As a proud born and raised Iowan, I’m just one of the many people who joke that we sometimes experience all four seasons in a single day. From plunging temperatures with flurries in the wee morning hours, birds chirping in the warming sunshine midday, to pelting winds in t-shirt-worthy weather by the late afternoon, we livestock farmers tend to check the weather many times throughout the day.
The drastic change in temperatures and general weather conditions means we keep an array of clothing options at the ready — from snapbacks to knitted hats, cut-off shirts to heavy coats, and light tennis shoes to lined rubber muck boots. Layers and options are key to staying comfortable throughout our days in the Midwest. Not only do we need to continue adapting, but we are also paying attention to the unstable elements for the sake of our cows.
As dairy farmers, we talk a lot about cow comfort in many aspects of our role as animal caretakers. One way we’re able to effectively adapt for our cows is through the flexibility of freestall barns where our milk cows and older heifers are housed. We have other sheds with similar features for our young calves, market steers and dry cows. Freestall barns are a farmer’s best friend because they are outfitted with strong curtain systems — sometimes regulated automatically with a thermostat, other times by manually opening and closing them as needed (hence we check our phone’s weather app religiously). The curtains help trap heat and provide a good windbreak when closed, or they can be opened as much as desired to allow airflow and a breeze when the temperatures begin to get steamy.
The curtains are a huge benefit of freestall barn designs; however, they’re not the only way we adapt for cow comfort. Ventilation in the roof provides proper cycling of air when the barn is closed up. Sliding or rolling doors on the ends allow us in and out with ease to scrape manure and feed the cows, while providing additional options for airflow similar to the curtains. Speaking of airflow, we also have huge fans throughout the barns to maximize cooling in the summer months.
Other key cow comfort features include easy access to water and feed, as well as soft beds (stalls) for the cows to rest at their leisure. On our farm, our milk cows lie on a thick bed of fresh sand that we rake twice daily and replenish weekly, which helps control bacteria growth and moisture while being ultra comfortable for the cows. Our heifers happen to be in a freestall barn with soft mattresses in each stall, which is another effective option for cow beds.
These are just a few ways we adapt throughout a single day, as well as year-round, to ensure our cows are healthy and comfortable. It goes hand in hand that when we don our heavy coats, we shut curtains and doors in the barns — just as it correlates that when we strip down to a cut-off and shorts, we turn on the fans and open the barns up as much as possible to harness the benefits of any breeze Mother Nature throws our way.
The author dairy farms with her parents and brother near Hawkeye, Iowa. The family milks approximately 300 head of grade Holstein cows at Windsor Valley Dairy LLC — split half and half between a double-eight parallel milking parlor and four robotic milking units. In the spring of 2020, Molly decided to take a leap and fully embrace her love for the industry by returning full time to her family’s dairy.
