About the Land

The total amount of land used for the farming and dairy operations is 400 acres.

In December 1995 the first conservation easement on the farm proper (107 acres) north of Dairyland Road was granted to the local Triangle Land Conservancy. This easement designates that Maple View Farm land will be used for agricultural purposes or as open land forever. The intent is to grant additional conservation easements on two large parcels of farmland south of Dairyland Road within the next few years; a total of 350 acres.

This land use plan to protect the farm was developed with the assistance of Brian Dobyns, a conservation land planner and designer, Piedmont Planning Associates, in Efland, NC. By placing a conservation easement on the farm, the value of the land was reduced for estate taxes. The plan allows continued agricultural use while reserving a few lots for family members in the future. Rural views, natural areas and prime agricultural soils are preserved.

Go to our "Links to Related Sites" page for Triangle Land Conservancy's URL address.

Environmental concerns

Best management conservation practices were applied to Maple View farmland in the early 1930's. The farm was owned then by Will Suit. Every effort has been made over the years since then to protect the streams which run through or originate on the farm and to conserve top soils for future generations who work the land and live here.

About the animals

The Maview herd is an all Holstein herd.

Maple View Farm, North Carolina's longest time Progressive Breeders Herd, received its first bronze bar in 1947. Ruth and Fred Nutter were the farm owners at that time. Fred, Bob's father, later became president of the national Holstein-Friesian Association. It is now known as Holstein USA.

The Maview prefix

Every animal at Maple View has a name and a herd number. The first name, or prefix, of each animal bred at Maple View Farm is "Maview". This is a contraction of the first two words in the farm name. Any registered Holstein with Maview as a first name found anywhere in the world was bred on this farm.

There are approximately three hundred (300) animals on the farm in total. Roughly one hundred and thirty (130) cows are in the milking herd at this time. The remaining animals are bred heifers, young calves and 2 bulls. Our Rolling Herd Average (production per cow) is 23,000 pounds of milk, 3.9% butterfat and 3.3% protein. Currently the average Maple View milking cow produces about eight 1/2 (8.5) gallons of milk each day. Comparatively, that's one hundred thirty six (136) glasses of milk daily.

Milking

Milking is done in a double six herringbone parlor. The current facility was remodeled in 1982; the previous facility was a three-on-a-side opening parlor built in 1935. The cows are milked three times a day.

It takes about four minutes to milk each cow with a milking machine. Milking the whole herd takes about three hours. Digital meters and automatic take-offs assist the one person needed in the milking operation.

Calf Raising

Each newborn calf is kept with its mother for the first day and then is taken to an individual house called a "hutch". A larger calf facility houses older calves 2-3 months of age. Group pens for older heifers exist in two other barns. Calves are moved to pasture at 3-4 months old, weather permitting

It is important to feed colostrum (the first milk from a cow who was just calved) to a newborn calf for the first day or so. Colostrum contains antibodies and nutrients from the mother to protect the newborn calf from many diseases. Fresh milk is fed to calves after that; dry milk replacer is used as needed. After 3 days calf grain is introduced. Calves are weaned around two months of age.

Heifers

Heifers are raised as replacement cows for our milking herd or for sale as breeding stock. Heifers are bred artificially at fifteen (15) months of age or when they weigh 750-800 pounds. After a heifer is bred and checked pregnant, she is grouped with other heifers in a separate pasture.

It is of special interest to note that a registered bull is usually in the pasture with heifers who have been checked pregnant. The bull is always from one of our best cow families. His purpose is to impregnate any heifer who for some reason may miscarry during her pregnancy.

Waste disposal

A waste storage facility was built in 1981. The stall area is scraped daily and pushed into the storage facility. The storage facility contents are regularly used as fertilizer on the land. Liquid manure is either sprayed or injected just under the surface of the land. Tremendous savings have been realized on the fertilizer bill due to this practice.

About the crops

Approximately one hundred fifty acres are sown in barley in the Fall to be harvested in the Spring. Also each Spring, one hundred thirty acres (130) of corn will be planted. In August, this corn will be cut for silage and stored in trench silos. The mild North Carolina climate makes the double cropping of corn and barley possible.

Barley silage (with crimson clover), corn silage, grain (including ground corn and occasionally other grains) and whole cotton seed are mixed with the silage and fed free choice at the feed bunk. We grind our own grain on the farm.

This mix is fed to increase the protein content of the milk. Protein is becoming more and more important to the people who drink milk. The protein content in the milk given by the Maview milking herd enhances the good taste of Maple View Farm milk. No rBST is used on the farm.

Cows are fed from one of the trench silos twice a day. Heifers are fed in the pastures (where they live) or in the heifer breeding lot. Their diet consists of grass and a custom mix grain. The milking cows are kept in free stall areas in the short Carolina winter. In other seasons they are free to roam or rest in nearby pastures.

Water

Drought in the late eighties brought irrigation equipment into the forefront as a means of economic survival. Irrigation during the dry summers has increased hay and corn yields. In 1997 we ran out of water for irrigation in late August. In 1998 the last appreciable rain occurred in early June; early corn was cut four weeks earlier than usual. The third holding pond was built in 1994. When the forty year old original farm pond went dry in the summer of 1999, it was dredged and enlarged to increase its capacity for irrigation purposes. Luckily winter rains filled all the ponds.

Weather forecasters predicted another hot, dry year for 1999. We hustled that spring to get corn seed planted while the ground still had moisture in it. For most of the summers since then, we have experienced long periods of drought. Water tables have dropped. An existing well was extended and a fourth well completed in 2001 to meet the needs of both bovine and human habitation of Maple View as well as for sanitizing the milking parlor and bottling plant equipment.

The Future

Over ninety years have passed since the first registered Holstein came to Maple View Farm. Progress continues through day to day application of experience, knowledge, new ideas and technology.

The future looks bright for the Maview herd under Mike's leadership. As he and his family continue this dairy business into the 21st century, there is great satisfaction in knowing that the bovine ancestors of his herd will have roots in the Maview herd which originated in Maine so many years ago