Ventilation

Winterizing ventilation fans in dairy barns

kristin.brommer@ves-artex.com — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

As the colder months approach, it is crucial to prepare dairy barns for winter conditions. A major component of this preparation is winterizing the ventilation system. This includes completing maintenance tasks and covering unused equipment.

Comparing ventilation for your dairy

rmcbay@canarm.ca — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Both natural ventilation and power ventilation systems are being put to use in the dairy industry. Here we compare the pros and cons of each when planning your new dairy barn.

Negative-pressure and positive-pressure ventilation systems

courtney.halbach@wisc.edu — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Mechanical ventilation systems rely on controlled inlets and outlets to exchange air in the barn, with a goal of providing a minimum of four to eight air changes per hour (ACH) in winter and 40 to 60 ACH in summer. These mechanical ventilation systems are categorized as positive-, negative- or neutral-pressure systems, with the main differences being how fans are used to bring air into or out of the barn for ventilation purposes.

Essential tips to optimize cow comfort in the holding area

shaun@futurecow.com — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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.

3 critical components of ventilation for milking parlors and holding areas

kristin.brommer@ves-artex.com — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Proper airflow in milking parlors and holding areas is essential for the well-being of the herd and the efficiency of dairy operations. By effectively removing heat, moisture, odors and contaminants produced by the cows, proper ventilation ensures the cows' comfort, prevents heat stress, maintains good air quality and supports animal health overall.

Are you focusing on these cow comfort essentials?

kristin.brommer@ves-artex.com — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Ventilation, cooling, bedding, lighting, feed and water access are the main foundations of cow comfort. Focusing on these aspects when designing and building your dairy barn will greatly enhance cow comfort, leading to better milk production, reduced health issues and overall improved welfare.

[Podcast] Calf barn ventilation with Ryan Leiterman

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 23:00:00 -0400

Join host Matti McBride as she chats with Ryan Leiterman, director of technical services at Crystal Creek Natural, about calf barn ventilation. Learn the difference between a good or bad draft in calf barns, Leiterman’s suggestions for design and his recommendations for airspeed in barns.

Spring prep for your power ventilation system

rmcbay@canarm.ca — Tue, 25 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

As spring approaches, and before your power ventilation system is required to operate at full capacity, it is a best practice to thoroughly inspect all equipment to ensure it is functioning at peak efficiency. This proactive approach can prevent expensive repairs, extend the life of your system and ensure your livestock remain comfortable during the warmer months.

How to prevent winter freeze with ventilation

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0500

To an extent, cows can handle cold environments if they are kept dry and if air speeds are not too strong. However, if barns begin to freeze, it can have a serious impact on the herd’s health and productivity. While freeze-related issues can be difficult to manage, ventilation can help alleviate them.

Seasonal transitions in dairy ventilation: Essential maintenance and upgrades for optimal herd health

rmcbay@canarm.ca — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

By proactively managing your livestock ventilation system as the seasons change, you can ensure a stable, healthy environment for your animals year-round. Regular maintenance, thoughtful adjustments to your system and considering upgrades when possible will all contribute to optimal conditions in your dairy.

How to avoid ventilation pitfalls in the spring and fall

dveeneman@inbarn.com — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0400

While the necessity of maintaining adequate ventilation during the extremes of summer and winter is well recognized, the transitional seasons of spring and fall present unique challenges that often are overlooked. This article explores the pitfalls associated with off-season ventilation and offers actionable strategies for dairy producers to address these issues.

Barn planning: Decisions, decisions

brodenburg@inbarn.com — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

There are many things to consider before we even start to design a facility layout. First, we need to focus on priorities, long-term goals and education. Secondly, we need to make general systems decisions, and finally, we can begin focusing on layout and planning.

What management practices and facility styles support better milk production?

clemence.nash@novusint.com — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The Novus C.O.W.S. Program has helped dairy farmers unlock bottlenecks in cow comfort and productivity across North America for over 12 years.

5 things to know about ventilation

dveeneman@inbarn.com — Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Proper ventilation not only ensures the health and well-being of your cows but also contributes to the overall efficiency and productivity of your dairy operation. In this article, we will delve into five essential aspects of dairy barn ventilation that every dairy producer should be well versed in.

Maintain your ventilation system to maintain production

katlyn.langmeier@ves-artex.com — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The early spring season is the ideal time to give your fans the attention they need so that they can run at 100% performance. This should become part of the farm’s routine maintenance plan.

Ventilating repurposed structures for calf housing

alex@crystalcreeknatural.com — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Building a new calf-raising facility is an expensive investment and not always an option. Converting an existing structure, whether it’s a pole shed or an old stanchion barn, to house and raise calves can be a great option – if proper ventilation practices are followed.

Managing natural ventilation in your calf barn

rmcbay@canarm.ca — Thu, 28 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0500

By prioritizing proper ventilation system design and operation, you can successfully house your calves indoors without compromising their health.

Calf barn ventilation

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Many calf housing options exist, but important system fundamentals need to be incorporated into the design related to ventilation, calf comfort, labor efficiency, cost effectiveness, and group versus individual housing strategies, for the system to be successful.

Using technology to create an animal-centered environment

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 06:54:54 -0400

Using technology allows you to automate, monitor and manage your barn environment from the palm of your hand. It minimizes human error and allows for focus on other tasks around the dairy instead of trying to control the barn.

Going from good to great with fans

dveeneman@inbarn.com — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Just buying fans and hanging them haphazardly around your barn is not going to be very helpful in your fight against the rising summer temperatures. There are a few key concepts that you need to consider to get it right.

Does your ventilation system work?

nigel.cook@wisc.edu — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 07:18:35 -0400

With so many different approaches to ventilating adult cow barns – from natural to mechanical systems, from negative pressure tunnels and cross-vents to positive pressure hybrid systems – how do you actually know if it works?

Choosing the right fan for your barn

dveeneman@inbarn.com — Tue, 09 May 2023 00:00:00 -0400

How do we make sense of all these options available to dairy producers, when fan manufacturers and sales reps are all sure that they are the only ones with the best possible fan to offer and everything else is inferior to their product?

Natural ventilation design for your dairy

rmcbay@canarm.ca — Tue, 02 May 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Designing a natural ventilation system for your dairy involves putting together two necessary elements that create optimum conditions for year-round cow comfort.

Preparing your natural ventilation system for winter

rmcbay@canarm.ca — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 11:36:54 -0400

After a few months of curtain and panel systems sitting fully open and not moving during hot weather, there comes a time every year when we must all face the fact that colder weather is coming.

Fan installation peaks milk production through summer on SunRidge Dairy

audrey@agproud.com — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 15:47:14 -0400

After a neighboring dairy installed fans in their freestall barns, Ryan Kroes was able to see firsthand the better results their neighbors had during the hot summer months.

Keeping cows cool: Summer additions to a natural ventilation system

rmcbay@canarm.ca — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 10:47:03 -0400

With as little as 16 km/h (10-mph) winds, a properly designed natural ventilation system will provide more than adequate air exchange for your dairy during hot weather.

Assessing ventilation in calf barns

courtney.halbach@wisc.edu — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 16:01:01 -0400

How do you know if your calf barn is properly ventilated? You may see visual signs such as streaking or cobwebs on the purlins or be overwhelmed with the smell of ammonia and noticeable humidity as you enter the barn, letting you know your calf barn’s ventilation may be lacking.

Natural ventilation controls: Optimize set up for maximum efficiency

rmcbay@canarm.ca — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 15:04:09 -0400

If you have taken the first step to invest in an automatic ventilation controller for your natural ventilation system, now you need to make sure your settings and sensor placements are optimized to give you the maximum benefit.

Ventilating your fabric structure for healthy, comfortable cows

rmcbay@canarm.ca — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 13:00:01 -0400

Steel-frame, fabric-covered buildings used for commodity and equipment storage have been common in the agricultural industry for decades.

So you want to ventilate your barn …

nigel.cook@wisc.edu — Sun, 19 Jul 2020 13:00:01 -0400

Not too long ago, we relied heavily upon natural ventilation for adult dairy cattle facilities, but in recent years a variety of mechanical and hybrid options have emerged that have the potential to improve ventilation performance.