Sunnybrooke Farms, Campbellford, Ontario
"How would you like to lie in the sand, eat whenever you felt like it and have a massage at your disposal?" Watsons holsteins do. The latest technology in running a dairy farm.
Our weekend outing this week is somewhat different. We headed to a "barn open house". Several of the farms in this area are installing facilities that make milking cattle much more efficient. We visited one a couple of years ago but things have come a long way in a short time. The operation we saw today was just amazing.
Situated on a farm just one line north of us, the family has been farming here for 5 generations. There 400 acre farm produces corn, soybeans, hay and wheat. They also have a maple syrup business. However the main part is dairy cattle. The Watson farm is run by father and son and their respective spouses.
When the Watson's son came home to farm 7 years ago they had 40 milking cows in what most of us would call a conventional barn (tie stall barn see pictures below). The family do not take things for granted and over the years have achieved many awards, notably for production. Just last year they received top award in Northumberland County for their management skills.
Our weekend outing this week is somewhat different. We headed to a "barn open house". Several of the farms in this area are installing facilities that make milking cattle much more efficient. We visited one a couple of years ago but things have come a long way in a short time. The operation we saw today was just amazing.
Situated on a farm just one line north of us, the family has been farming here for 5 generations. There 400 acre farm produces corn, soybeans, hay and wheat. They also have a maple syrup business. However the main part is dairy cattle. The Watson farm is run by father and son and their respective spouses.
When the Watson's son came home to farm 7 years ago they had 40 milking cows in what most of us would call a conventional barn (tie stall barn see pictures below). The family do not take things for granted and over the years have achieved many awards, notably for production. Just last year they received top award in Northumberland County for their management skills.
Conscientious about how they produce milk they have always taken the cows into consideration, confirmation being part of the equation. Their Holstein herd consists of 13 VG cows, 27 GP cows and 5 G cows. (see note)
Note: *Cows are classified for conformation on inspection with the scores designed to describe the structure of the cow. Points as a percentage of the final score are allotted as follows: 40% Mammary, 25% Legs and Feet, 15% Body, 10% Rump, 10% Dairyness. EX = Excellent 90 – 97 points, EX(3E) = the number in brackets denotes the no. of times the cow scored EX. VG = Very Good 85 – 89 points. GP = Good Plus 80 – 84 points. G = Good 75 – 79 points. F = Fair 65 – 74 points. P = Poor 50 – 64 points. EX90(2E) 4 YR = EX90 Means the animal was classified EX90 points EX90 (2E) Meaning the animal was classified EX90 a second timeEX90 (2E) 4YR Meaning the animal was classified EX90 a second time and was 4 years old at the time of this classification.
Note: *Cows are classified for conformation on inspection with the scores designed to describe the structure of the cow. Points as a percentage of the final score are allotted as follows: 40% Mammary, 25% Legs and Feet, 15% Body, 10% Rump, 10% Dairyness. EX = Excellent 90 – 97 points, EX(3E) = the number in brackets denotes the no. of times the cow scored EX. VG = Very Good 85 – 89 points. GP = Good Plus 80 – 84 points. G = Good 75 – 79 points. F = Fair 65 – 74 points. P = Poor 50 – 64 points. EX90(2E) 4 YR = EX90 Means the animal was classified EX90 points EX90 (2E) Meaning the animal was classified EX90 a second timeEX90 (2E) 4YR Meaning the animal was classified EX90 a second time and was 4 years old at the time of this classification.
The family took a big jump last year and decided to install a robotic system for their herd. This would change farming dramatically for the family and for the cows as well.
According to the Lely Company this would be an ideal situation for the robotic milker. They say that it is usually installed in farms where either the younger generation is taking over or the older generation finds the demand of running a farm most difficult. This family has both.
With the system now in place all they need today is one part time staff and the family is able to enjoy more family time. The plan was well thought out and seems to be working out well for them.
The robotics alone are hundreds of thousands of dollars so it was not taken lightly, but it seems they have not looked back. As of December last year their barn features a robotic milking system, the "Lely A4". They have left themselves room for expansion. There is also enough room to house the heifers and dry cows.
Each cow has a sand bed for comfort in their stall. At present the 39 milking cows produce 46 to 50 kg/day/cow, up from 39 kg/day/cow since the change over. There is also an improvement in the quality of the milk produced. Milking has gone from twice a day to and average of 3.3 per cow per day.
According to the family the adaptation was easy. They moved from the old facility to the new one and within a few days the cows were all using their new sand stalls.
For us the whole operation was incredible to watch. Each cow seems to know its own stall and is content to be there. They have a brush that massages the cows when they feel so inclined and they take turns lining up to be milked when they feel it is time.
When they get to the milking machine their utters are washed and they are giving a treat, at which point the robot attaches the milking equipment. Once done they move along and the next in line enters to be milked. Each cow has a transmitter which allows the robot to identify if they are not ready to be milked and if so they are pushed on through.
According to the Lely Company this would be an ideal situation for the robotic milker. They say that it is usually installed in farms where either the younger generation is taking over or the older generation finds the demand of running a farm most difficult. This family has both.
With the system now in place all they need today is one part time staff and the family is able to enjoy more family time. The plan was well thought out and seems to be working out well for them.
The robotics alone are hundreds of thousands of dollars so it was not taken lightly, but it seems they have not looked back. As of December last year their barn features a robotic milking system, the "Lely A4". They have left themselves room for expansion. There is also enough room to house the heifers and dry cows.
Each cow has a sand bed for comfort in their stall. At present the 39 milking cows produce 46 to 50 kg/day/cow, up from 39 kg/day/cow since the change over. There is also an improvement in the quality of the milk produced. Milking has gone from twice a day to and average of 3.3 per cow per day.
According to the family the adaptation was easy. They moved from the old facility to the new one and within a few days the cows were all using their new sand stalls.
For us the whole operation was incredible to watch. Each cow seems to know its own stall and is content to be there. They have a brush that massages the cows when they feel so inclined and they take turns lining up to be milked when they feel it is time.
When they get to the milking machine their utters are washed and they are giving a treat, at which point the robot attaches the milking equipment. Once done they move along and the next in line enters to be milked. Each cow has a transmitter which allows the robot to identify if they are not ready to be milked and if so they are pushed on through.
How the operation works
There are several areas in this beautiful new barn. The largest area contains the robotic milker and the cows that are milked. As with the other side they have a massager and sand stalls.
There is another area for the "dry cows". These are cows that are ready to calf. Beside that is the area where mothers who have just given birth are kept to recuperate. The calves are removed from their mother immediately and given a colostrum supplement. This can be a valuable tool to increase calf immunity when colostrum supplies are limited or disease eradication is desired. Apparently the cow does not care that much that she loses her calf as Holsteins have poor mothering skills.
If you want to see the performance of the robotic milker and massager click the following link: http://youtu.be/E3lmRoHJTFE My first youtube video Sunnybrooke Farms.
There is another area for the "dry cows". These are cows that are ready to calf. Beside that is the area where mothers who have just given birth are kept to recuperate. The calves are removed from their mother immediately and given a colostrum supplement. This can be a valuable tool to increase calf immunity when colostrum supplies are limited or disease eradication is desired. Apparently the cow does not care that much that she loses her calf as Holsteins have poor mothering skills.
If you want to see the performance of the robotic milker and massager click the following link: http://youtu.be/E3lmRoHJTFE My first youtube video Sunnybrooke Farms.