Pushing Cows to the Limit

A partnership with Southern States helped the Browns make significant progress.

The legacy started by their dad Reuben Brown, center, is now being carried on by sons Charlie, left, and Doug, right, and the Brown Brothers' Dairy.

Southern States store manger Todd Plaster, right, and field service adviser Tommy Barron, center, consult with Charlie Brown, left, and the rest of the Brown family.

When Reuben Brown and his sons Charlie and Doug began milking cows for a living in 1981, their rolling herd average was running 18,000 pounds per cow. To survive in the dairy business, they would have to do much better.

Today, the payoff is evident. Their dairy now has a 24,000-pound rolling herd average. The quality of their milk is up, too.

"We get most of the premiums possible for the milk we sell to our milk producers cooperative," Charlie reports. In four of the past five years, the dairy has received the Virginia Department of Agriculture's "Finest Award" for its high-quality standards.

Charlie and Doug bought out their dad in 1999. They're milking 140 Holstein cows and grow out about 75 heifer replacements.

In addition, the brothers have a 50-cow Angus herd and grow out 75 to 80 Holstein steers a year. The brothers feed them each 2.5 to 3 pounds a day of a 16% protein custom-mixed feed from Southern States in conjunction with quality forages.

They produce most of the forages they use, but they buy grain and concentrates from Southern States Martinsville Cooperative in Virginia.

The brothers credit Southern States with much of their success. Agronomist David Jessee advises them on crop issues such as fertility, insect thresholds and weed problems. Tommy Barron, a feed sales representative for the co-op, analyzes their forages and develops rations to help them better use their forages, while meeting the protein and mineral needs of their animals.

"Southern States customizes all our rations for us and delivers the feed in bulk to our farm," Charlie says. "We also buy all of our fertilizer, pesticides and most of our planting seed from them, as well as milk replacers, calf feed, minerals and salt, fencing supplies and twine."

The Browns are longtime customers of Southern States. "During the early years, we tried other suppliers, but always came back to Southern States," Doug reports. "They just treat us right.

Todd Plaster, manager of the Martinsville co-op, calls the Browns two of his best customers. Both Charlie and Doug find the time to alternate serving on the local board of directors.

To keep up with all of their enterprises, the Browns divide responsibilities. Charlie takes care of baby calves and crops. Doug is the cowman and handles most of the milking chores with the help of a full-time and a part-time worker. Doug's wife Lynn keeps the books and feeds calves. And their son Jerry, 14, helps out after school and on weekends. Although retired, Reuben helps as needed.

"These are outstanding farmers," Barron says. "They aren't afraid of taking risks and trying something different. But they will find out all they can about it before they make a decision. They do stuff right and they do it on time."

The Browns' three-step program to improve milk production:

1. They began breeding all cows, including heifers, artificially to select sires that had proven genes for higher milk production.
2. They culled lowproducing cows and kept only the best replacements.
3. They began using the consulting services of Southern States, experts in forage production, forage analysis and ration balancing.