Issue 16 of Progressive Dairyman (Oct. 10, 2017) highlighted the Rural Firefighters Delivering Agricultural Safety and Health (RFDASH) project from the National Farm Medicine Center.

Robotics have made significant inroads into every sector of life, from robotic-assisted surgery and automobile assembly to gathering items for an online order.

For three years running, I’ve had the honor of sharing with the readers of Progressive Dairy, both in Canada and the U.S., what I believe are cutting-edge robot dairy facilities. These designs are the culmination of decades of combined experience from dairy producers, veterinarians, nutritionists, builders, equipment manufacturers and architects/engineers like myself.

Have you ever visited a nature park and climbed to the top of a tall observation tower? Finding your way through the woods is completely different after gaining an overview from such a position compared to just standing on the ground.

It is common to observe great variation in dairy personnel turnover and performance among dairy operations. That variation can often be traced to training.

We’re finding more dairy farmers are looking for experts in specific areas of barn design rather than accepting a “one-size-fits-all” approach. The best builders coordinate these experts, ensuring the new building will not just look good in the photo taken on day one but will continue to provide a return on investment 30 years later.

Is your dairy farm ready to take the next step to grow in size, but you aren’t quite ready to grow with today’s robotic technology? There are a multitude of robotic options available today, and many more to come.

Solar power generation has grown dramatically in recent years, with the cost of solar installations falling by 70 percent since 2010. Many dairies are finding solar provides significant cost savings well worth the initial investment, especially when incentives, tax credits, rising electricity costs and financing are factored in.

When it comes to making milk, cows need one thing more than anything else: water. Milk is mostly water, so it goes without saying it is a vital element in terms of a cow’s nutrient needs.