FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT

As you work to provide a consistent ration to your cows at the same time each and every day, the mixing operation is critical to your success. Today, I want to talk about getting the feed mixed and some of the factors that affect the quality of mix.

In the last few years, a number of teat-scrubbing technologies have been released in the marketplace. Progressive Dairyman reached out to several manufacturers or marketers of this equipment to learn what is attracting the initial purchasers as well as what might be holding some interested parties back.

When you wake up in the morning, you have two jobs that must be done regardless of everything else – you need to get your cows milked, and you must get them fed. Everything else can be put on hold to ensure these two activities are completed.

While it is satisfying to see a clean and shiny piece of equipment, I must say, as I get older and acquire more machinery to wash, the motivation to clean up is far less than it once was.

When buying equipment for a freestall barn, all owners want equipment that will stand the test of time, bringing them the most value for the money spent. Shy of purchasing stainless-steel headlocks and loops, how can you be sure your hard-earned dollars are going into a product that will last?

When the time came for brothers Chad and Brent Koopman, Epworth, Iowa, to take the reins of the second-generation dairy farm from their dad and uncle, they recognized changes were imminent. They wanted to keep investment costs within a budget they felt comfortable with while still utilizing their existing freestalls and milkhouse.