Milking Cows

cows
Cows in summer pasture
Cows in summer pasture

We milk our cows three times a day. The milking shifts start at 5.00 am, 1 pm and 9 pm and takes approximately 4 hours to complete. Having enough staff is necessary to get the job done each day and it’s better for the overall health of each cow.

During milking we prep the cows by cleaning the teats with paper towels, then pre-dipping and then hanging the units. After milking each teat is dipped in iodine. All milk weights are recorded and each cow is automatically identified. Detailed information about each cow’s production is available on a computer program we use called “DairyComp 305”.

All our cows are classified by Holstein Canada at first lactation. This information is used for the mating guide that we receive from AltaGenetics. We use proven bulls, future star bulls and young sires in our artificial insemination program. At the same time our farm accommodates the government of Alberta to do research in reproduction programs and protocols.

Approximately 10 times a year we have a dairy herd improvement testing. Each individual cow gets tested on its milk components and somatic cell count.

This is Our Milking Parlour

Today, milking parlours are highly mechanized, efficient and meticulously clean with cutting edge technology.