Elementary School Students Get a Glimpse of Cow Waterbeds
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See what a group of your journalists found out about DCC Waterbeds at World Ag Expo!
Read More
Service article feature series on Progressive Dairy (Podcast & article links)
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In 2021, Amy Throndsen, wrote a series of feature articles on people in the dairy community with a background in service for Progressive Dairy. She featured military service from the following branches: Amry Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), and the Air Force as well as and volunteers with Peace Corps and AgriCorps.
Read MoreMinnesota Agriculture in the Classroom organizes and hosts virtual tour of Sarah and Rick Ahlgren's milking robot barn
/OCTOBER 29, 2020
Visit Ahlgren Dairy near Darwin, Minnesota.
Darwin, Minnesota, is home to the largest ball of twine, and it’s also the community where Ahlgren Dairy calls home.
Meet dairy farmers Rick and Sarah Ahlgren who recently invested in their farm to add robotic technology. During the tour, learn how the new technology helps their family care for the cows, the environment, and the community to produce a safe, sustainable and nutritious product.
Sarah and Rick Ahlgren show us their milking robots, cows laying on DCC Waterbeds, the feed kitchen and the poop vacuum. Robotics, automation and cow comfort are the highest priorities on the Ahlgren Dairy. They live on the farm with their 6 children in Central Minnesota.
Thank you Sarah and Rick for the tour and Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom for organizing and hosting the virtual tour (Virtual Field Trip-Ahlgren Dairy).
Many thanks to our local dealer, Leedstone, for the continued support of the Ahlgren Dairy Farm.
A few of my favorite sections in the video tour:
4:30min: How do you know when a cow is happy and comfortable?
Rick - "Cows are very friendly and curious....if she laying down chewing her cud, she is healthy and happy."
5:15min: Rick talks about the cows laying down on DCC Waterbeds, and how the water moves with the cow.
31min - Rick and Sarah talk about their favorite part of dairy farming.
What are your favorite parts of the tour?
German farmers install DCC Waterbeds
/The fun these ladies are having on this video will have you dancing into any part of your day (even if you don't speak German, like me!). Welcome to the #dccwfamily, Tanja and Maren!
Tja viel gibt es dazu nicht zu sagen- außer: WASSERBETTEN FÜR KÜHE - WIE KUHL IST DAS DENN?!! Wie die wohl bei den Kühen ankommen- die beiden KuhTuberinnen T...
Cow Water Beds Make For Sweet Dreams And More Milk→
/Source: Scott Poock, 573-882-6359; Stacey Hamilton, 417-466-2148
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Water beds for cows improve comfort and milk production at the University of Missouri’s Foremost Dairy Research Center near Columbia.
MU Extension veterinarian Scott Poock and dairy specialist Stacey Hamilton are part of the Foremost team that researches how the beds improve herds. They monitor cows on cameras and record data about resting times and milk production.
Foremost began using the new beds in fall 2018. Cows adapted quickly, Hamilton says, with an estimated 75 percent of the herd using the beds by the second day.
The amount of rest a cow receives affects the quantity of milk she produces. In freestyle barn operations, dairy operators want cows to lie down 12-14 hours per day to prevent lameness and increase milk production. With the water beds, cows stay longer in stalls and lie down sooner, Poock says. Before the water beds, cows lay down an average of 8.5 minutes after entering a stall. They now lie down within five minutes.
The dual-chamber beds offer extra support for the cow’s knees. Once the cow kneels, the pillows offer a cushion for pressure points with gentle support. Strong joints provide better stability and prevent leg and foot injuries, sores and infections that can reduce mobility.
It is “all about cow comfort” and profit for the herd owner, says Hamilton. “Comfortable cows are happier and make more milk.”
Foremost staff put wood chips in the stalls to cover the water beds and catch waste. If Foremost used sand, it would take 50 pounds of sand per day per 160 stalls. The water beds are an easier option, Hamilton says.
The bovine beds cost about a third more than beds previously used at Foremost. Those beds, made of interlocking chopped rubber pieces, deteriorated with time and use.
Many dairy farms still use sand, straw, wood shavings or grass to keep stalls dry and comfortable for cows. Foremost Dairy is among a growing number of dairy farms using the new technology.
Last year, the BBC reported that cows at Queen Elizabeth II’s farm at Windsor Castle enjoy the luxury of water beds. Queen Elizabeth also pampers her cattle with green pastures and automatic brushes that remove dirt and relieve stress. The queen’s dairy uses robotics to milk cows and clean barn floors.
Meanwhile, across the pond, Foremost cows receive the royal treatment too.
Learn more about the Foremost Dairy Research Center at ForemostDairy.missouri.edu.
FROM: http://www.mycaldwellcounty.com/farm-agriculture/cow-water-beds-make-sweet-dreams-and-more-milk
