( yellow house raw milk dairy moves moo-worthy drinking water by solar efforts )

yellow house raw milk dairy moves moo-worthy
drinking water by solar efforts
by jennifer hetrick

in mid-june, mark lopez of wholesome dairy farms in yellow house finished installing a solar-powered spring water drinking system on his land for his 40 gulp-savvy ayrshire milking cows. 

what sets lopez apart from other dairy farmers in the area is that the milk he sells is raw, bursting with flavor, often digestible by those who claim lactose intolerance, and from grass-fed cows.

also in the farm’s milk store are blocks of raw milk gouda, a new cream cheese, and portions of grass-fed beef.

with mandated testing regulated by the pennsylvania department of agriculture, lopez’ raw milk at wholesome dairy farms is often lower in bacteria count than the pasteurized, homogenized gallons of milk sold in ordinary grocery stores.

“by law, they allow me 10 coliforms (bacteria) per milliliter in the milk,” lopez said. “my tests consistently come back with less than one—so none detectable.”

proud of his healthy milk supply which is considered by some to contain more beneficial nutrients than the mass-produced milk that goes through the pasteurization process, lopez jumped at the opportunity to advance his farm by solar efforts when he noticed a fitting grant listed in farmshine, a dairy publication.

an organization known as pennsylvania project grass sponsored a grant for solar-powered watering systems open to grazing dairy farmers. lopez applied and was accepted.

handling the grants were the department of environmental protection and the natural resources conservation service, with the total cost of the project nearing $14,000, while the grant covered 75% of all expenses.

gracious to the organizations for awarding him the grant and allowing him to better his property and operation with their financial assistance, the remaining 25% of the cost stood as lopez’ contribution, with his labor accepted in the final sum.

the materials alone cost between $9,000 - $10,000, lopez said.

the project lasted about three months, with lopez putting his time in for it on and off when he could leave the cows behind briefly, to be tended to by others on the farm.

“from the ground, it doesn’t look like very much,” lopez said about the new solar-powered spring water pumping station.

at the edge of one pasture, a 4,200 gallon black polyethylene holding tank sits on high ground. it spans about 10 ft. x 9 ft.
 

“it sounds big, but when you plop it out into the middle of a pasture,” lopez said, “it starts to look like a tiny black splotch.”

“the solar end of it is really quite a small part of the whole system,” lopez said.

set far off from the holding tank are two 175 watt solar panels, aimed, of course, skyward.

an underground spring leads to a drainage line lopez’ grandfather and uncle installed many years ago. lopez diverted the water into a 500 gallon concrete septic tank he lowered into the ground after he dug out a massive hole which continually caved in on him, the soil shooting leaks before he finally could call his arduous labors successful.

the spring’s water flows into the septic tank, and once full, works its way up to the holding tank on the hill, with its pumping controlled by solar energy.

before lopez had the solar-powered system on his farm, the cows drank water from only an electric-powered well pump and a nearby stream.

“there is no habitat destruction or erosion from them drinking at the stream bed,” lopez said, since they have plenty of water to chug back from their 10 or so troughs placed throughout broad expanses of daytime and nighttime pastures, leading their new drinking supply to be carbon neutral.

“we like to think that pure spring water will have a positive effect on the quality and taste of the milk,” lopez said, approximating milk to be 85% water.

at their thirstiest, the cows can drink two, three, four, or more gallons of water at a time. lopez suspects a single milking cow can drink 30 gallons daily, meaning at least 1,200 gallons of water consumption is possible on the farm per day.

“they drink so much more easily out of the troughs that fill from the holding tank,” lopez said, acknowledging that a difference is noticeable in the cows’ reaction to the new, fresh and more environmentally friendly batches of water available to them.

“when you say ‘solar,’ it gets a response out of people,” lopez said, “and it should because we’re moving into an era in our history when it’s time to take a step forward—and solar is a part of that.”

to read more background details about this dairy, read this story via the garden harlot.

freebie alert ! comment on this story to enter for a chance to win a one-pound package of grass-fed beef from wholesome dairy farms. please include your e-mail address in the comment. this contest ends sunday the 8th of august. good luck !