Milking Facility

The completion of the new milking facility and the addition of a 1,300 cow barn, allowed the farm to expand to 2,400 cows and milk 3 times a day. This facility also houses a large meeting room used for training and a viewing area for visitors to see the cows as they are milked. Large overhead doors on each side of the parlor, a high ceiling and plenty of ventilation give an open feeling to the milking area and aid cow comfort during milking. A large break room complete with 2 showers and several lockers provides employees with a comfortable place to take breaks and eat meals.

Cows are milked on a Westfalia Surge, 60 cow rotary parlor. Cows enter in the lower right corner of the picture and exit beside the entrance. The speed of the rotary can be adjusted as needed and it can also be stopped and restarted easily if needed. On average, the rotary makes 6 turns every hour. Cows are very comfortable and enjoy the ride. An upstairs viewing area with many large windows gives visitors a good view of the parlor in operation without disturbing the cows.

On the side of the viewing area is a small living quarters for the rabbi who oversees milking which allows us to be New York's largest Kosher dairy.

A tunnel gives access to the center of the rotary. This dropped center give easy, head height access to milk pumps, meters, pulsators and other related milking equipment that require regular maintenance. The rotary runs almost silently on 120 nylon rollers that can also be accessed here.

After cows enter the rotary they are prepped for milking. Usually there are 5 people around the rotary when it is at its peak of operation.
1. A foam pre dip is rubbed on the teats to sanitize and stimulate milk let down.
2. Cows are wiped clean and dry.
3. The unit is attached.
4. A "roamer" moves back & forth around the rotary to reattach any units that fall off.
5. Post dip is applied to the teats to kill bacteria that may attempt to enter the teat canal before it closes after milking.
This milking procedure helps us produce top quality milk that our customers desire.
Our goal is to maintain excellent milk quality and we usually run below 150,000 Somatic Cell Count.

Click Here to see a mini clip of the parlor in action.

When it is time to be milked, cows are brought into a holding pen just behind the rotary. Time in the holding pen usually only about 45 minutes. Many fans and a sprinkler system help cool cows in hot weather. An air operated gate behind the cows gently moves forward with the touch of a button.
On the other side of the holding pen is a lane for cows to return to their group in the barn.

Just off the side of the return alley are several pens that are used to separate cows that may require special attention that day. Here a trim table lays cows on their side to have their feet trimmed. Cows are usually trimmed twice every year. There are also 2 palpation rails here that are used mainly for vet check.

Twin 8,000 gallon bulk tanks cool milk and hold it until it is picked up. Security cameras are on in this room 24 hours a day to ensure the safety of the milk. Total production is about 185,000lbs.a day (over 21,000 gallons) and is picked up three times a day.

The utility room is just behind the bulk tanks. A 250kw generator powered by a large Allis Chalmers diesel engine supplies power when the electric company cannot. The 480 gallon hot water capacity is is kept hot by twin 1,000,000 BTU boilers. A 10hp Ingersol Rand and a 15hp Gardner Denver air compressor supply the air needed to operate the parlor. In this room is the entrance to the tunnel that leads to the center of the rotary. A steep set of stairs takes you down then up again to the center.

Feed is mixed and fed twice a day.

A large 450' x 350' bunk pad can be separated into several bunks as needed by using several movable walls in the center. This bunk holds the 40,000 tons of forage that is used to feed the animals throughout the year. A digital scale allows trucks to weigh before going to the bunk area. The commodity shed has 4 bays on each side and the feed truck is parked inside to be loaded. The truck bay is on the opposite side of the building from the bunks and sets lower than the floor. Ingredients are put into the bays via hatches in the roof that open to let a stinger truck auger the feed in. Two upright feed bins hold ingredients that may not be used in large enough quantities to buy a full truck load. Inside the feed truck is a computer (using "EZ-Feed" software) that sends the pounds of each ingredient needed to an outside display for the operator to see from a loader.

Two pack barns are used to house pre fresh cows. Cows are bedded with straw and are monitored hourly.
A special small pen can be used to put cows that may require extra special attention. The feed lane is on the outside of the building and is covered by a large overhanging hoof.

Two long 6 row barns house the milking cows. The old barn, built in 1992, is 720' long with 12' side walls, has 850 stalls and uses sawdust for bedding. The new barn is 800' long with 14' sidewalls, has 1,050 stalls and used sand for bedding. Four rows of fans cool cows in hot weather. Cows move to the center of the barn where they then pass through the alleys that take them to and from the parlor to be milked. Both barns are designed for two lane traffic

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Plenty of fresh, clean water is required to maintain high milk production. Cross alleys contain Bolhman waterers that can be used from both sides. All alleys in the sand barn have rubber belting for improved cow comfort.

This picture shows the center alley that leads to the parlor. Manure is scraped to the center of the barn using automatic Houle alley scrapers. Manure then drops into this auger where it is taken to the separator building.

Cows constantly kick sand out of the stalls and it goes into the manure where it is then separated and reused. About 40lbs. of sand per stall, per day is used for bedding. Approximately 75% of the sand is reused. This truck is used to put the sand into the stalls.

The herdsmen have an office adjacent to the rotary. The old parlor on the other side of the farm is used to milk treated cows. Separating these cows improved the effeciency of the rotary. Computers are used to keep records of production, breeding and medications for cows.
('Dairy Comp 305' software)