We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
subscribe / renew
  • Topics
    • All recent articles
    • Animal Welfare
      • Animal Handling
      • Cow Behavior
      • Welfare Standards
    • Barns
      • Barn Design
      • Bedding
      • Bird Control
      • Cow Comfort
      • Cow Cooling
      • Cow Flow
      • Expansion
      • Flooring
      • Fly Control
      • Lighting
      • Pen Design
      • Stalls
      • Ventilation
    • Calves & Heifers
      • Calf & Heifer Health
      • Calf & Heifer Nutrition
      • Calf Housing
      • Colostrum
      • Heifers
    • Feed Ingredients
      • Additives
      • Byproduct Feeds
      • Carbohydrates
      • Fiber
      • Minerals
      • Protein
      • Supplemental Fats
      • Trace Minerals
      • Vitamins
    • Feed Management
      • Bunk Management
      • Feed Evaluation
      • Feed Storage
    • Forage Types
      • Alfalfa
      • Alternative Forages
      • Grasses & Grazing
      • Silage
    • Genetics
      • Breeding Protocols
      • Breeding Strategy
      • Crossbreds
      • Indexes
      • Purebreds
      • Traits
    • Herd Health
      • Animal Monitoring
      • Antibiotics
      • Diagnostic Tests
      • Digestive Issues
      • Dry Cows
      • Fresh Cows
      • Infectious Disease
      • Mastitis
      • Metabolic Disease
      • Vaccination
    • Hoof Health
      • Digital Dermatitis
      • Hoof Care
      • Lameness
      • Lesions
    • Manure
      • Carcass Disposal
      • Greenhouse Gases
      • Manure Analysis
      • Manure Application
      • Manure Handling
      • Manure Solids
      • Manure Storage
      • Nutrient Management
      • Renewable Energy
      • Solid-Liquid Separation
    • Milking Equipment
      • Milk Storage
      • Milking Robots
      • Milking Sanitation
      • Milking Systems
      • Parlor Types
      • Teat Prep Equipment
    • Milk Quality
      • Udder Hygiene
      • Parlor Hygiene
      • Milk Production
      • Milk Components
    • Ration Formulation
      • Digestion
      • Dry & Transition Cow Diets
      • Lactating Cow Diets
    • Reproduction
      • Breeding Equipment
      • Repro Management
      • Repro Technology
    • Technology
      • Management Software
    • Business Management
      • Consultants
      • Employees
      • Finances
      • Profitability
      • Risk Management
      • Succession Planning
      • Training Tools
      • Working with Family
    • Dairy Farm Features
    • Special Topics
      • Christmas
      • Dairy Activities
      • June Dairy Month
      • Niche Marketing
      • State of the Dairy Industry
      • Women in Dairy
  • News
    • Dairy Demand
    • Dairy Foods
    • Dairy Industry Issues
    • Dairy Trade
    • Events
    • Milk Marketing
    • Milk Processing
  • Blogs
    • From the Editor
    • Guest Blogs
    • Faber’s Food for Thought
    • HERd Management
    • Just Dropping By
    • Life on the Family Farm
    • The Milk House
    • Tim the Dairy Farmer
  • Podcasts
  • Buyers Guide
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
  • Ask AgProud
UsCa

Progressive Dairy

Progressive Dairy Canada

PD Canada en Francais

Progressive Cattle

Progressive Cattle Canada

Progressive Forage

Agproud Idaho

Home

Home » Topics » Barns » Cow Flow

Cow Flow
Cow Flow RSS Feed RSS

63265-platte-1.jpg

Building sorting gate systems to optimize labor and ROI

A well-designed sorting gate system factors in the unique layout and management schedule of an operation to optimize workflows and improve employee satisfaction.
May 1, 2026
Evan Platte

Sorting gates are gaining traction on dairies and continue to grow in popularity. Sorting gate success and return on investment depends on a well-designed system that matches the specific needs of the operation.


Read More

Free cow traffic in automated milking systems

Promote calm milking robot entries and support natural behaviors with free cow traffic.
April 30, 2026
Paul Peetz

The introduction of automated milking systems nearly 30 years ago raised a key question: When should cows be milked?


Read More
62863-finn-fox-sort-gate.jpg

Beyond the gate: What really drives sorting efficiency?

Sort gates require proper installation, regular maintenance and care to perform optimally and meet your expected sort percentages. The proper setup can streamline daily tasks, improve herd health and boost reproductive performance.
March 2, 2026
Stephanie Finn and Jamie Fox

Sort gates require proper installation, regular maintenance and care to perform optimally and meet expected sort percentages. Even small adjustments – like fine-tuning the antenna read range or resolving data integration issues – can significantly improve performance and cow management.


Read More
62000-puuri-1.jpg

How to transition from a parlor to robots

Careful planning is a key to success when transitioning to an automated milking system. Several areas of management will likely change during this transition, including employee tasks, employee management and cow comfort.
August 16, 2025
Antti Puuri

The transition from a traditional milking to automated milking is not always straightforward. In this article, we’ll look at some of the most important factors to address when planning the shift from a parlor to an automated milking system.


Read More
61757-hardtke-holding-caldwell.jpg

Essential tips to optimize cow comfort in the holding area

To increase efficiency and productivity, dairy operations should focus on holding area management, ventilation, cooling, lighting and proper footing. This helps ensure cows remain calm, comfortable and healthy.
July 25, 2025
Shaun Hardtke

In our operations, holding area management and the proper use of a crowd gate play a crucial role in promoting a cow’s comfort and ensuring an optimal milk harvest experience during her daily parlor visits. While these tasks may seem straightforward, they require much more than just moving cows and running them through a parlor.


Read More
61709-melhak-3384.jpg

Planning your automated milking barn: Essential considerations

Farmers should consider designing an automated milking barn with growth in mind, assessing whether to build new or retrofit existing facilities and engaging a team of experts. By learning from experienced producers, dairy owners can make informed decisions that enhance productivity, sustainability and profitability.
July 9, 2025
Dan Meihak

The decision to invest in a new automated milking barn represents a significant step toward modernizing your operation. With it comes the opportunity for enhanced efficiency, improved cow welfare and higher revenues. The success of a project hinges on meticulous planning that considers the intricate interplay among numerous factors.


Read More

The ‘toll’ of an automated milking barn design

When designing a new automated milking facility, consider the advantages of tollbooth designs over perpendicular configurations.
June 25, 2025
Keith Ortiz

The dairy industry has spent the last few decades designing barns for automated milking – resulting in hundreds of different configurations – all of which have been a variation of two robots layouts: perpendicular and tollbooth.


Read More
61477-cooley-nexus-1.jpg

Nexus awards: New sort gate runs quieter on just electromagnets and springs

May 5, 2025
Walt Cooley

A new back-of-the-barn innovation sorts cows more quietly and reliably in all dairy environments. The Sort my Cow Sort Gate from CowManager runs on electromagnets and springs instead of compressors and pneumatics, making less noise during operation and working consistently, even during extreme weather.


Read More
60871-mcbride-people.jpg

Chris-Adie Holsteins: Staying cow-oriented while looking to the future

The Flaman family stays committed to cow health and comfort while embracing innovation.
January 22, 2025
Matti McBride

In a conversation with Matthew and Mike Flaman of Chris-Adie Holsteins, it’s obvious that their cows are top priority. Terms like “cow flow” and “cow comfort” pepper their descriptions of the operation. With an average of 38-40 litres of milk per day, the Holsteins of Chris-Adie are well cared for.


Read More
ca-fr-social-31.jpg

Sort gate success in rotary parlor operations

Design a successful sort system that is beneficial to dairy operations with cow flow and space expectations considered from the start.
November 14, 2024
Courtney Claypool

Rotary milking parlors are continually advancing, opening the door to a diverse range of auxiliary technologies that seamlessly integrate with precision milk harvesting and cow behavior monitoring systems. Designing a successful sort system can be extremely beneficial to dairy operations, especially when cow flow and space expectations are considered from the start.


Read More
Previous 1 2 Next
  • Progressive Dairy
  • Class III-IV gap widens to largest spread since 2020

    June 3, 2026
  • 63450-reese-bovisync.jpg

    Data-driven work done right

    June 3, 2026
    • Making time for the conversations that matter to improve farm safety

      June 3, 2026

FREE NEWSLETTERS

Award-winning coverage of in-depth news and analysis to make your business more profitable.

SIGNUP TODAY
Advertisement
THE GUIDE

How do I get my company listed in your Buyers Guide? 
Submit a request to be listed for FREE in the Buyers Guide here. 

Why can I only see so many articles before I have to register for the site? 
Find out why here.

How do I listen to the Progressive Dairy podcast?
Listen here.

How do I submit an idea for an article? 
Click here.

SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW Your Subscription to Leading Industry Magazines

Award-winning coverage of in-depth news and analysis to make your business more profitable.

Subscribe or Renew Today
  • INDUSTRY NEWS
  • Dairy News
    Dairy Industry News

    Class III-IV gap widens to largest spread since 2020

    June 3, 2026
  • Dairy News
    Dairy Industry News

    Weekly Digest: Checkoff to celebrate National Cheese Day June 4

    June 1, 2026
  • Dairy News
    Dairy Industry News

    April DMC margin reaches yearly high of $10.54 per cwt

    May 29, 2026
Advertisement

I'm looking for ________

Find the right products and services for your farm, ranch or operation.

CHECK OUT OUR BUYERS GUIDE
Advertisement
  • FEATURED PODCASTS
  • [Podcast] What it takes to raise great heifers and build a winning team culture with Jason Shamburg and Nic Schoenberger

    Progressive Dairy
    Podcasts
  • [Podcast] Dairy cow nutrition strategies in the era of supply chain disruptions

    Progressive Dairy
    Podcasts
    SPONSORED BY Actus Nutrition
PERSONALIZED CONTENT
Create an account and see website content tailored to your operation.  It only takes a few seconds!
SEE RECOMMENDATIONS NOW!
Copyright © 2026 Progressive Publishing

MORE INFORMATION
  • About Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • FAQs
  • Advertise
  • Shop
  • Stats Posters

OUR MAGAZINES
  • Progressive Dairy
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
  • Progressive Dairy — Canada
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
  • Progressive Dairy — en français
    • Facebook
  • Progressive Cattle
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
  • Progressive Cattle — Canada
    • Facebook
    • Linkedin
  • Progressive Forage
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
  • AgProud — Idaho
    • Facebook
    • Linkedin

CONTACT INFORMATION

Progressive Publishing
238 West Nez Perce (physical)
PO Box 585 (mailing)
Jerome, ID 83338

   

info@progressivepublish.com
(800) 320-1424
(208) 324-7513 (Main)
(208) 324-1133 (Fax)