APRIL 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC Small and large dairies showcase modern systems


Size no barrier to adopting cutting-edge systems


by DAVID SCHMIDT ABBOTSFORD – Is a 60-cow


dairy farm still viable? Yes, says Myrna Verwoert of


D&M Verwoert Farms in Chilliwack. No, says Jeff Miles of RJR Farms in Abbotsford. Both have put their money


where their mouths are and both showed the results of their decisions to dairymen during the BC Dairy Expo Self Tour earlier this year. Myrna and Donald


Verwoert operate a 58-cow dairy. Since they have no plans to expand, their new barn includes just one DeLaval Voluntary Milking System robot. “We want to stay at this


size,” Myrna says. They chose to replace their old barn and parlour with a robot to give them more flexibility. “You don’t have the


pressure of having to be in the barn at a given time,” Myrna notes. Donald says they chose


DeLaval because of the “exceptional service” they continue to receive from their dealer, J&D Farmers Dairy Service. He also likes the way the DeLaval system cleans teats.


He notes somatic cell counts (SCC) stayed “about the same” as in the old barn, contrary to other farmers’ claims of increased SCCs after adopting robotic milkers. Donald calls his new barn “fairly straight-forward.” It incorporates modern technology such as rubber mats in the stalls and along the feed bunk, an automatic foot bath and a Jamesway flush flume system. To add character, the Verwoerts even installed a decorative 25-foot- high windmill. Like the Verwoerts, RJR


Farms started as a small dairy. It milked just 33 cows when Randy Redekop launched it in 2008. “We were too small,” said


Jeff Miles, who has managed it from the start and is now a


41


Jeff Miles is all smiles as he shows off his new milking facilities at RJR Farms. DAVID SCHMIDT PHOTO


partner in the business. RJR installed a Lely robotic


milker in their old barn five years ago and increased the herd to 55 to 60 cows. But with so many quota


increases in recent years and a belief the farm was too small, RJR built a new barn last year and added a second robot. It upgraded its original robot so both now have SCC testers and milk quality control units that monitor fat, protein, temperature, milk colour and speed. The cows also got new collars which read heats and other activities every 20 minutes. “After we moved into the new barn, we expanded the herd and are now milking 90 cows,” Miles says.


Rapid expansion means


RJR’s herd currently averages just 128 days in milk but Miles expects that to increase as the new cows settle in. Production has also increased, jumping from 36-37 kilograms a day in the old barn to a current average of 40-41 kilograms. “I expect it to go up even


more,” he says. Miles has always used sand bedding but the new barn includes a sand recovery system which absolutely delights him. “This is one of our biggest


cost savings. We recover 90% of our sand and no one can tell which is old sand or new sand in the barn.”


The new barn also has tunnel ventilation. Already


common in poultry barns, tunnel ventilation is still relatively rare in Fraser Valley dairy barns. Since the new barn was just commissioned in October, the tunnel system has yet to be used but Miles is looking forward to the day it turns on.


“I turned it on before the


cows went in and there was such a rush of air through the barn,” Miles says. “It’s great!” Most barns with tunnel ventilation have low ceilings to keep the air closer to ground level but RJR’s barn uses a conventional open rafter design. To compensate, baffles have been installed on the rafters every 20 feet, forcing the air down and creating a wave motion.


Gerrit, Donald, Myrna and Shelissa Verwoert were proud to show off their new barn and DeLaval robotic milker. DAVID SCHMIDT PHOTO


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