Farmer Spotlight > Richard Waybright
From robotic milkers to hybrids,
technology is key for Pennsylvania farmer
| Richard Waybright |
Pennsylvania |
2,400 |
Hello from beautiful Pennsylvania! Mason Dixon Farm is located on each side of the Mason Dixon Line, the historical marker that separated the north and the south during the Civil War. In the late 1700’s, our family bought 375 acres of farming land from Richard Penn; it’s this land that my family and my brother, Horace, still call home today.
In 1948, Horace and I entered into a partnership with our dad. Back then, the farm included 12 dairy cows, along with chickens, pigs, sheep, and other farm animals. In 1951, Horace and I took a risky step; we built one of the first milking parlors in the country. This innovative measure was the first of many for our farm, where our motto is, “Change is inevitable, success is optional.”
Today, Mason Dixon Farm is run by yet another generation of Waybrights, my sons and nephew, while Horace and I continue to oversee the management of the farm. My sons Doyle, Bert, Alan, and Joel each specialize in one area of the farm: Doyle is the general herd manager and nutritionist – he makes sure the cows are healthy and well-fed; Bert is the main engineer and also oversees animal waste; Alan raises the baby calves into healthy milking cows; and Joel is the crop and maintenance manager. Horace’s son Jeff is in charge of feeding all the cows each day – and with more than 2,400 dairy cows on our farm, that is a very big and important task!
Even though our farm is one of the largest in Pennsylvania, it’s still a family business. I’m proud that my sons have been able to provide their families, and the families of our employees, with a good quality life. Each day, our goal is to keep our dairy cows happy. Every decision and innovation we’ve made on our farm has been led by our belief that our cows are the most important piece of our success. We’ve done our best to create a “cow heaven” and think we have achieved it well!
Our cows live in specially designed barns that are built for comfort, air movement and light. Our newest innovation is the use of robotic milkers. About 550 of our cows are enjoying the freedom of being milked at their leisure. By using the robotic milkers, our cows can choose when they want to be milked and adjust to their own particular schedule for eating, resting and milking.
In addition to caring for our animals, we care about our land and the environment. In fact, our farm has been “cow powered” since 1979. Our cows not only provide the public with a healthy and wholesome product, they provide our farm with our electricity needs. This is done by converting the cows’ waste products into electricity by use of a methane digester.
Mason Dixon hosts thousands of visitors each year from all over the world – I hope that you will stop by to say “hi” and learn more about the dairy industry if you are ever in Pennsylvania.
