Big Demand For Custom Milking Service

Big Demand For Custom Milking Service DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Dairy Equipment & Ideas 3-5-23 It's becoming easier for dairymen to break away from the twice-daily routine of milking chores 365 days of every year since "cow sitters" arrived on the scene a few years ago. These are professional milkers who take care of all the milking and feeding duties for a dairyman while he and his family take some time off for a trip, wedding, convention or whatever. FARM SHOW has written features on custom milking before, but there are often new angles to talk about. Latest new custom milking service we've heard about is in western Wisconsin. Called Custom Milking, it's a partnership of two sisters who have grown up in dairy farming and think milking cows is a good job. Laurie Kusk and her married sister, Peggy Rydeen, formed the business in late winter of 1979. After brief advertisements in a local farm paper and word-of-mouth publicity, they were swamped with business. "We thought most of our business would be on weekends, but lots of people want help during the week," says Peggy. "By planting time last spring, we had all kinds of calls to help with milking so farmers could get their field work done. Later on it was fishing trips. We've had so many calls that we've stopped advertising, and we've had a lot of inquiries from people who live too far away for us to take care of," says Peggy, pictured above. Laurie and Peggy limit their service to a radius of about 20-30 miles. They charge transportation cost and a fee per cow milked. The fees differ, depending on their duties. If it is milking only, the fee is 30 cents per cow. If they must milk, feed, take care of calves and other chores, the fee increases to 45 cents per cow. The girls have a systematic procedure for taking over milking. They visit the farm before they take the job. Observing the milking procedure, they make notes on how the barn is laid out and what jobs need to be done. Together with the operator, they fill out an information sheet on such items as milking time, feeding time, whether to feed calves and young stock, and other procedures. Some of the most important information to get is the names and telephone numbers of the veterinarian, milker repairman, silo unloader service, milk hauler and others. Sometimes there are special chores the farm owner wants done, such as marking cows that are in heat. The girls generally work together, one doing the feeding while the other milks. Laurie and Peggy aren't looking for more business outside their local area, but they would be glad to share the benefit of their Custom Milking experience with others who might want to go into the business. For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Custom Milking, c/o Mrs. Peggy Rydeen, Route 1, Box 39-R, Osceola, Wis. 54020 (ph. 715 2942343).

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