With summer winding down and fall harvest drawing near, we have been busy preparing a new hotel for our heifers.
On a dairy farm, heifers are an investment in the future. It’s easy to overlook them during times of tight margins. However when their needs aren’t met, growth, health and, ultimately, lifetime production suffers.
When the opportunity came up to purchase the neighboring farm, we couldn’t pass it up. It’s an aging facility in need of a lot of TLC. Once a showplace, we hope to restore it to its former glory and create a facility where our heifers can reach their full potential.
Restoration and clean-up efforts will be ongoing, but heifers will soon grace these pastures. Old barns will once again house animals albeit in a somewhat new way. We are making use of as many buildings and silos as we can. Some simply are not able to meet our needs.
It’s been a struggle to decide the fate of this beautiful little barn. It’s been well maintained, but is not big enough for our needs. It’s located in a site that we need for a larger heifer shed. That means it is time to move on. Ideally, we will find someone who’d like to give the barn a new home, moving it and reconstructing it on their property.
In the next few weeks, silo restorations will continue, new water lines dug, cement poured, feed bunks assembled and new fencing installed all in preparation for a new home for our girls. We’re anxious to see how they like their new digs!
