FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT

Ask any dairy producer what their number one expense is, and they’re likely to say, “feed.” The average 80-cow dairy farm spends more than $15,000 on feed each month and over $180,000 every year.

You know the old saying, “If your only tool is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail.” While that might be the case, the next question has to be, “What kind of hammer do you have?”

More and more farms are transitioning to the world of robotic milking. During the preparation for this transition, farm visits will be made, drawings will be looked at and questions will be asked regarding numerous aspects of the project.

As farmers, we frequently find ourselves serving as our own service and repair departments. With apologies to highly trained and experienced service personnel reading this, there are times when we are better trained than the employees at a local dealership.

Two very different ways of milking cows can teach us some of the most basic lessons for maintaining low somatic cell counts (SCC) and achieving milk quality goals.

Decisions on the dairy should be based on increasing efficiency to improve the bottom line. As you weigh the costs and benefits of cooling your cows, the numbers quickly add up: Cooling wins every time.