FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT

When the time comes and I head to the calf barn in the morning dressed in pants, a sweatshirt and a stocking hat but my afternoon feeding attire includes a t-shirt and shorts, this can only mean one thing: Spring has arrived.

Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Achieving any significant accomplishment is not the result of luck or chance. The winning Stanley Cup team is not surprised they won. They know their reward is the result of great teamwork, good communication and, most importantly, from having a plan that was followed exactly as practiced.

Labour savings is a primary goal of automated milking system barn design. Excellent cow comfort and welfare also provide for healthy and productive cows.

When making a change as big as a new barn, you’ve been planning for years before even breaking ground.

I am often confronted with a new challenge when it comes to repairs around our family farm. Much of the machinery and buildings we own were purchased or constructed when I was in elementary school. I also have found that some of the tools I have in the shop have seen better days as well.

As we age, Old Man Winter gets older at an ever-increasing rate. With each passing year, the joints ache a bit more and get a bit stiffer. While this isn’t a fashion column, let me give you just a few quick pointers from an old farmer.