ST PIERRE HOOF CARE: Featured Hoof Trimmer Testimonial
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I started trimming in 1992. It was a way to make extra income while managing the family farm. We had built our own table so that we could take care of our lame cows. It soon became apparent that hoof trimming other farmer’s cows might be a good way to help pay the bills. It wasn’t long before I realized that providing hoof care services would be a full time career for me.
I converted our hoof chute to a truck mounted chute that could be removed when the truck was needed for other uses around the farm. My first tools were a couple of hoof knives and some long-handled nippers. After about two weeks I was looking for an easier way to trim! That is when I heard about a wheel that could be mounted to an angle grinder and used to chip the toes away with much less effort than with knives and nippers. The wheel was made by Trim-Tec, featured 5 carbide blades and was set up in a style like what is today known as a shaver in the Trim- Tec product line.
I purchased the wheel and have been a fan of power chipping wheels ever since. I made a point of purchasing each new wheel improvement and was never disappointed. I currently use the Titanium Titan XT wheel and as always, am waiting for the next improvement to come along! As someone always looking for improvements to my work environment, I also made many improvements to my hoof trimming chute over the years. After trimming with my original chute for about 7 years I accumulated a wish list of improvements for a new chute.
In 1999 I bought an F550 and built a new chute to mount right to the frame. My first chute had one cylinder for tipping the cow. My new chute took 6 months to build, working nights and weekends, while still maintaining a full time trimming schedule. It had 12 cylinders that did everything I could possibly think of to reduce operator fatigue. Recently I have added 4 more cylinders for my remote-control foot restraints.
I currently trim with my son Mike who has been with me since he graduated from high school. We do about 22000 cows per year. Our highly automated table and many hours of experience allow us to do an average of 140 cows per day and still get home by 3 pm most days.
Hoof trimming has become a family business over the years. We manufacture hoof blocks, along with a few other unique products, and retail a variety of hoof trimming supplies to other hoof trimmers on our website. My daughter Tara makes the blocks, my daughter Jessica and wife Gail work the office and shipping. It is truly a family business.
My motto has always been, “We only sell what we use, we only use the best”. You might say we are one of the few businesses that field tests its products every day! Customers call me and ask why they should buy a Trim Tec wheel and I tell them you won’t know what you’re missing unless you try it. To my knowledge, no one has gone back to using their old wheel after trying one.
