Greg Fentie runs a dairy operation and grows grain crops on his farm near Springfield.
He doesn’t like to leave things to chance so, wherever possible, he collects data on factors like the weather, soil condition and yield and how well his cows are milking.
Recently at the London Farm Show he came across a computer program that shows him what’s going on in his fields and the fields of his customers.
We asked Fentie about the changing weather and the impact on the growing season at his farm.
Also making a difference this year is the planting of a cover crop, as Fentie explained.
He stressed the cover crops are not only good for the soil, they also feed his cows.
As for his dairy operation, Fentie has over 50 milking cows for which he relies heavily on the data produced by the robotic milking system.
Thanks to his robotic milking, Fentie insisted he is a better farmer.
“I’m getting more milk, I would say I am more attentive to their needs because it is all right here in front of me in an easy-to-understand way and the cows are happier. By every measure, it’s making me a better farmer.”
Allowing him to make better educated decisions based on what Fentie called his “management tools.”
Two of his three children are involved in their own way through the raising of a calf which Fentie advised will teach them about the commitment involved in looking after an animal.
Having data readily available on his computer in the barn is a far cry from how the milking used to operate.
“I used to take a piece of paper and I wrote down every cow on there and whether she was pregnant, bred and whatever and I would update that once a month. That was annoying, but that was the way I was keeping track of things.”
You can hear an extended interview with Greg Fentie below.
