Bio security
Published:
7/18/2011
Written by:
Milkproduction.com staff
With the high cost of feed these days, it is the largest expense in raising dairy heifers. One way to control feed costs is to manage shrink. Shrink is defined as the amount of feed delivered or grown on a farm that is never consumed. Experts estimate that shrink may account for 5 to 30 percent of feed purchased.
Read more »
Manure management
Published:
4/20/2011
Written by:
Deanne Meyer
Efficient resource management is becoming increasingly important and dairy producers are under a lot of pressure to comply with environmental regulations while at the same time cutting costs. By evaluating your manure management and analyzing inputs to the waste stream you can identify management and infrastructure options that can reduce the waste water volume. The atmospheric losses of nitrogen from the manure can be minimized by looking at alternative outlets for the manure. It is important to evaluate what management practices and technology you need that will improve both air and water quality. There might even be new resources for revenue available, such as emission reduction credits and renewable energy credits.
Read more »
Cow comfort
Published:
4/25/2011
Written by:
Marcia Endres
Have you observed your cows’ legs and feet lately? Watched them walking? What about their eyes? Have you taken a close look at their production and health records? Cows are talking… showing us in many ways if they are comfortable in the environment and management we provide. Cows can give us signs, by how they look, perform and behave, on whether or not they are at ease.
Read more »
Barn design
Published:
4/12/2011
Written by:
Nigel B. Cook
Over the last few years, the Food Animal Production Medicine group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have used their clinical experiences troubleshooting fresh cow health problems on farms, research conducted by other groups, and their own research findings to formulate a plan for designing transition cow barns which results in optimal health and performance. In this article, Nigel Cook summarizes the planning process they have devised and used successfully to create these new facilities.
Read more »
Cow Comfort
Published:
3/25/2011
Written by:
Jeffrey Bewley
Cow comfort can be improved dramatically through modification of existing freestalls. Often these changes can be made with minimal expense. Before undertaking such an effort, one should be evaluate long-term plans. Determine whether the existing facility truly has enough positive attributes to renovate or if building a new facility would prove more beneficial and cost effective. Observing cow behavior can provide clues for evaluating what changes could be made. Modifying one shortcoming may not always improve the situation if other problems still exist, but cow comfort improvements achieved through freestall modification can provide immense benefits to animal well-being, milk yield, and cow longevity—all while minimizing farmer frustration and stress.
Read more »
Cow comfort
Published:
11/28/2005
Written by:
Curt A. Gooch
Modern dairy confinement facilities are housing cows for much if not all of their entire lives. Concrete is the prevalent flooring surface in dairy barns and shelters at this time. Concrete must be properly grooved or patterned to provide confident footing for cows.
Read more »
Ventilation
Published:
12/19/2006
Written by:
John P. Chastain
Many tie stall or stanchion barns do not provide adequate ventilation.
Proper ventilation is needed to remove moisture and manure gases year-round, as well as excess animal heat during mild weather and the hot summer months.
Proper ventilation results in a healthier and more productive environment for both cows and people in the building.
This paper describes inexpensive methods to provide satisfactory exhaust ventilation in existing dairy barns.
Read more »
Lighting
Written by:
John P. Chastain
Richard Nicolai
Proper lighting in a milking center and the housing area will add to a high quality working environment to improve worker efficiency, safety, and comfort. Provision for the right amount of light may improve the productivity of dairy workers.
Research trials indicate that supplementing lactating cows with 16 to 18 hours of light per day increases milk production by 5 to 16% as compared to cows exposed to 13.5 hours or less of light per day (Peters, 1994).
The purpose of this article is to provide the dairy producer with enough information to design or evaluate the lighting in their facility. The article is arranged using a step by step design procedure with background information and design tables. At the end are examples of dairy lighting for a milking center and free stall barn.
Read more »
Manure handling
Published:
9/15/2011
A workshop was held in the Netherlands in November 2010 aiming to promote exchange of information on manure management among member states of the European Union, with special focus on manure processing.
Read more »
Housing
Published:
4/12/2011
Written by:
Monica Wadsworth
Increased space and better access to water has proved to be beneficial to primiparous cows, and barn layouts without dead-end alleys and improved water capacity is beneficial for all cows in free stall systems, according to a Norwegian study published in Journal of Dairy Science in March 2011
Read more »
Housing
Published:
4/7/2011
Written by:
Larry D. Jacobson
David Schmidt
Prediction of odor problems is important as rural and non-rural areas converge, and when discussing odor problems related to animal agriculture, the following questions often arise: How far does odor travel? Are animal numbers or animal species accurate predictors of nuisance odors? How much odor control is needed to solve an odor problem from an existing facility? Can the odor impact from a new facility be predicted? At the University of Minnesota a tool has been developed that will answer some of these questions.
Read more »
Barn design
Published:
3/16/2011
Written by:
Erika Lindgren
When planning a functional barn for milk production, a lot of factors need to be
considered. The environment should be rational, safe and healthy for both staff and animals. The barn should promote a good production but also allow the cows to behave naturally to sustain a good welfare. Knowledge regarding behavioural
responses of different building designs may contribute to the development of new
planning strategies for dairy barns.
Read more »
The dairy farms
Published:
3/17/2011
When the new barn was built at Folsberga, cow comfort was high priority, with mattresses in all cubicles, rubber-covered feeding areas, cow brushes, good ventilation and automated manure scrapers.
Read more »
Housing facilities
Published:
5/28/2008
Written by:
Milkproduction.com staff
Composting bedded pack dairy barns, commonly called compost barns, are generating interest among dairy producers who are upgrading their milking herd facilities. Minnesota has at least six compost barns in operation and more under construction. Producers interested in modernizing their dairy housing facilities are considering compost barns as an alternative to freestall barns for milking herd and special needs housing.
Read more »
Cow comfort
Published:
8/18/2009
Written by:
Ynte H. Schukken
Douglas G. Young
A field study made by Cornell University shows that second lactation cows showed a significant increase in daily milk production and a decrease in clinical mastitis when a cow brush was installed.
Read more »
Cow Comfort
In this article series you can find out how cow comfort can contribute to your profitability. Cows should behave naturally and stand or lie down easily. Mastitis, sore feet, rubbed necks, and rubbed or swollen hocks can indicate cow comfort problems. In these articles you will find all the basic information about cow comfort based on the behaviour and needs of cows.
Read more »
