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WI SCONS IN TOUR
SPRING 2012 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
12
Case Study:
Larson Acres
This business has expanded from 1,000
cows - completed in 2010 to include a
new mechanically cross ventilated 234
x 1,166 feet dry cow and transition barn
on sand cubicles for 1,200 cows with a
second 44 point rapid exit milking parlour.
The cross-vented barn system involves a
sealed unit with extraction fans running
along the whole length of one side of the
building. To ensure adequate movement of
air, relatively small inlets are made along
the far side of the building to move air at
400ft per minute, which equates to 60
air changes per hour in the summer.
Temperatures commonly reach 40 o C in
the summer and the main aim of investing
in such an expensive ventilation system
is to avoid heat stress.
While we never see the same extremes
of temperature in Yorkshire, cows housed
inside during the summer are still at risk.
Dairy cows are affected by heat stress at
lower levels of heat or humidity than those
that would begin to bother humans.
Cross-venting was an extreme solution
but more attention to achieving fresh air
in our buildings was one message we
took from our trip.
Larson Acres had also invested a huge
amount of capital in their slurry handling
system which comprised a three-stage
separation system - sand laden slurry from
cows passes through housed separation
lanes and drum filters to produce sand
which is drained and re-used, and solids
(fibrous, high phosphate, 40 t/day, stored
up to one month); the sludge from this
process passes into a screw press
producing a liquid used directly on alfalfa
crops between silage cuts or passes into
a membrane filter to produce liquid
permeate (1% dry matter, contains half the
initial nitrogen level and no P or K, used
for growing crop application. This system
allows a precision nutrient management
plan to be implemented with P & K added
back as required by each crop.
Whether the amount of capital invested at
Larson Acres is the right business approach
or not, this farm believed strongly in taking
a lead on promoting the positive impact of
dairy farming and its sustainability in terms
of animal health, environmental impact and
place in the community.
In common with the majority of the farms
we visited they had converted to sand
cubicles. The downside is handling the
slurry and the farms we visited had
employed a range of methods to overcome
these problems. The bigger farms were
recycling sand which represented a huge
saving as very little additional sand needed
to be purchased per annum. Mechanical
separation was the most expensive option
and technical issues on some farms resulted
in sand of questionable cleanliness. Flume
and separation lanes were impressive and
produced very clean sand from a very
grand but ultimately simple system.
l
Attention to detail
As these farms had expanded, the attention to
detail had not been lost. In some cases it may
even have been enhanced as people could
be given more focused jobs developing a
degree of specialisation. Forage management,
hygiene and consistency in all daily tasks
were a common factor. As the herds had
grown they had taken control of every
important detail.
I finished the tour very encouraged that
the best of our dairy industry is just as
advanced and talented as that in
Wisconsin. Our group certainly took the
chance to review the platform that they
have for further growth and what the
limiting factors on herd performance might
be. The yields achieved by many of the
farms we visited were impressive; over 50
litres per cow per day on one farm. The
temptation might be to explain this as the
result of the exceptional forage base,
feeds like bloodmeal and additives/
treatments such as Monensin/BST and
doubtless all these things are part of the
story. More important though were the
common factors of exceptional attention
to detail, a focus on cow comfort and
a robust staff structure where everyone
knew their role.
UK vs. USA
THE FACT S
Herd size:
2,900 cows
Staff:
11 family and 42 employees
Average yield:
30,000lb +
Key Points:
l
Clear role definition can be the
difference between stressed,
under-performing staff and a solid
team which is easier to manage and
recruit into.
l
Produce good protocols and enforce
them through a clear staff structure.
l
Excellent results can be achieved
on all systems but sand probably
delivers the best results at a given
level of management.
l
Think about how we are perceived
by our customers and what our role
in our communities is or should be,
this could be more and more
important in the future.
l
If you want to progress identify your
own limiting factor.
l
Step back and define your business
and the roles within it - even if you
currently fulfil most of them yourself
at the moment!
Kindly supported by Landskills in Yorkshire and Humber
Crimped maize
Cross Vented barn
Mechanical sand separation