“I don’t know if there’s a secret,” says owner Margreet Dijkstra of Sylvanside Dairy’s award-winning milk quality. “We just have an eye for details.” She also credits excellent cow comfort, no shortcuts and consistency.

Locomotion and hock scores, along with resting time, are indicators of the quality of the lying surface and bedding choice. With many bedding options available, this article provides recommendations for how to optimize each of them to improve cow comfort.

While a barn fire is not something any dairy farm wants to go through, the Hofstra family has used their positive attitude and determination to build a barn for future generations.

How do you choose the best bedding for your cows? Obvious considerations include bedding cost and availability, but there are a few less obvious considerations that will help you make the best decision for your farm. Take a look at them and discover which bedding fits your farm’s cow comfort goals.

Bedding type is a crucial component of cow comfort. Encouraging cows to spend more time lying and chewing their cud is the ultimate goal, but accomplishing that end has a plethora of considerations.