About 200 lucky milk cows have many people, including University of Georgia scientists,
dedicated to looking after
their every creature comfort at the Center for Research on
Environment and Milk Yield in
Tifton, Ga.
“Georgia dairymen are as smart and hard-working as
anywhere in the nation,”
said Charles Murphy, director of the dairy division of the
Georgia Department of
Agriculture. “But
because of the heat and humidity here in Georgia, they’ve
also got to deal with the
highest cost of production in the nation.”
Research at CREMY will help Georgia dairymen become more
efficient and help keep them
in business. Murphy noted that in the past five years, 29
percent of Georgia dairy farms
have closed their barn doors for good.
Sumter County dairyman Lamar Anthony said he and other
operators look to research to
help them make decisions. “It’s not so much we want them to
tell us what to do. We’re
looking more for what NOT to do.”
Scientists with the UGA College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences will study forage quality, heat
stress and environmental uses
for dairy waste.
Joe
West, an Extension
Service dairy scientist, will focus his
attention on heat stress and its effect on milk
production. “The dairy industry has a
$750 million-plus impact on Georgia’s economy,” he
said. “But dairies rely on
our research to keep them in business. CREMY will provide
that vital information.”
| J. Cannon,
UGA CAES High-res photo available here  |
| WONDERING ABOUT
THE COMMOTIONÿ Cow #4619 at the UGA CREMY dairy peeks under another cow as she waits to be milked in state-of-the-art facilities. In the foreground is the automatic milking machine. |
Murphy said compacts and reforms alone can’t save
the dairy industry. “The
key to long-term sustainability is right here B
state-of-the-art research facilities.”
The CREMY facility was dedicated at a special ceremony on
April 13. Research began at
the facility in November 1998. The milking parlor is designed
for improved labor efficiency and enhanced data collection
capabilities through the use of
electronic cow identification, automated milk weighing and
body temperature measurement.
