Fires are awful occurrences; they leave you feeling demoralized and defeated. I submit that they are as bad as any natural disaster. After an earthquake, tornado or flood, there are often widespread calls for assistance and aid. In most cases of natural calamities, groups from across the nation pour in to help people get back to normal or as close as possible given the circumstances. A fire is an individual disaster, singularly devastating and frequently without the public call to help.

Earlier this year, Progressive Dairyman announced GEA Farm Technologies planned to install the first-ever automatic rotary parlor in North America. The 72-stall rotary parlor was to be built at Mlsna East Town Dairy in Cashton, Wisconsin, and would have been the largest robotic milking system in place worldwide.

When building a new facility, it’s tempting to keep up-front ventilation and cooling costs at a minimum. That may seem like a good thing in the short term, but it’s important to consider the long-term cost and benefits of designing a system that goes beyond bare bones and fits your operation’s individual needs, now and as you grow your business.

Three dairy building contractors provided Progressive Dairyman with an across-the-country cross-section of trends in their respective regions.

Emission standards for off-road diesel engines are set in the U.S. by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The first off-highway diesel emissions standards began in 1996 with the implementation of Tier 1. Since then, increasingly aggressive standards have continued to be implemented to limit the amount of pollutants being released into the atmosphere. Tier 4A requirements for the high-horsepower (above 175 HP) engines went into effect in 2011.