Let's see where we are...

Since 2020, I have visited with over 80 existing farmers on three continents, who had recently moved their cows either from traditional parlor milking to AMS or dry lot/paddock to intensive housing.? All in an effort to see independently for myself the shape of what is happening real world in the dairy farming business.

The unfortunate truth of the dairy farming business is that there is a lot wrong with the process.? Especially with regards to the design, build, and operations that are mostly driven by greed and not science.? The only way for this to be resolved is to help educate the dairy farmer and provide them with a choice, the main choice, which is to seek out common sense over just what a “dealer” says.? As there seems to be fervor amongst most to vacate their fiduciary duty to the farmer and their animals in lieu of “sales”.

As with any emerging market, you see people run in and do what I call the “smash and grab”.? They make millions and, in the wake, they leave behind oversold (i.e. far too many fans all in the wrong areas), improperly designed systems, and GUARANTEED future environmental chaos.? All the while, leaving the dairy farmer with decades of headaches to come.

No matter where you are on this planet, and you are a dairy farmer looking to put your cows into intensive housing or into an AMS barn.? Please, remember, it’s your money THEY are spending.? Ask more questions and maybe get a second opinion.?

For example, if your average temperature in the winter is 12 and in the summer is 32 and you only have 200amps of power. Well, you probably don’t need 88 improperly placed cyclone fans in one barn. Nor should you have been sold that many!? For one, just do the math on the energy required JUST for those fans. [For those who don’t know, each fan runs on a 3hp motor and even with 3ph power they each are pulling at min speed, 4amps, so 88*4= 352amps]. Therefore, you will have 1/3 of a barn with fans and a ton of fans that you already paid for sitting in a shed unused while you wait to upgrade your service.? An upgrade that could cost hundreds of thousands of MORE dollars.?(And YES this is a real-world example)

This isn’t to say that you wouldn’t have to upgrade your service anyways, as moving cows from paddock to intensive housing does typically require 3x in service demand (typical between 600-1200amps is needed).? But not being told this and just being “sold” can leave one scratching their heads.? Not to mention the dangers to the equipment, electrical systems on your farm, and the fire risk if all are installed and then turned on at once.?

And while you are left to figure it out, because you trusted a “dealer” with a poor copy and paste designer at the helm that is designing things for the sheer purpose of overselling you equipment! They are sitting on a nice wad of YOUR cash, lurky for their next victim and not answering your calls.

There are NO TWO FARMS that can EVERY be the SAME, even with the simple fact that no two pieces of land are the same.?

I am not here to be “friends” with dealers or even others who are not interested in following the great science that is coming out of place like University of Wisconsin, OSU, TSU, USC, Penn, UC Davis and so on, on things like sand recapture methods, cow health and proper barn sloping.

No, I set out on this mission several years back now to help FARMERS from making HUGE investments in the wrong things.? Even if it is just by suggesting that it doesn’t hurt to have a second opinion!? Nor do you have to even believe it.? But, not searching for people who will always have your back and be held accountable to you is something you should strongly avoid.? I personally try and put science ahead of opinion; in the 25 years of being a part of the dairy design industry, I’ve seen a whole lot of “opinion” and not a lot of science when it comes to designing farms.?

Thankfully, I was able to learn from some of the greatest to ever do it, along with now expanding my knowledge through learning from the incredible things coming out of universities worldwide.?Plus, taking the time to really listen to the farmer. I've enjoyed visiting with dozens and dozens of farmers trying to move in the right direction. And even though some of them got a rough bill of sale.? One thing is for certain, the dairy farmer is one of the purest souls on this earth and no matter what will make it work for their girls.

However, a lot of them will be left working way harder fighting illness, system management and replacing equipment. When they should have had their lives more simplified. But because someone saw the farmers checkbook as the driving factor for what they did for them and used "copy and paste layout" with a "lets sell as much equipment as possible mindset". That poor farmer will likely spend the next 30 years wishing he would have never done it and be in a constant reactive mode, never having the chance to be proactive.

Therefore, we all who are in the dairy design business should honor their money, resources and cows all the while seeking to improve healthy milk output and their daily lives. With a unique and honest layout built around their available resources. And if the resource(s) isn't there, (i.e. not enough power on site) then that should be addressed HONESTLY!

If this rubs you the wrong way, then maybe check your shoes.

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Farmers first will always be my intention. This is why I have enjoyed working with Christopher Fitzgerald and others who have the same heart of applying the golden rule to their business model.

Cheers,

Chad Bird

P.S. This article doesn't apply to ALL "dealers"; but there is definitely a broken system in place that takes the power out of the farmer's hands most of the time.

P.S.S. I am only ever a DM away from having a conversation on any of this, if you are looking to move, redesign or incorporate AMS into your farming plan. Or are wanting to move into intensive housing. Then please don't hesitate to reach out. Another VERY important thing to know is that parlor equipment suppliers are NOT dairy designers. If you are going off of what they sent you, PLEASE reach out before you move dirt. They are excellent at milking equipment, but anything behind that parlor entry gate is not their cup of tea.