Project Summary: Time for a change
In 2012, the Beckman family worked in a stall barn that was no longer functional for them. It was to the point they needed to build or stop milking. They built their new-barn construction with a wintery mix in play, and started using their robots on their 4th-generation farm in December of 2013.
Previous barn: Stall barn
Goals:
- Ease manual labor
- Flexible milking schedule
- Uninterrupted field work
- Expand without added help
2012-2013, built new construction with:
- 2 Lely A4 Robots
- 2 Lely Discovery Manure Scrapers
- Schaefer Cross-Ventilation System
- Feed Bin & Auger System
Results:
- More than doubled the herd size
- Improved efficiencies
- Increased production
- Far less manual labor; less tired
- More time to work on other herd improvements
- First ever all-family vacation!