By David Jons
The World Ayrshire Conference started Wednesday, September 28 with a visit to Fair Oaks Farms, Fair Oaks, Indiana one of the largest dairies in the U.S.
The farm is made up of 11 farms on 19,000 acres
and milk a combine 37,000 cows.
Fair Oaks Farms has a visitors center which introduces you to dairy cows, milk production at Fair Oaks Farms and provides a bus that takes you on a tour of one of the farms. Because of bio-security, visitors stay on the bus and are not allowed direct contact with cows, milking barn or freestall barn.
Cows are housed in freestall barns bedded
with sand and milked in a 72 cow rotary barn which can be viewed from an
observation room. Cows are milked 3 times per day and produce 80 to 90 lbs. of
per day.
Eighty to one hundred calves are born on
the farm every day and live births can be viewed in the birthing center.
Heifer calves are raised in hutches until weaned and then moved to a
heifer raising facility.
After the tour lunch was served to the group in the on
site restaurant and then they moved on to the Family Af-Ayr Farm, Caledonia, Illinois owned by Gregg and Pat Borchardt.
Gregg Borchardt
Luke Borchardt
Milking 140 head of super uddered Ayrshires
and Holsteins with a rolling herd average of 21,000 lbs. of milk the farm
has numerous standouts.
A few of the stand outs are Family Af-Ayr Cornelius
Daisy EX-94 5E All-American Aged cow 2007.
Family Af-Ayr Maxium Desire a
tremendous uddered Sr. 2 Yr. Old
Family Af-Ayr Rem Dallyn-ET another
great uddered young Jr. 2 Yr. Old.
Newly constructed calf condos.
New additions to the farm are a 80 head
capacity heifer barn built to raise heifers from weaning to breeding and calf
condos built to replace calf hutches.
Luke Borchardt, Gregg and Pat’s son, commented
the calf condos make caring for the calves easier and they can be closed up in
winter for greater calf comfort.
An excellent dinner was served to the group at
the end of the day.
The World Ayrshire Conference tour is filled with international guests so let's meet a few of them.
Cleopas Okore from Kenya
Duncan Hunter Breed Manager of Ayrshires from the
United Kingdom
Patrick Riordon from Canada
Anne Green from New Zealand (left) Jane Barnes from
the United Kingdom (right)
Dr. Muchemi Kariuki Chairman Ayrshire
Cattle Breeders Society of Kenya