Extension > Agriculture > Dairy Extension > Facilities
Facilities
Table of contents
Compost barns
Head this way for our collection of compost barn resources. Other facilities information below.
Robots in the dairy industry
Minnesota has the largest number of automated milking systems of any state in the U.S
Dairy facility planning
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T-5 fluorescent lighting and lighting economics
Technology changes and changing prices for electricity and lighting equipment will continue to change the economics of lighting systems for dairy barns.
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LED lighting—compare and consider for your farm
High quality LED products meet or exceed the performance of fluorescent and metal halide luminaries but poor quality LED products will have poor performance.
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A stable group close-up dry cow management strategy—Did it affect cow behavior?
Social rank not found to be determining factor.
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Building decisions
Establish clear expectations, communicate effectively with experienced builders and subcontractors to enhance your chances for a successful building project.
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Give them some A.I.R.
An automated calf feeding system, labor-saving but requires more bedding, bedding materials, ventilation.
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Farm Transition: Where do we even begin?
Plan must align with the farm's and family's goals, contain an action plan for splitting of assets if necessary, a timeline for the transfer to take place
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Deep Bedding – An Alternative to Sand
Deep-bedded freestalls, a feasible option to using sand. Several types of bedding mateiral can be used including composted manure and separated manure solids.
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NAQSAT – a new air emissions assessment tool
Assess how production practices impact air emissions from your operation.
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Loose housing bedding options
Consider the differences among the options of a bedding system for a dairy herd.
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Sand-laden manure handling options
Economical to build and operate: consider environment and odor.
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Relocation and expansion planning for dairy producers
Design and locate to maximize labor efficiency and cow performance. (393 K PDF) – Kansas State University
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Lighting dairy facilities
Proper lighting: improve cow performance; provide safer, more pleasant work environment. (118 K PDF)
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Dairy lighting system for tie-stall barns
Detailed description of how to design for the best results.
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Decreasing early lactation culling: Non-nutritional factors
Presentation from Minnesota Dairy Days. (232 K PDF) -
Upgrading and modernizing dairy facilities and manure handling
Upgrade stalls, add lights, remodel a barn or shed to house more animals. (68 K PDF)
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The economics of dairy facility modernization
Use a systems perspective to analyze long-range profitability, liquidity and solvency. (272 K PDF)
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Automatic calf feeding systems for pre-weaned dairy calves
Computer controlled feeding systems have lavor-saving benefits.
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Does precision matter?
Attention to detail pays off in the dairy herd management field.
Milking center
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Robots in the dairy industry
Minnesota has the largest number of automated milking systems of any state in the U.S. Producers tell us what are critical aspects of making them work.
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Life before and after installing a “low-cost parlor”
Producers who have installed low-cost parlors say it is efficient system and a less physical chore.
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Labor considerations for robotic milking systems
Implications beyond reduction in the labor force or expansion of cow numbers. (81 K PDF)
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Robotic milking
A video, photo gallery and articles on automated milking systems. – University of Wisconsin
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Milking with robots
Automatic milking systems (AMS) are an attractive a lifestyle choice.
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Planning a milking center
Its design, type, size, and degree of mechanization is important. (116 K PDF) – Kansas State University
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Low-cost parlors
The parabone parlor design allows us to build a modern efficient parlor as narrow as 24 feet wide.
Heat stress
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Economic impacts of heat stress
As temperatures near 80°F people may only feel mild discomfort, but our cows are affected much sooner.
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Low pressure sprinkler and fan cooling system design for dairy facilities
Improperly designed systems may not cool effectively; may create wet conditions for mastitis. (102 K PDF)
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Evaporative systems for cooling dairy cows
Dairy cows have trouble getting rid of heat generated by digestion and metabolic processes.
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Effects of heat stress on nutritional requirements of lactating dairy cattle
Heat stress negatively impacts milk yield and reproduction. (68 K PDF) – University of Arizona
Cow comfort
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Cow comfort - summer field days and snippets from around the world
Prevention of lameness, lameness assessment, cow comfort, cow handling, flooring surface.
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Be ready for summer!
The new temperature-humidity index (THI) threshold for today's dairy cows is 68ºF rather than the traditionally suggested 72ºF. Dairy cows today are more productive and more sensitive to heat than back in the 1960's.
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Fan care for efficient ventilation
Studies show fan performance in barns are between 40 to 80% of the BESS laboratory values. Before warm weather hits, check for slipping belts on belt-driven fans, corroded or dirty louvers, insufficient or plugged fresh air inlets, and other airflow obstructions.
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Dairy welfare, handling, lameness
Reduce risk factors for lameness as it is one of the most important economic and welfare issues on dairy farms. Negative animal handling can have important consequences on productivity and well-being.
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It takes more than water to keep dry cows comfortable
Dry cows need 20-30 gallons of fresh, clean water per day.
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The stall design / management paradox
A trade-off between stall comfort and cow hygiene.
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Research on cow comfort
Cows housed in compost barns have better feet and leg health due to the soft resting surface.
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Some highlights from the Dairy Welfare Symposium
Highlights from the first North-American Dairy Welfare Symposium in late October
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What do we know about cow ‘friendship’?
Recent research on animal behavior looked at the social interactions between cows in confinement systems.
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Lameness: What’s new?
Is there a difference between cows in herds with mattress stalls and those with sand stalls? (207 K PDF)
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Lameness issues on the dairy farm and research update
Some options to consider to reduce the prevalence of lameness in our dairy herds in freestall housing.
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Cow comfort: what does it mean?
Basic needs, including shelter/housing, care, cleanliness, feed, water, social structure, and consistency.
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Are you listening to your cows?
Cows can give us signs, by how they look, perform and behave, on whether or not they are at ease.
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You think you're busy? Try being a cow
Researchers observed how cows spent their day in several herds.
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Lameness in free stall barns in Minnesota: What have we learned?
Research: concrete flooring can increase hoof disorders in comparison with other systems.
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Fragile - HANDLE WITH CARE
In this era of computer programs and large herds, we often forget that the cow is basically the same.
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Are you ready for hot weather?
Dairy cows are most productive at temperatures between 41 and 77° F.
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Are your cows comfortable?
Are cows being provided an environment where they can be cows?
Transition cows
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Got a fresh cow pen?
Having a fresh pen helps in finding and treating sick fresh cows, allows for routine management procedures to be instituted, and provides the opportunity for formulating specific fresh cow rations.
Ventilation
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Required ventilating rates – it depends?
Ventilation rates depend on category of animal, type of building, and type of atmosphere desired for the situation.
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Ventilating calf barns with tube systems
Key tube system decisions include fan airflow rate, tube diameter and length, and number, size and location of distribution holes.
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Natural ventilation for freestall barns
Outside air is required to keep cows healthy and to reduce moisture levels inside. (310 K PDF) – Penn State
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Sorry – it's time to think winter
Be ready to deal with the extremes of winter and provide the best possible environment for livestock.
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Fan selection and maintenance
Select based on performance rather than horsepower and diameter. (76 K PDF) – Kansas State University
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Improving mechanical ventilation in dairy barns
Inexpensive methods to provide satisfactory exhaust ventilation in existing dairy barns. – milkproduction.com
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Effective natural ventilation strategies
Provide fresh air uniformly throughout the dairy shelter so all animals receive adequate quantities and qualities. – milkproduction.com
Mechanical ventilation options for dairy barns
Dairy producers have many options for mechanically ventilating dairy barns. Options include conventional mechanical-ventilation, tunnel-ventilation and cross-ventilation.
Other facilities resources we recommend
Planning
- Farm energy options– United States Department of Agriculture
- MidWest Plan Service
- Planning a dairy expansion (137 K PDF) – Kansas State University
- Flowchart for evaluating freestalls (33 K PDF) – University of Wisconsin
- Let there be light: Photoperiod management of cows for production and health (29 K PDF) – University of Illinois
- Special needs facilities: Recommendations for housing pregnant, lactating, and sick cows (1.2 MB PDF) – Kansas State University
- Stray voltage – University of Wisconsin
- Greenhouse barns for dairy housing (699 K PDF) – Midwest Plan Service
- Preparing an odor management plan – University of Minnesota
- Odor From Feedlots Setback Estimation Tool (OFFSET) – University of Minnesota
- Housing plans for calves and heifers – Pennsylvania State University
- Principles and guidelines for dairy animal well-being (95 K PDF) – National Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative
- Behavioral needs of the transition cow and considerations for special needs facility design (618 K PDF) – University of Wisconsin
- Mechanics of heat abatement
Heat stress
- Freestall barn design and cooling systems (104 K PDF) – Kansas State University
- Reducing heat stress in holding pens (125 K PDF) – Kansas State University
- Sprinkler Systems for Cooling Dairy Cows at a Feed Line (125 K PDF) – Kansas State University
- Tunnel ventilation for tie stall dairy barns (232 K PDF) – Pennsylvania State University
- How to reduce heat stress in dairy cattle (342 K PDF) – University of Nebraska
- Coping with summer weather: Dairy management strategies to control heat stress (132 K PDF) – Kansas State University
- Keeping cows cool, where do I start? (55 K PDF) – Kansas State University
- Fan placement and heat stress abatement in four-row freestall barns (130 K PDF) – Kansas State University
- Cooling dairy cattle in the holding pen (505 K PDF) – University of Arkansas
- Fan cooling dairy cows (672 K PDF) – Cornell University
