Do you have an idea you’d like to share with other dairy producers? Send it our way! We pay $50 for Handy Hints printed in the magazine.
To be considered, all submitted hints must include a clear, print quality photo (at least 240 dpi and approximately 4" by 6” in size). Please send items to Hoard’s Dairyman, Handy Hints Department, P.O. Box 801, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. You can also email your Handy Hints to editors@hoards.com. Please include your name, full mailing address and a short description of the handy hint with each submission.
Click here to order our Handy Hints Book,
a collection of Handy Hints from our readers.
Sept. 15 2016
Handy Hint: September 25, 2016 Wash bottles with a push of a button I was searching for a more efficient way to wash and dry calf milk bottles. Two years ago, I bought a dishwasher through Craigslist for...
Sept. 10 2016
Our farm created this calf pen with a roof that can be lifted up and down. My dad, Fred Ritsema, and employees from his 3,000-cow dairy welded the pen. The roof is lifted by a hand winch and strong cable,...
Aug. 25 2016
I was restoring a John Deere 4250 tractor, and the original tractor seat had tears in the fabric and the armrests didn't work properly. Rather than replace it with a new identical seat, I decided to use...
Aug. 4 2016
Handy Hint: August 10, 2016 Keep New Calves Close By We only have one calving pen on our farm, so sometimes we have to calve a cow in her stall. We purchased a small 40-gallon water tank that works perfectly...
July 15 2016
No surprise pipeline washes For an added layer of protection, I installed a limit switch on my swing pipe in the milk house. I wired the switch into my pipeline washer. The pipeline washer will now only...
June 15 2016
After losing a tank or two of milk due to the bulk tank not cooling right, I bought a separate thermostat and wired red and green lightbulbs to it. Red goes on when the tank is hot or empty, and green...
May 25 2016
I have always had a hard time getting the tube on my esophageal feeder clean. To fix this problem, I started using a bore snake for cleaning firearms
May 10 2016
This tool scrapes and rakes To help clean the freestalls on our farm, I welded a piece of angle iron to a steel rake and bolted a rubber strip to it. I use the rubber end to scrape manure out of the stalls...
April 22 2016
Handy Hint: April 25, 2016 A row of clean bottles I was looking for a way to rinse calf bottles thoroughly and efficiently. I took 1-inch PVC pipe, 4 feet long, and connected it to the hot water line....
April 5 2016
Handy Hint: April 10, 2016 Keep winter's wrath away from calves Here in southern Pennsylvania we received nearly 3 feet of snow during one storm in January, and I needed a way to keep that snow out of...
March 20 2016
Handy Hint: March 25, 2016 Gates are easier to open To easily open and close gates, Dave Clark of Godfrey Dairy developed this double-hook system. By creating a U-shaped pipe, one half of the U-bend fits...
March 7 2016
Handy Hint: March 10, 2016 Racks help bundle tires Tires that cover bunker silos at Hillcrest Dairy are more organized after creating a number of iron "tire racks." As tires come off the bunker to expose...
Feb. 17 2016
Handy Hint: February 25, 2016 PVC pipes track calf feeding Keeping track of which calves get fed milk twice per day, once or not at all is handled rather easily for the calf feeders at Paint Creek Heifers...
Feb. 2 2016
Handy Hint: February 10, 2016 Get little helpers ready for barn chores For most farm moms, the worst part of taking little ones out to the barn is getting them ready. It can take half as long as chores...
Jan. 14 2016
Handy Hint: January 25, 2016 A milk house floor saver The purpose of this recessed stainless steel drain pan is to save the concrete from the detergent and acid that run under the bulk tank washer. This...
Jan. 5 2016
Handy Hint: January 10, 2016 Hinged gate closes man pass From a safety standpoint, a man pass allows a person working with livestock to make a quick exit from the pen to avoid injury. There are over 56...
Dec. 9 2015
Handy Hint: December 2015 Make It Easy to Keep Tanks Clean To ensure that water tanks are cleaned out regularly at Duncan Acres Dairy in Franklinton, La., farm owner Brent Duncan placed several milk house...
Nov. 6 2015
Handy Hint: November 2015 Get it right the first time Hooking the hydraulic hoses to our tractor can be time consuming and frustrating. It often takes a couple trips in and out of the tractor to rearrange...
Oct. 15 2015
Handy Hint: October 25, 2015 Calves on the Move We like the convenience of a golf cart on the farm but had never found a good way to move new calves with it. My husband and father-in-law converted the...
Oct. 8 2015
Handy Hint: October 10, 2015 A cow scratcher on demand We made a cow scratcher that we can move from pen to pen on our farm. We took an old road sweeper brush and washed and sanitized the bristles. Next,...
Visit our partner publications:
Hay & Forage Grower | Journal of Nutrient Management