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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (June 21, 1973)
4 G o ld e n m ilk in these cows G le n d a le D airy fa m ily business By S UZA NN E ASHMUN People Editor Don't ask the people at G len dale F a rm s about the pnce of milk Dora Morgan, sons Fred and James and their families can't tell you what a half gallon sells for because they dip their Guernsey milk right out of the stainless steel tank The dairying fam ily recently added more than $25.000 worth of modem milking equipment to get the golden milk from the cow to the consumer with a minimum effort M ilk in g a p p ro x im a te ly 60 cows, most of them registered, used to require more work than it does now for the fam ily The cows a re fed a u to m a tic a lly T h e ir g rain comes through a tube and an attendant dials the correct poundage Most cows get from 5 to 5*^ pounds DORA MORGAN is used to getting up at 5 a m to feed hungry calves like this little fawn-and-white Guernsey, which someday F R E D MORGAN works in a milking a milking parlor so clean the cows have to get their feet washed before they can come In. The udders are automatically washed " I used to fill 60 buckets for 60 cows and then have to feed each one individually,” Mrs Morgan said "This really saves on labor and time ” Mrs Morgan still has feeding chores to do, however She gets up at 5 a m to feed the calves The dairy, who once had eight sets of twins in one year, has a waiting list for the frisky fawn- and-white calves “ I can get those calves drinking pretty w ell,” Mrs will Join the producing herd of dairy animals at Glendale F a r m s . with germicide and detergent and rinsed with warm water before the cows are milked. I tyorgan laughed as the fam ily dog stood waiting to slurp up the leftovers The cows, which a re known by numbers rather than names now, are let in and out of the milking parlor by remote control Four cows are being milked at any one time while two more line up for a warm- water washing When the animals enter the milking parlor their udders are a u to m a tic a lly washed w ith germicide and detergent and rinsed with a one-minute bath “ Besides cleanliness, this washing stimulates the cow so she'll let her milk down,” Fred explained The milking machine, which is at eye-level for the milking attendant, has an automatic take-off which released after each quarter of the udder is empty Four red lights monitor the cow’s m ilking progress, te llin g which q u a rte rs are being milked "The m ilker shuts off three seconds a fte r the milk stops,” Fred said. “ This really helps cut down on mastitis (a disease of the udder).” The dairy includes 80 acres on the home place on Lusted Road and 40 acres nearby and the fam ily rents some pasture land near Cottrell School. It takes from three to five minutes to m ilk each cow with her chewing vigorously the whole time "They learn to eat fast," Fred laughed The cows haven't had much trouble adjusting to the new equipment which was installed in January "W e’d give the cows a grand tour through the parlor to let them know there was nothing to hurt them before we actually milked them ,” Mrs Morgan said "The heifers adjusted faster than the older cows, but of course they know that’s what they get fed ” The auto m ated e lectro nic equipment makes it possible for one man to handle the milking chores "Theoretically I could train a 15-year-old kid to milk in just a few minutes,” Fred said Replacement cows are hard to find so the fam ily cor poration raises its own I t ’s be difficult to find a good cow for less than $500, Fred said. The Grade A dairy sells its milk to Portland Independent Milk Co , where it receives a p p ro x im a te ly $6 00 per hundred pounds, w hich is approximately 24 cents a half- gallon compared to a retail price of 58 cents. " I couldn t tell you how much it costs at the store," Mrs. Morgan shook her head " I ’ve never bought a quart of m ilk in my life.” The Morgans worry about the decreasing profit margin in the dairy industry brought about by the rising cost of feed Alfalfa hay, which cost $44 a ton last year i, is now up to $54. Grain which was purchased for $75 last year is now $88 "The next load w ill probably be $100," Fred shook his head "They really put the bite on you." JAMES MORGAN climbs up to adjust the feed storage area for the fam ily's herd of dairy cattle. The grain is automatically fed to the cattle via a tube to the milking parlor. The two brothers haul sawdust to nurseries in the area “to help pay for hay," ac cording to their mother Both of M rs . M organ's daug h ters-in -law work in P o rtlan d . F r e d ’s w ife Pat works at Interstate Training Service and James’ wife Helen is with F a r West Insurance Co. "Both of them like to go out there and work in the bam in the evenings,” Mrs Morgan smiled " I guess it seems good- to get away from people and around animals " A g ran d d au g h ter, D o ri, junior at Sam Barlow High School, also gets in on the chores occasionally About the only star boarder on the place is an elderly spotted horse "We can go after the cows with him when the motorcycles break down,” Mrs Morgan laughed A long lin e of v isito rs, especially on Sunday, enjoy visits to the dairy farm " T h e other day a man stopped in and asked if he could have a dipper of m ilk ,” Fred smiled "He said he hadn't tasted real milk like that in a long time ” PAT MORGAN doesn't mind helping out in the milking parlor now that Glendale Farms have practically become a pushbutton milking operation. Pat puts a milker on a cow who is busy nibbling grain automatically rationed into her feed box. The electronic box (upper left) illustrates with red lights which quarters of the udders are still being milked. M IL K PARLOR fresh is this golden Guernsey milk ladled Into a jar by Helen (M rs. James) Morgan and daughter Dori. The milk, which usually is about 4.S per cent butterfat, is sold to Portland In dependent Milk Co. f
