FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT

Dr. Gordie Jones, an independent dairy performance consultant and partner in Central Sands Dairy in Wisconsin, is a recognized expert in freestall facility design.

If you go tractor shopping, you soon find out there are a bunch of choices to make. Even among tractors of the same manufacturer, you need to know what your present needs are and what your future needs might be to select the best tractor for your operation.

I don’t believe there is any place colder than a large metal building on a cold, windy day. If they are oriented incorrectly to form a wind tunnel … oh my goodness, they are frigid.

Cold temperatures can have many effects on a dairy farm. Frozen manure or waterers and frigid temperatures for workers can be management nightmares. Despite the winter weather, completely closing up the barn can have a very negative impact on the herd.

Whenever anyone says they just “love” snow, I always think, “They never had to get cows milked through a snowstorm.” I am not a total curmudgeon about seeing a few snowflakes, and I do think snow scenes can be pretty, but the reality is: Snow robs many hours each year because farmers have to deal with the snow as an additional chore during an already busy day.

Weather this time of year can change in a hurry. So how many of you, as dairy producers, have heeded the warning and taken the time to prepare for the upcoming winter?