Interview with Adam Whitehead, Resident Farrier
University of Florida Large Animal Hospital (Read PDF)
See ALL the current news and awards received by the maker of these specialty hoof trimming tools - King Arthur's Tools
MERLIN a wiz at Farmfair
Anthony Kovats, 11/ 17/08, Special to the Times
"Merlin a wiz at Farmfair" - Wetaskiwin Times Online
EDMONTON -- The event is beyond belief.
An annual agricultural undertaking that draws the brightest – the best – of the industry housed under one roof to compete or features market innovations directed toward rural living.
After more than 35 years, Farmfair International continues to be a top business destination for the global livestock industry.
Each year, more than 100,000 spectators come together to see, show and sell top-quality livestock in Edmonton.
From genetics and livestock to the latest in equipment, this show is a one-stop marketplace for the industry.
Stellar experience -
For Alder Flats’ own Heather Rominick, the Farmfair International experience Oct. 31 to Nov. 8, has been nothing short of stellar. Rominick, Canada’s only distributor of the MERLIN and BORS hoof trimming systems, said the media exposure has been incredible.
Since setting up her booth at Farmfair, Rominick has moved seven of the trimming units developed and manufactured by King Arthur’s Tools out of the U.S. “People love it. Great trimming this time of year since horses’ feet at this time of year are winter tough,” said Rominick.
As the onset of winter approaches, horse hooves start to toughen to protect them from the cold, solid ground. For the farrier, winter and trimming hooves are not a good marriage since even the best knives and rasps can make trimming a serious undertaking. “It’s hard. It’s a lot of hard work and the MERLIN takes it off very nicely so you can get in there and dress that foot properly. It takes the work out of your arms and shoulders.” As Rominick earlier, and aptly, described, MERLIN is “basically, a Dremel on steroids.” And that’s exactly what MERLIN is. A hand-held rotary tool equipped with a cutting wheel like you have never seen before.
Developed by the noted tool manufacturer, King Arthur’s Tools in the U.S., MERLIN is a serious tool for the home farrier.
Imagine a rotary tool where the blade consists of four tungsten carbide chainsaw teeth. King Arthur, noted for its chainsaw developments, introduced MERLIN for hoof trimmers immersed in dairy operations knowing a lame dairy cow means lost production.
King Arthur took its time developing MERLIN and BORS. The tungsten carbide teeth have an average life of roughly 4,000 animals. Although some report they can get as many as 10,000 animals through.
Being that Rominick was an accomplished farrier, the company jumped at the chance to make her their Canadian connection.
Publicity helped-
After the first article appeared in the County Market, the Alder Flats rancher has been selling the devices non-stop. Farmfair has only heightened awareness for the easy-to-use product. “Since Saturday, we have sold seven units,” exclaimed Rominick. “A lot of people read the story in the (County Market) and said ‘ Oh yeah, I’ve read about this. You’re that lady.’ And they have really been enjoying it.” King Arthur’s Tools is “pumped,” too, and has further promoted MERLIN using the County Market article on its website.
The exposure of Farmfair has delivered as it has opened up new avenues for Rominick, who added one of her customers at Farmfair is a sheep producer. “(The MERLIN’s) small, easy to control, so you can hold that foot with one hand, trim with the other and you’re done in no time.”
"Innovation has a name - MERLIN" BY Anthony Kovats/County Market - 10/ 06/08
Let’s face it. In a world inundated with gadgets and the next best thing to make our lives easier, a lot of these “clever” ideas are nothing short of garbage -- at least, that’s where most of them will end up, and in short order.
But then there are products that hit the market where you truly pause, scratch your head and muse, “now, why didn’t I think of that?” And no industry can boast as many innovations that actually work in the real world than in agriculture. After all, farmers and producers just seem to have more common sense than most anyway.
They are the products that truly stem from the practical.
O.K. maybe they aren’t practical for urbanites, but for the dairyman, horseman, rancher and farrier there’s a new tool in town and the only Canadian distributor for this innovation lives in a serene little Angus operation near Alder Flats. A little more than a decade ago, Heather Rominick was a quiet, practical accountant.
By 2000, Rominick and her husband moved to the Alder Flats area where she could engage her passion for Tennessee Walkers and Angus cattle -- it was also closer to his work at Medicine Lake. But because the horses required a specific way to have their hooves trimmed, Rominick took to the task of learning the farrier trade through courses and hands-on know how.
“I learned how to do it by myself and found I was actually pretty good at it,” recalled Rominick.
She also wasn’t fond of spending a few hundred dollars each time she had to load up lame animals, transport the animal to a farrier or veterinarian to trim the hooves and deal with the lame animal and then transport it home. Also, think of the workday wasted.
Also, add up how production of a lame animal, especially a dairy cow, is compromised by being lame. Good foot health is essential to the overall productivity of the animal.
A lesson Rominick learned quickly.
It was when she was assisting on a PMU operation in the area, that Rominick first discovered the benefits of a tipping table, a table that you can actually attach the animal to, flip horizontally, and trim its hooves.
After trimming roughly 100 horses in the better part of a day -- yeah, you read right, 100 in a day -- she was hooked and soon acquired a table of her own.
The grinder the farrier used, the speed with which he trimmed the hooves and its practicality, also mesmerized her.
But which type to buy?
Dial up Internet service is just a fact of life in rural Alberta, and she painstakingly spent her time looking for a trimmer that could meet her demands.
Well, its name is MERLIN. “Basically, a Dremel on steroids,” laughed Rominick.
And that’s exactly what MERLIN is. A hand-held rotary tool equipped with a cutting wheel like you have never seen before.
Developed by the noted tool manufacturer, King Arthur’s Tools in the U.S., MERLIN is a serious tool for the home farrier -- imagine a rotary tool in which the blade is four tungsten carbide chainsaw teeth.
King Arthur, noted for its chainsaw developments, introduced MERLIN for hoof trimmers immersed in dairy operations knowing a lame dairy cow means lost production.
Rominick contacted King Arthur, which had concentrated exclusively on its U.S. markets, and an overjoyed company, knowing it was dealing with a Canadian farrier jumped on the opportunity. “They got pretty excited about it and said I was the girl they were looking for because of my experience with horses and cows.” Hence, Rominick assumed the mantle of
product distributor. And since receiving her first shipment of about 20 MERLINs in May, she has only four from this first delivery left.
In other words, people in the know, know a practical product when they see it.
Within a few scant minutes, Rominick demonstrated the ease of MERLIN as she trimmed a cow hoof. As slivers of hoof flew away from the rotating teeth, she deftly proved that a well-trimmed hoof will make any animal, and thus any producer, happy.
For the more experienced farrier, she then introduced BORS -- a grinding disc also developed by King Arthur, but sporting an impressive six tungsten carbide teeth.
While MERLIN is a complete unit with changeable wheels, BORS is just the wheel itself and can be fitted to any inexpensive hand grinder already on a family operation.
King Arthur took its time developing MERLIN and BORS.
The company conducted extensive field trials on dairy operations from Florida to Wisconsin until they had a system that delivered both blade longevity and ease of sharpening.
The tungsten carbide teeth have an average life of roughly 4,000 animals. Although some report they can get as many as 10,000 animals through.
Do the math.
Remember the transport costs, the farrier or hoof trimmer expenses and production lost?
For a few hundred dollars for the MERLIN -- $385 including a diamond sharpener, DVD, case and four accessory discs, and $255 for the BORS cutting disc, doing it yourself makes sense.
Of course nature took care of animal hoof growth, but since domestication, we have to take over. “Now we have to take care of them for nature by trimming their feet. As the foot grows beyond normal function size and shape it gets ‘sick’ so to speak. It catches bacteria, does not exfoliate, tries to protect itself and grows faster than it wears,” Rominick said. “By trimming feet, our goal is to return the foot to its normal function. We also address injury and clean it up to help it heal.”
So, whether a beef producer, showman, horseman or dairy operator, keeping your animals walking with a healthy gait benefits you directly.
While most of the meat on our plates comes from stock that is likely two years old (the foot has not had significant time to over grow itself compared to the body size) the cows and bulls producing our meat are much older and need attention. If the dairy cow loses milk production ($300 to $400 per occurrence) then the beef cow does too. But her measure is in the health and size of her calf. “Then Merlin can be used by anyone who has a basic understanding of the foot structure. While one can hurt an animal with any tool be it nippers or these small grinders, you almost have to try to cause problems. Show animals, 4-H clubs, herdsmen, dairymen, beef producers, rodeo stock and veterinarians can all benefit from the use of this tool.”
bowes online article link (above article)
