Comment from Liz O'Neill

Excellent

Possibly many of us readers will be able to relate or at least have an inkling of knowledge of what the speaker is referring to. Many of us have had hands on with these milkers.

 Comment Written 04-Dec-2023

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reply by the author on 04-Dec-2023

Thank you. I imagine the milkers were a godsend to farmers who milked by hand. I did some milking on my dad's farm when I was young, but my brothers did most of the milking. I was the official calf feeder.

reply by Liz O'Neill on 04-Dec-2023

Cool. We used to go to my grandparents & I got to milk

Comment from Rosemary Everson1

Excellent

I can relate to your story. Our family used Surge milkers in the beginning days of improvement. We were so thankful to have these around instead of milking cows with our hands.

 Comment Written 03-Dec-2023

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reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023

Thank you. Yes, they were much better than milking by hand, which I did on my father's farm, but the fully automated milking parlor was much better. We could milk more cows faster, and the cleanup was done automatically.

Comment from Frank Malley

Excellent

Sadly, I know almost nothing of milking cows, and the line to milk at the County Fair went on and on; I didn't want to wait. This short article about cow milking wouldn't prepare me to use the machines, but it has given me a sense of how milking machines are hooked up and develop the needed pressure.

 Comment Written 03-Dec-2023

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reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023

Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Milking is hard work, no matter how one approaches it. It is twenty-four seven and four a.m in the morning. But you know what? I find myself missing the cows and farm life now I'm retired.

reply by Frank Malley on 03-Dec-2023

I hope I get to do it by hand one of these days. Be well! Frank

Comment from Wendyanne

Excellent

This is an interesting and informative article about how to clean surge milkers. I have seen them being used on tv before but never considered how time consuming making sure they were scrupulously clean would be.

 Comment Written 03-Dec-2023

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reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023

Thank you. Everything on a dairy farm must be spotless. A milk inspector makes regular checks at unexpected times, so even now, a farmer must never get sloppy where cleanup is concerned. Even the barns must be whitewashed and spider-web-free.

Comment from tfawcus

Excellent

I've always had the highest regard for dairy farmers. Largely unsung heroes in our community. You piece is interesting, informative, and tightly structured to be within the 200 word limit. Very well done and sure to be a strong contender in the contest.

 Comment Written 03-Dec-2023

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reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023

Thank you. There are a lot of interesting facts I could have written about these milkers if the word count had not been so short.

Comment from jenintorre

Excellent

I found your story very interesting. I was exhausted just reading about the hard work that you had to endure when cleaning the milkers. Thanks for sharing.
Good luck in the competition. Jen.

 Comment Written 03-Dec-2023

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reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023

Thank you. This had to be done twice a day, too. I was thrilled when we went to the fully automated milking parlor. It even cleaned itself with a flick of a switch. The only cleaning I had to do was to hose the floor after each milking. It was a piece of cake after using the Suge milkers.

Comment from jenintorre

Excellent

I found your story very interesting. I was exhausted just reading about the hard work that you had to endure when cleaning the milkers. Thanks for sharing.
Good luck in the competition. Jen.

 Comment Written 03-Dec-2023

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reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023

Thank you again. For some reason, your review is on here twice.

Comment from jenintorre

Excellent

I found your story very interesting. I was exhausted just reading about the hard work that you had to endure when cleaning the milkers. Thanks for sharing.
Good luck in the competition. Jen.

 Comment Written 03-Dec-2023

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reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023

Thank you a third time. This is the third review from you. It must be a mistake of some kind.

Comment from Janis M.

Excellent

This is truly a "no one knows but you" topic. It almost sounds like it would be faster to just milk by hand any way if all of that cleaning is necessary after each use. I have a deep admiration for people who work on a farm or help produce our food, because there are no days off, no holidays, no sick days, because the animals need you to care for them no matter what.

 Comment Written 02-Dec-2023

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reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023

Thank you. You're right; it was a twenty-four-seven job. Surprisingly, I sometimes miss the farm now that I'm retired. My husband is gone, too, so it would be too much for one old woman to take on.

Comment from Jacob1395

Excellent

I loved how your voice came through in your writing. I can imagine that working in a dairy must be really interesting, but also tiring at the same time. A really well written piece. I enjoyed reading it. Good luck in the contest.

 Comment Written 02-Dec-2023

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reply by the author on 02-Dec-2023

Thank you. I spent over twenty years milking cows. I was the primary milker, as my husband often did fieldwork or planted crops. Changing to a fully automatic milking parlor made my life so much easier. There is no bending over because the cows are on a platform above the milker. All I had to do was clean the cow's udders and attach the milker. Automatic takeoffs removed the milkers and hung them up, ready for the next cow. To clean the parlor, I filled the sinks with water and chemicals, then flipped a switch to clean the entire milking system. It was great.