MONROE - The University of Wisconsin Extension, in cooperation with the Green County Milk Quality Council and support from Union Bank and Trust and the Bank of Brodhead, will be sponsoring Dairy Facility Farm Tours on Aug. 20.
The tours will include seven dairy farms located in the Green County area that have all made modernization improvements to their dairy facilities to increase productivity and animal comfort as well as reduce labor.
The Dairy Modernization Tours are held every two years and attract dairy producers and Ag professionals from more than 13 counties and three states. Tours feature an open house format in which dairy producers can visit any number of the seven farms between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. A farm representative will be on hand at each farm to answer questions for the tour participants.
The tours will feature various sizes of dairy farms with herds ranging from 65 through 400 cows. For producers interested in upgrading their milking facilities the tours will include a free-flow robotic milking system, a Swing 10 Parabone parlor built into an existing stall barn, a double 8 Parabone parlor built onto an existing stall barn, a new double 8 Parallel parlor inside in new building, and two Herringbone parlors.
Several cattle housing configurations will be featured on the tours including: three-, four- and six-row freestall barns with natural ventilation. Two farms will feature eight-row freestall barns with cross ventilation systems. Bedding systems in the barns will include sand, bedded pack and recycled manure solids.
The tours will include several young stock housing facilities including a building designed for baby calves with an automatic feeding system and positive pressure ventilation system. Examples of well-designed bedding pack housing for calves from weaning to four months with inside feeding and from five months to breeding age with outside feeding will also be included on the tours.
The Green County area host farms are:
Village View Farm, 1295 County C, Argyle (65 Cows)
This farm features a Lely A-3 Robotic Free Flow Milking system. Cows are housed in a three-row freestall barn with sand bedding and pack mats. The freestall barn has drive-through feeding and an automatic feed pusher. Automatic scrapers collect manure and transfer it to a temporary pit at the end of the barn. The manure is then transferred by piston pump through an 8-inch pipe to a 40-feet-by-140-feet manure pit with an access ramp. The manure transfer system features an air-flush cleaning system.
Morning Dew Dairy, N3808 Duncan Hill Road, Argyle (90 Cows)
A used Double 8 Parabone Parlor with low line milking system was built into a new addition onto the existing stall barn that is now used for the cow holding area. Cows are housed in a three-row freestall with drive-through feeding. This Certified Organic dairy farm also utilizes managed rotation grazing. Sand-bedded stalls are used and manure is scraped into a mini concrete pit on the end of the barn.
Minder Farms, N2428 Allen Road, Browntown (160 Cows)
This farm features a new Double 8 Parallel Parlor. Milk cows are housed in a new six-row freestall barn using sand bedding in the stalls. The barn includes drive-through feeding and a natural ventilation system. Manure is scraped daily into a concrete mini-pit on the end of the barn.
McGuire and Sons Farms, W5996 Town Center Road (400 Cows)
A new eight-row freestall barn with cross ventilation was recently built to house milk cows. Dry cows are housed in a four-row freestall barn. Sand bedding is used in both buildings. Manure is scraped daily and pumped into a two-stage lagoon. Cows are milked in a double 8 Herringbone parlor. This farm also features two bedded pack heifer barns. One barn houses calves from weaning to four months with inside feeding, and the other houses heifers from five months to breeding age with drive-by feeding.
Sunset Ridge Farm, W2902 Oliver Road, Monticello (90 Cows)
This farm has a new four-row freestall barn. The cows are milked in a stall barn. The freestall has drive-through feeding, utilizes sand-bedded stalls, curtain sidewalls for natural ventilation, and two special needs pens. Manure is daily scraped into two small pits connected by a 30-inch tube at the end of the freestall barn.
Andrew and Jodi Houlberg, N4991 Spoerry Road, Monticello (90 Cows)
This farm features a Swing 10 Parabone Parlor and holding area that was built into the existing stall barn. Cows are housed in a four-row freestall with sand bedding and drive-by outside feeding. Manure is daily scrapped into a small mini pit at the end of the freestall.
Wenger Farms, N1260 Mt Hope Road, Brodhead (350 Cows)
This farm has a new 208-feet-by-216-feet eight-row freestall barn with a cross ventilation system. Cows are bedded with recycled manure solids from an on-farm screw press manure separation system. A portion of the freestall barn is on slats with 1.2 million gallons of manure storage under the barn. Cows are milked in a Double 9 Herringbone Parlor. This farm also features a baby calf barn with automatic feeders and tube ventilation system.
Several manure handling systems with be included on the tours. Several farms will include daily scraping systems with mini manure pits for storage. Two farms feature long-term manure storage. One with lagoons and another with a manure pit under the freestall barn that also features a screw press system used to separate manure solids to be reused for bedding.
These tours are designed to help generate ideas for dairy producers who are considering future improvements and modernization in their own dairy facilities. Host farmers will be on hand to share their experiences in the building process and to explain what they like about their facility and what they might change if they were to do it again. Tour participants will be required to wear plastic boots that are being supplied at the host farms by Union Bank and Trust Company and the Bank of Brodhead.
The complete farm descriptions along with tour maps showing the farm locations, is available by contacting Mark Mayer, UW Extension dairy and livestock agent, at 608-328-9440 or mark.mayer@ ces.uwex.edu. Tour information and maps can also be downloaded at green.uwex.edu.
The tours will include seven dairy farms located in the Green County area that have all made modernization improvements to their dairy facilities to increase productivity and animal comfort as well as reduce labor.
The Dairy Modernization Tours are held every two years and attract dairy producers and Ag professionals from more than 13 counties and three states. Tours feature an open house format in which dairy producers can visit any number of the seven farms between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. A farm representative will be on hand at each farm to answer questions for the tour participants.
The tours will feature various sizes of dairy farms with herds ranging from 65 through 400 cows. For producers interested in upgrading their milking facilities the tours will include a free-flow robotic milking system, a Swing 10 Parabone parlor built into an existing stall barn, a double 8 Parabone parlor built onto an existing stall barn, a new double 8 Parallel parlor inside in new building, and two Herringbone parlors.
Several cattle housing configurations will be featured on the tours including: three-, four- and six-row freestall barns with natural ventilation. Two farms will feature eight-row freestall barns with cross ventilation systems. Bedding systems in the barns will include sand, bedded pack and recycled manure solids.
The tours will include several young stock housing facilities including a building designed for baby calves with an automatic feeding system and positive pressure ventilation system. Examples of well-designed bedding pack housing for calves from weaning to four months with inside feeding and from five months to breeding age with outside feeding will also be included on the tours.
The Green County area host farms are:
Village View Farm, 1295 County C, Argyle (65 Cows)
This farm features a Lely A-3 Robotic Free Flow Milking system. Cows are housed in a three-row freestall barn with sand bedding and pack mats. The freestall barn has drive-through feeding and an automatic feed pusher. Automatic scrapers collect manure and transfer it to a temporary pit at the end of the barn. The manure is then transferred by piston pump through an 8-inch pipe to a 40-feet-by-140-feet manure pit with an access ramp. The manure transfer system features an air-flush cleaning system.
Morning Dew Dairy, N3808 Duncan Hill Road, Argyle (90 Cows)
A used Double 8 Parabone Parlor with low line milking system was built into a new addition onto the existing stall barn that is now used for the cow holding area. Cows are housed in a three-row freestall with drive-through feeding. This Certified Organic dairy farm also utilizes managed rotation grazing. Sand-bedded stalls are used and manure is scraped into a mini concrete pit on the end of the barn.
Minder Farms, N2428 Allen Road, Browntown (160 Cows)
This farm features a new Double 8 Parallel Parlor. Milk cows are housed in a new six-row freestall barn using sand bedding in the stalls. The barn includes drive-through feeding and a natural ventilation system. Manure is scraped daily into a concrete mini-pit on the end of the barn.
McGuire and Sons Farms, W5996 Town Center Road (400 Cows)
A new eight-row freestall barn with cross ventilation was recently built to house milk cows. Dry cows are housed in a four-row freestall barn. Sand bedding is used in both buildings. Manure is scraped daily and pumped into a two-stage lagoon. Cows are milked in a double 8 Herringbone parlor. This farm also features two bedded pack heifer barns. One barn houses calves from weaning to four months with inside feeding, and the other houses heifers from five months to breeding age with drive-by feeding.
Sunset Ridge Farm, W2902 Oliver Road, Monticello (90 Cows)
This farm has a new four-row freestall barn. The cows are milked in a stall barn. The freestall has drive-through feeding, utilizes sand-bedded stalls, curtain sidewalls for natural ventilation, and two special needs pens. Manure is daily scraped into two small pits connected by a 30-inch tube at the end of the freestall barn.
Andrew and Jodi Houlberg, N4991 Spoerry Road, Monticello (90 Cows)
This farm features a Swing 10 Parabone Parlor and holding area that was built into the existing stall barn. Cows are housed in a four-row freestall with sand bedding and drive-by outside feeding. Manure is daily scrapped into a small mini pit at the end of the freestall.
Wenger Farms, N1260 Mt Hope Road, Brodhead (350 Cows)
This farm has a new 208-feet-by-216-feet eight-row freestall barn with a cross ventilation system. Cows are bedded with recycled manure solids from an on-farm screw press manure separation system. A portion of the freestall barn is on slats with 1.2 million gallons of manure storage under the barn. Cows are milked in a Double 9 Herringbone Parlor. This farm also features a baby calf barn with automatic feeders and tube ventilation system.
Several manure handling systems with be included on the tours. Several farms will include daily scraping systems with mini manure pits for storage. Two farms feature long-term manure storage. One with lagoons and another with a manure pit under the freestall barn that also features a screw press system used to separate manure solids to be reused for bedding.
These tours are designed to help generate ideas for dairy producers who are considering future improvements and modernization in their own dairy facilities. Host farmers will be on hand to share their experiences in the building process and to explain what they like about their facility and what they might change if they were to do it again. Tour participants will be required to wear plastic boots that are being supplied at the host farms by Union Bank and Trust Company and the Bank of Brodhead.
The complete farm descriptions along with tour maps showing the farm locations, is available by contacting Mark Mayer, UW Extension dairy and livestock agent, at 608-328-9440 or mark.mayer@ ces.uwex.edu. Tour information and maps can also be downloaded at green.uwex.edu.