When Tullando Farm in Orford, New Hampshire, installed robots in fall 2012, it became the first robotic dairy in New Hampshire.

Heat stress not only reduces milk production, it causes physiological changes with impacts that can remain long after the actual heat event has passed, such as aborted pregnancies and maternal death, not to mention declines in milk productivity that may never be regained.

You know you need to do some renovations, or you’re putting together the plans for an expansion project.

Regardless of where your farm is located geographically, every dairy can benefit from cooling their cows. Have you reviewed your barn’s cooling system lately? When evaluating or planning the cooling system for your herd, remember the five parts of cooling: SAAWW – shade, air exchange, air movement, water for drinking and water for cooling.

Keeping calf barns well ventilated during warm weather starts with the design of the facility. The Dairyland Initiative’s preferred nursery calf barn design is a one- or two-row individual calf pen building utilizing natural ventilation.

What would you do with a few thousand dollars extra in the checkbook at the end of every month? Replace worn-out freestalls; start planning a new transition cow barn; add technology to the parlor? What if just a few small changes to one area of your operation could make that possible?

Heat stress is known to cause a number of health and behavior problems in dairy cows, including:

It’s no secret that warm temperatures cause stress for dairy cows. While some effects are noticed immediately, like a drop in milk production, others rear their heads weeks or months later, like reduced reproductive performance and even lameness.

Not a big “fan” of confusing and conflicting data regarding solutions for ventilation and air circulation on your dairy? Make it easier by referencing unbiased information from a research, product-testing and educational laboratory, Bio-Environmental and Structural Systems (BESS) Labs.