Area agriculturists and dairy farmers are invited to an open house at Maple Lane Manor, a 100--milking cow, tie-stall dairy, located in Apulia Station, N.Y., on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from noon to 3 p.m. Maple Lane Manor has served as a Cornell University demonstration site for energy monitoring and efficiency improvements since the spring of 1995. It is owned by Ben and Carolyn Turner.

Farm energy use for the major barn-related operations, water use and site temperature have now been monitored for more than a year. The information serves to prove energy-efficiency improvements at the farm. The Turners installed a tunnel ventilation system this spring for summer ventilation and, as a result, electricity usage was reduced by at least 50 percent, while both barn ventilation and summer milk production improved.

The farm also uses milk cooling efficiency-improvement concepts that integrate farm water use.

Maple Lane Manor is located at 6565 Rte. 80, Apulia Station, N.Y. Directions: Take Interstate 81 from north or south to the Tully exit (Exit 14) to state Route 80. Take Route 80 east into Apulia Station, go through Apulia Station village -- slowly! Look for "Maple Lane Manor -- Registered Holsteins" sign on the left after the village. At sign, turn left into driveway, past the house and machinery building to the barn.

This is a project of the Cornell Agricultural Energy Program, made possible with funding from the Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. For more information, call John Potter at (607) 255-9386 or e-mail: jhp8@cornell.edu.