.

If you live close to a cheese plant you'll get more.

We're mainly milking American Alpines, but have La Mancha's and Nubians too for butterfat. But would you believe a first freshener Sannen/Ober has the best butterfat on first test at 6.7%??!!!!

That help any guys?

Dennis

-- Dennis Enyart (westwoodcaprine@yahoo.com), April 17, 2002.


Yes Dennis post the picture. What is he going to do, come on the site and tell us to stop :) He would have to POST to do that :) HE HE HE!!! Course don't do it until Friday, I am borrowing his hauler for the back of my truck, picking up a milker in Shreveport! He won't be back online until Monday anyway :) He has the nicest barn, seperate areas for everyone and everything. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.

Vicki, you know he already read that so I'm gonna post it anyway!

http://westwoodfarms.netfirms.com/Ric.htm

That should get it. Talk about attention to detail, that's downright prudy! It's a BB4 but don't remember whether it's 1 1/2 or 2 1/2 horsepower which would make it a 13.5 or 14.5 cfm (American).

Oh Beth, our pickup is probably going to be 7 days. Which is ok for now with our production. If the buyer goes grade A instead of maintenance milk, it'll have to be picked up more often.

Bernice, Pat's comming over the evening of Monday, the 29th to test, wanna come and have another "Pleasant Evening"?

Part two of the plan is in motion. The County Extention agent came today to observe the "5 gallon" calibration of the Milk Keeper bulk tank. Got the readings entered to the spreadsheet Dennis Brady sent (thanks again Cindy) and fired it off to him. Now awaiting his conversion to 1/32 readings in pounds. Then will forward to agent to print off on the laser printer in his office (ours is still in Oklahoma) and get his signature. Uh, I'm starting to smell a party going on!

Dennis

-- Dennis Enyart (westwoodcaprine@yahoo.com), April 18, 2002.


Sure, I'd love to come over, but unfortunately I have to work Tuesday, not as young as I used to be to stay up late. Oh, Vision is a granny, Visionary had twins, buck and doe. The doe looks like Visionary and Vision, the buck is a bit lighter brown color. I really like the udder she ahs too, shes a first fresnher too. That Sunshine searfin is doing pretty good on udders if he trhwos udders like hers.

Well, work awaits, have a blessed day.

-- Bernice (geminigoats@yahoo.com), April 18, 2002.


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