Please join us on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at 9am Pacific Time for the “Give Your Cows a Better Barn” as a featured World Ag Expo seminar. During the seminar we will discuss how to provide the best barn for your dairy cows. We' e partnered with some of the best in the industry to discuss some key factors to consider when giving your cows a healthy, productive environment.
Read MoreWatch the panel discussion about the challenges, differences and opportunities in North American agriculture - moderated by DCC Waterbeds' Scott Hartwell.
Tuesday, August 25
Watch a recording of the seminar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0kWzbMjNo0&feature=emb_err_woyt
PUBLISHED BY PROGRESSIVE PUBLISHING
July 19, 2020
[Article link here.]
No one wants to see cows standing when they should be lying comfortably in their stalls, making milk and resting.
Why do cows sometimes refuse to lie down in the stalls? It may be easy to jump to the conclusion that the stall surface isn’t comfortable, but there’s often more to the story than what’s at the base of the stall.
The following are three common back barn beliefs, or myths, that don’t tell the whole story. Here are a few analogies to make the points; the examples are meant to provide a little laugh but also some food for thought.
Cows standing because they are not comfortable on the stall surface is a possibility. However, other factors are often overlooked. Let’s look at neck rail positioning in this scenario:
It’s snowing outside and zero degrees. There is a 6-foot-tall woman standing outside. The door is 5 feet, 9 inches high.
Is the woman standing outside the door because the chair she has to sit on in the room inside isn’t comfortable? Possibly.
However, it’s also possible that she is standing outside for a few other reasons:
1. She hasn’t figured out how to bend down far enough to get through the short door frame.
2. Last time, she didn’t bend down far enough, so she whacked her head – and she remembers how that hurt, so she’s trying to figure out how to not go through that pain again.
3. She likes the cold for a little bit, especially to digest after eating a big dinner, so she’s not ready to go in yet.
4. The boss is in the room, and she doesn’t want to talk to her. She would rather stand in the snow than deal with the boss.
We see this with cows, too.
The neck rail is so far back in the stall (to help with stall cleanliness and prevent them from manuring in the stall), the cow can’t get in the stall.
This has nothing to do with the comfort of the stall. It has to do with them not being able to get in the stall. The neck rail positioning is helping the management of the stall, not the comfort for the cow.
The cows are not necessarily saying they are uncomfortable on the available beds. It could as easily be they are uncomfortable in the available stall. It may have nothing to do with the surface lying area at all.
Cow behavior can be observed, but could there be other factors at play with cow choice?
Let’s say your pantry is filled with 100 bars of chocolate. That’s the way it’s always been. You have a steady supply of chocolate bars, and you never have to think about it. No one complains; life is grand.
Then one day your doctor consults with you and says, “Seems like your son has gained a few pounds. You should think about including some fruit in his diet – that would help him improve his health.”
You take the doctor’s advice, but you also believe your son will make the right decision and tell you what he prefers by his choice. You decide you’re going to let your son choose.
So instead of 100 bars of chocolate, you swap out 10 chocolate bars for 10 apples. You have 90 chocolate bars and 10 apples. What do you think your son will choose? The apple is sweet and crunchy and delicious – why wouldn’t he choose the apple? Does that mean the apple is not healthy? Does that mean the apple will not provide him nourishment? Is it the apple’s “fault” your son did not choose it?
Whether the cows “choose” something may not have anything to do with that thing. It’s possible their choice is hurting them rather than helping them.
Another thing to consider is that when producers try something, for example, and change 10 stalls, it can often be the ones in the least-desirable location. Imagine those 10 apples on the top shelf. Your son can’t even see them, let alone reach them. He doesn’t choose the apple. What is he actually telling you versus what assumptions are you making about what he’s telling you?
If we gave cows free choice on their feed, they would eat all the grain and not the TMR mixture. We don’t feed cows free choice anymore, so why do we look for cows to show us what “free choice” for bedding they prefer?
The stall surface isn’t the only factor that plays into a cow’s choice to lie crossways. Stall comfort and obstructions are major influencers as well.
Try this exercise: Sit in your chair with your knees against the wall. Try it; you’ll be surprised.
What happens when you get up sitting next to the wall? If you’re 20 (or when you were 20), you may be able to pop right up and maneuver around the wall in front of you without any trouble. It doesn’t seem like a problem. But what are you teaching yourself? The chair isn’t comfortable enough. You’d rather stand and walk around for a few more minutes than have to deal with the wall. Your weight is distributed funny when you get up and puts unnecessary pressure on your knee or hip. You start to wear down your body parts.
How about if you’re in your 30s, 40s or 50s? You may have less “pop right up” and experience more trouble adjusting yourself in rising from the seated position with a chair so close to the wall. You experience the same – standing, walking, weight distribution issues as you did in your 20s.
If you won’t try the chair exercise, why not? It’s not practical or comfortable, so why would you do it?
When we don’t provide the lunge space necessary for cows, we’re asking the cows to do just that: Sit in a chair with her knees against the wall each time she lies down.
Cows experience this challenge of getting up when they have something in their lunge space. It could be a wall because the stalls are too short, or perhaps the cows have outgrown the space for the stall. The obstruction could even be another cow’s head because the head-to-head is too narrow.
Do your cows have the lunge space they need to get up with ease?
Dan Sullivan, a business leader, says, “The eyes only see and our ears only hear what our brain is looking for.”
What objective criteria are you using to track and monitor your thinking?
Do you always consult with the same person or group?
What could someone else’s opinion offer to your farm and practices?
It is human nature to see what we’re already looking for and support the decisions we’ve already made. We have to fight that natural instinct to grow and challenge ourselves.
Read the full article from NY Animal Ag published at this link.
Hemdale Farms in Seneca Castle, New York populated the first 300+ waterbeds with their barn built in 2001, and DCCWs have been a part of their cow comfort program ever since.
“Water has no memory,” said Pete Maslyn of Hemdale Farms.
“For each animal, it provides a perfect contour to her specific body type. Then it springs back to accommodate another cow.”
Stalls are cleaned three times a day and bedded with a recycled paper product and lime to keep beds dry. Located in Seneca Castle, NY, Hemdale Farms includes a 1,400-cow dairy with 100% robotic milking, forage and specialty crops, and a greenhouse operation starting vegetable plants for growers across New York State.
FROM NY Animal Ag, published on July 17, 2020
What Old McDonald Could Learn About Keeping Cows Comfortable
Old MacDonald has certainly been a good teacher to children about farm animals. From an early age we know the type of creatures found on a real-live farm and the noises they make. Outside of the quacks, snorts, and moos, however, we know very little about how this farmer cares for his herd. If he was a dairy farmer, good feed, plentiful water, exercise, a comfortable, clean and dry bed are just a few of the necessities that make cows comfortable. New York farmers, who rank fourth nationally in terms of total US milk production, are taking cow comfort and well-being to a whole new level with scientific advancements and continuous research. It is now secret; happy cows are more productive.
Let Them Do What They Want
Steve Palladino has been caring for cows for 36 years. He and his two partners operate Walnut Ridge Dairy located in Lansing, NY. “Ensuring the well-being of our cows is a top priority,” said Steve. “We’re always looking for opportunities that will help ensure our cows have a healthy, happy life while they are with us. Technology and research are allowing us to do a better job managing their well-being. This includes their general comfort, nutrition, their environment and how our employees interact with them.”
Walnut Ridge Dairy Farm features a 60-cow rotary milking parlor which may be Central New York’s largest merry-go-round. The ride lasts nine minutes and is uniquely equipped to milk their 1,500 cows, three times per day. “Our goal is to reduce milking time,” said partner Steve Palladino. “We need to maximize the time our cows have to relax and have access to water, food and their beds.”
Visiting this family dairy, you might think Walnut Ridge has one of Central New York’s largest merry-go-rounds. Instead their rotary parlor is a gently rotating platform that is uniquely equipped to milk their 1,500 cows, three times per day. The ride lasts nine minutes for 60 cows at a time. From start to finish, it takes roughly six hours to milk their entire herd. “Our goal is to reduce milking time,” said Steve. “We need to maximize the time our cows have to relax and have access to water, food and their beds. We want to let her do what she wants to do.”
Under ideal conditions, cows lie down for approximately 14 hours per day which promotes digestion, healthy feet, and milk production. In fact, cattle spend more than half their lives lying down. At Walnut Ridge, barns are outfitted with sand-based stalls and water beds. Temperature controlled fans, water misters and sprinklers keep animals cool in warm temperatures. Curtains have replaced solid barn walls that open and close automatically with changes in temperature and weather.
In the milking parlor, Walnut Ridge captures key information from each cow’s milk output, which adds up to roughly eight gallons daily. “We can monitor her fat and protein ratios and detect certain health problems, such as, digestive issues that can become serious,” said Steve. “In addition, our cows wear a pedometer as one more health indicator, which also alerts us to when she’s ready for breeding.”
Given their proximity to Cornell University, Walnut Ridge continues to participate in cutting-edge dairy research targeted at herd health. “We’re lucky enough to acquire unique technology through research that allows us to be proactive in caring for our herd,” said Steve. “It’s allowing us to continually improve how we manage. We have a lot of information and data at our fingertips. The key is to determine how to correctly use it.” Currently the farm is experimenting with weight scales after every milking to determine if cows are being fed appropriately. Body scanners are also utilized daily to provide a snapshot of cows’ body condition. “We’re definitely stepping away from traditional practices to do a better job,” added Steve.
Cows Come First
For Peter Maslyn, he wants nothing more than to stay outside of the barn at Hemdale Farms, which seems counter-intuitive as herd manager. “It’s their house, not ours,” said Pete. “Cows come first here. We don't want to be in their way or disrupt their routine.”
Located in Seneca Castle, NY, the Hemdale operation includes a 1,400-cow dairy with 100% robotic milking, forage and specialty crops, and a greenhouse operation starting vegetable plants for growers across New York State. Hemdale was one of the first dairies in the region to experiment with cow water beds. “Water has no memory,” said Pete. “For each animal, it provides a perfect contour to her specific body type. Then it springs back to accommodate another cow.” Stalls are cleaned three times a day and bedded with a recycled paper product and lime to keep beds dry.
At Hemdale Farms of Seneca Castle, NY, 21 robots milk 1,300 cows multiple times daily. Cows have free access to robots 22.5 hours per day, seven days per week. “Our cows can set their own schedule,” said Peter Maslyn, herd manager. “We don't want to be in their way or disrupt their routine.”
Cow comfort was the driver behind Hemdale’s foray into robotic milking in 2007. Today 21 robots do the heavy lifting of milking 1,300 cows multiple times daily. Cows have free access to robots 22.5 hours per day, seven days per week. They are "rewarded" with grain each time that they visit the milking station. “We weren’t sure how this experiment would work,” said Pete, “but it’s taken our level of care to a whole new level. Our cows can set their own schedule.
“We get many comments about how calm our herd is,” said Pete. “New barns are designed to minimize the number of steps staff take to accomplish basic tasks like feeding, cleaning and bedding. With robots, we’ve also eliminated the need to move cows as a group to be milked, so they are very unsuspecting and relaxed.” Cows on average “choose” to be milked three times per day. Higher producing animals might milk four to five times daily. Each animal wears a responder that the robot recognizes. It charts her activity, rumination, and eating time in a 24-hour time-period. Robot sensors can also measure milk quality and monitor body weight. Management and crew are utilizing their smart phones to identify and address global herd issues and individual cow concerns.
A unique feature of Hemdale’s robots is the high-pressure shower that cows can receive when external temperatures soar. “They really like it,” said Pete. “It hits them at the withers or the ridge between the front shoulder blades. Misters and sprinklers are also used at the feed line on really warm days and used in combination with variable speed fans to cool the air.
“Technology is changing so fast,” added Pete. “The key is knowing when to update.”
Barn Design is Key to Happiness
As portrayed in picture books, Old MacDonald’s farmstead for his horse, cow, chickens and pigs, would need a complete overhaul for Kyle Getty of Ideal Dairy Farms located in Hudson Falls, NY. Modern dairy barns are specifically designed to enhance natural cow behavior, increase climate control, reduce emissions, re-use waste streams, and improve manure quality.
The father of three young boys, Kyle would most likely start by outfitting each animal with a “fitness” collar and truck-in yards of sand to construct soft beds for cows to idle in. “Of everything we do, cow care is always our number one priority,” said Kyle. “It’s a huge focus to make them as comfortable as possible.
“Cows love sand,” explained Kyle. “They like nothing better than to paw around in fluffy fresh sand in a deep, bedded stall. The sand is also a good agent to prevent cows from slipping on barn floors. The collars provide us with a daily report card on individual cow activity and rumination. We can zero-in to the exact number of minutes each cow spends ruminating or digesting her food within a 24-hour period. Prior to the collars we had to sort each cow by hand to give her regular physical examinations. Now we don’t have to disrupt her natural routine to keep her healthy.”
A five-generation farm, Ideal Dairy Farms of Hudson Falls, NY has just completed construction of an all-season hybrid barn that can accommodate 750 cows. It is uniquely outfitted with side curtains, huge fans and chimney-like vents to easily moderate extreme outside temperatures and weather, and ward off bothersome insects.
A five-generation farm, Ideal has just completed construction of an all-season hybrid barn that can accommodate 750 cows. It is uniquely outfitted with side curtains, huge fans and chimney-like vents to easily moderate extreme outside temperatures and weather. The last two barns Ideal constructed featured foam insulated ceilings. Working in tandem with fans and curtains, animals are kept ten to 15 degrees cooler in the heat, and 20 degrees warmer in wintry weather. “I wouldn’t build another barn without them,” said Kyle. “This newest facility also features fans installed every 10 feet or a ratio of one fan for every four stalls to ensure greater circulation and rapid movement of air to improve cow respiration and insect control. You can walk through the barn and the air movement is so great that insects can’t land. This eliminates insect related illnesses and cows bunching together when they feel stressed or under attack. They’re doing much better than the heifers we have outside on pasture.”
Ideal cow barns are flushed with water daily to keep common areas clean of manure. Over 250,000 gallons of water is used daily to complete the task. Both water and sand are continuously recycled within the system. “We try to keep things as simple as possible,” said Kyle, “and it’s built around the fact that sand keeps our herd comfortable. It may be a headache to deal with on the back end, but we have a system that works for us. We’re constantly looking at issues and projects where we can improve.”
“This article was brought to you by the New York Animal Agriculture Coalition (NYAAC). NYAAC is a farmer founded and funded not-for-profit organization that strives to enhance the public’s understanding of and appreciation for animal agriculture and modern farm practices. NYAAC is effective in doing so by engaging the public in conversations about animal agriculture and empowering farmers to tell their story firsthand.”
PUBLISHED BY PROGRESSIVE PUBLISHING
August 28, 2017
[Article link here.]
You’ve done your research, and you are ready to make a change in your stalls. Maybe you’re changing from one mattress to another. Sand bedding to manure solids. Or maybe you’re switching from a deep bedding to dual waterbeds.
You’ve visited other farms. You’ve budgeted, planned your project and circled the day on the calendar. You are ready.
Another important question that is often overlooked is: How can you help your cows as they transition to new stalls?
The week before the change, watch how your cows get up with the current bedding. Where is the level of the current bedding? Where will the new bed surface be? Do the cows hit the neck rail when they get up? Can they stand in the stall with all four feet in the stall? Where do the cows lunge? Will that change (or not) with the new bed surface? Where is the current brisket locator? Will that change (or not) after your change?
Answers to these questions are important to study and change at the same time as your bedding surface. You’re going to disrupt the cows with the stall surface change. If you need to move the stall, do it at the same time. It will be less of a headache for you and less disturbance for the cows. It may add a few dollars to the installation of a new bed, but it will reduce the stress on your cows (and you).
Checking the measurements of the stall (especially the neck rail) is critical if you are switching from a deep bedding to a mattress or waterbed.
The recommended placement of the neck rail on a deep-bedded stall is 6 inches closer to the curb than is recommended for a mattress or waterbed stall. Also, double-check the height from the base of the stall to the neck rail. With deep bedding, cows can dig out bedding to make enough room to get up. If you switch to mattresses or waterbeds, the cows will no longer be able to dig out the bedding. You may need to raise the neck rail to give them more room.
Changing the bedding surface for a cow for the very first time is an adjustment. A new surface, a new smell and, possibly even, a new feeling. Adding a light dusting of manure can help the cows adapt by hiding the different smell.
Sometimes there are one or two cows that resist change even more than we, as humans, do. Try placing the cow in a stall and preventing her from backing out for a short period of time until she lies down. Once she lies down on the surface, she will generally overcome her reluctance and use the stall at the next opportunity.
It is reasonable to expect cows to take a couple of weeks to adapt to stall changes. When steps are taken to help cows with the transition, producers should experience minimal health and production losses.
When you visit farms or after you’ve made your decision to switch, try calling a few farmers back who helped you make the decision and ask how their transition went. They may be able to give you some good advice on things they wished they’d done differently.
But, most of all, be patient with yourself and your cows.
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