Barns & Equipment

Forage processors are an invaluable component of many of our cattle operations today. If you are feeding cattle in bunks or on the ground, forage processors add efficiency by reducing manpower, improving forage utilization and reducing waste.

Koopman Dairy, operated by brothers Chad and Brent Koopman in Epworth, Iowa, makes use of two barns that run parallel and are connected by a breezeway. They retrofitted this facility to house two Lely A4 Astronaut automated milking systems in what was once the holding pen for the old parlor.

When the time came for brothers Chad and Brent Koopman, Epworth, Iowa, to take the reins of the second-generation dairy farm from their dad and uncle, they recognized changes were imminent.

Hydraulic power is something easy to use but not always easy to understand. At its root, hydraulics is the science of how fluids are harnessed to perform mechanical tasks. That can be anything from folding a disc at the end of a field to running a generator at the bottom of a huge dam.

Change is never easy, and the shift from milking in a parlor to robotic milking is anything but simple, but for Dan Barnes of Barnes Black and White Farm in Shoreham, Vermont, the addition of robotic milking to his dairy operation has come with big rewards.

Understanding the many components that make up a milking vacuum system and recognizing how vacuum function integrates with the entire milking system is key to achieving an optimal milk harvest.