NY Animal Agriculture Coalition discusses waterbeds for cows with Hemdale Farms in New York

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The bedding that farmers utilize on their farms has been something that has been pretty different among the farms we've been visiting. This is interesting because there is no right way to do things on a dairy farm. Instead, farmers focus on what works for them and their cows. The folks at Hemdale Farms in Seneca Castle choose to allow their cows to sleep and relax on waterbeds in their barns. Meet Farmer Dale who will tell you more today.

At the time of Hemdale Farms & Greenhouses' first installation of 300 waterbeds in 2001, it was our largest single farm installation.

With almost 20 years of working together (and additional installation/projects), we're proud of being a part of Hemdale's commitment to long-lasting cow comfort.

"[Waterbeds] are very environmentally friendly...[and] keep the cows very healthy and happy," Farmer Dale said in this NY Animal Agriculture Coalition video.

[Podcast] Anna Hinchley: Designing her own robot barn [PROGRESSIVE DAIRY]

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From Progressive Publishing

PROGRESSIVE DAIRY published August 4, 2020

In this episode, we hear from 22-year-old dairy farmer Anna Hinchley. Her desire to return to her family’s dairy in Cambridge, Wisconsin, after graduating prompted her parents to move forward with expanding the herd and upgrading to automated milking. Anna has been involved in every step of the barn design process. Hear about the key features of her robot barn here.

I’m here today with Anna Hinchley at Hinchley’s Dairy Farm near Cambridge, Wisconsin. 

Anna is a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she has now returned to the farm to officially begin her career as a dairy farmer. 

But she won’t be milking 140 cows in a 7-cow tie-stall barn like the days of her youth. The Hinchleys constructed an automated milking facility last year with four robots to handle around 240 milking cows. 

Anna was very involved in the design and layout of the facility that she now works in every day.

She is going to give us a deep-dive into the details of this barn design and how it not only leverages efficiency and technology, but also lends to the Hinchley’s long-time agritourism business.

With that, let’s hear from Anna.