We are constantly looking for ways to improve the environment for our cattle. Last summer we built a new freestall barn for our milking cattle. Previously our calves went to a nursery shortly after being born, then at 6 months old we sent them to another facility in southwest Minnesota. At approximately 18 months old the heifers were brought back to our facility. At 24 months old they have their calves and begin producing milk for our dairy.

Raising a heifer is quite expensive, approximately $2000.00 is spent per heifer until they are old enough to produce milk. To decrease this expense and stress on the animals, we eliminated shipping them to Minnesota. The calves come right from the nursery to our facility. However, this change meant we needed more housing for our cattle. The new freestall barn became a home for milking cows and it allowed us to manage the young stock to be cared for in the existing barns.

The new freestall has 56 – 72” fans which draw fresh air from the northside of the barn and expel the air on the southside towards highway A. This is called a cross vented barn. Fans turn on as the preset temperatures are reached, this keeps the animals in a temperature-controlled environment. On warm days the breeze in the barn can reach a speed of 7mph! The new barn allows less walking for the cattle to get milked, larger, softer bedded stalls for the animals in which to lay down, easier access to water and feed as well as more natural lighting for easier movement of the anim