How’s harvest going for you? With harvest season soon drawing to a close, hopefully you know where you stand with your equipment in terms of repairs and maintenance. For those expecting a late harvest, there will be a big push to get the crop from field to storage, which will not only put pressure on operators and owners, but will also put tremendous pressure on the equipment. This is the time to start refocusing on our record-keeping skills. Although record-keeping is a must year-round, it is very important to pay attention to even the smallest details when working your equipment day in and day out.

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to jump to the article. Summary: The August 11th issue, with a topic of facilities and business planning, highlighted a bedded-pack barn in western Ohio that's providing optimal cow comfort. Producer Doug Boots joined forces with consultant Don Themm in Michigan to design a barn that keeps cows cool in the summer and warm in the winter with minimal labor. Because this article was so popular, we asked Boots a follow-up question: Q: Since the article appeared, has anyone visited your place to see the barn for themselves? What has been some of your advice? A: Since our farm was featured, we have received numerous inquiries about the facility. We received calls from interested dairymen from coast to coast. Many dairymen from the Grand Lakes St. Marys watershed area in Mercy County, Ohio, visited and expressed a real interest in the facility because they are experiencing enforcement of stricter government regulations regarding manure runoff. Many of the dairymen had freestall barns for their housing and were interested in the use of loose housing (manure pack) facilities.

Note: This article was adapted from Dairy Practices Council (DPC) Guideline 54S “Construction Materials for Milking Parlors.” More about the Dairy Practices Council guidelines and other guidelines can be found at: http://www.dairypc.org/ In general, water use and humidity are high in milking parlors. This leads to an environment that can be very hard on construction materials. Therefore, all interior surfaces should be both water-resistant and easily cleaned. Rather than “save money” by using inferior construction materials, perhaps consider leaving out “bell and whistle” equipment that can be easily added in the future and upgrade to better construction materials.

Whether it’s natural or mechanical, barn ventilation is imperative when it comes to the welfare of dairy cattle. However, ventilation alone does not always provide the necessary air movement for cooling and comfort needs, a sensitivity that animals can intrinsically demonstrate simply by their eating habits, conception rates and milk production. Without a cooling breeze, the simple ventilation designed into a building isn’t enough. A properly designed and equipped barn will not only allow an adequate air exchange rate, but will also improve cow comfort.

Well, summer is quickly flying by, which means that harvest season for some crops is just around the corner. It also means cooler temperatures are in store. How did your air conditioning system hold up this summer? Did the AC system treat you well? I guess the better question here is: Did you treat your air conditioning system well? With temperatures still climbing and staying in the 100-plus temperature range, I think discussing how air conditioners work is an appropriate topic, whether you are on the road or on the farm. Essentially, there are two main air conditioning systems that are used in vehicles. The components of these systems that are most commonly used include the evaporator, accumulator, compressor, condenser and orifice tube.