Small Dairy Barn Tour: How does the barn work? What size are the spaces?
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- Опубліковано 20 тра 2024
- We have shared our dairy barn in other videos, but here is a full tour! The barn was built from August 2019 to June 2020 at a cost of about $100,000. We did all the work except for the concrete, raising the trusses (thanks neighbors!), and installing our milk tank. You can check out all the "Building Dairy Barn" videos on our page to see the construction details.
Clover Mountain Dairy is a seasonal Certified Organic small dairy farm located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Northeast Washington State near the town of Chewelah. In addition to being Certified Organic, we practice regenerative farming practices to improve the soil and for carbon sequestration. We are 100% grass fed and utilize managed intensive grazing (MIG) where we rotate them through our permanent pastures. Our herd is completely A2/A2 and we practice calf-sharing, not separating the babies and letting the cows raise their own calves. The mommas do a wonderful job! We process our own milk here on the farm. We gently vat pasteurize the milk and bottle it as creamtop whole milk, chocolate milk, Caffe Latte, and Eggnog (seasonally). We also make a full-fat cream top yogurt. All our fluid milk is bottled in glass returnable milk bottles. Our glass milk bottles are reused multiple times! The ultimate recycling! We market our milk through our local farmer's market and on farm sales. We are both military veterans and first generation farmers.
Music: Apple iMovie Riverwalk
I like that barn especially the shape and red coulor it remind me of my time in the mid
80s when i worked and traveld for a year in the USA, its so typical American, thanks and greetings from a Dutch dairyfarmer
Thank you! Yes, we feel a barn has to be red! Haha! Thank you for watching!
You two have come along way. So happy for you.
Thank you!
Hope everythings going well!
I have always been so jealous of your barn! You guys did such an amazing job building it, you should be proud of yourselves! If you ever open up for tours I want to come!
Thanks! There are some finishing touches, but all in all, we are very happy with it. It performs wonderfully! If you ever get up this way, be sure to ring us up!
@@vnthomas16 how much cost for your dairy farm barn manufacture?
I love the look of your barn
Thank you! We were trying to go for a classic look!
We built our parlor barn 6 yrs ago (on a tight budget). We would think we died and went to heaven had we been able to build a structure like yours. It's perfect.
Yours is awesome too!
It is indeed! We followed along as you built your barn too! And we still follow you on FB!
I agree. Love it.
You all have a beautiful barn! I am envious! But the best thing about your barn is that you built it yourselves!
It was a lot of work, but very rewarding! It makes it such a pleasure to do chores!
You have a beautiful farmstead! All the buildings are great looking. I love the look of your farmstead from driving up the lane. Great job planning! I'm sure you've got great airflow through the barn which is important. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for all your kind words! And thank you for watching. We appreciate your support!
Brilliant . Enjoyed yr tour. God Bless You Both
Thank you so much!
Beautiful barn. Meow Meow Spud ( I think it is Spud, you told me before ). Thanks for the tour. Take care.
Thank you! Yes indeed, he is “Spud”! And he says “Meow”! Thanks for watching!
Love the barn and your tour. Thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome! Thanks for the support!
I love your barn. You guys have done a ton of work! Very impressive.
Thank you! It sure makes doing chores very nice! Thanks for watching!
What a lovely professionally built and operated Dairy Barn. You two are to be commended for your work. Well Done!
From an Ol Arizona farmer
Thank you! We love our barn and it’s such a wonderful place to work. Thanks for watching!
Have you considered putting a roof over the headlocks and holding pen outside the parlor? It makes milking more pleasant if the cows can drip dry outside the parlor on rainy days, and you could mount the vacuum pump on the wall outside the parlor under the roof.
No, no roof in the immediate future at least. We like that the rear door is unobstructed so that the winter sun can shine in. We don’t get much rain anyway, usually about 18” of precipitation annually, and most of that is during the winter. We do however, plan to build a “vacuum pump hut” outside the parlor sideway. Our current vacuum pump isn’t too loud, but eventually we plan to install a pipeline, and will need a bigger (and much louder) vacuum pump for that. I already have a DeLaval 76 awaiting restoration for that project. Thanks for watching!
We also have a DeLaval 76 that needs a rebuild before we can put it into service again. We will eagerly await your video so we can see what we're in for!
The VP-76 was (is) a pretty popular pump, so luckily spare parts are pretty accessible! Stay tuned!
Thank y’all so much I really enjoyed your video and look forward to more videos
Happy to hear that! Definitely more to come, so stay tuned!
Awesome setup!
Thank you!
We are currently milking a few cows and have learned so much from your videos. Thank you for sharing your adventure.
You’re welcome! We’re still learning too! Haha! Always happy to share!
Nice tour. Sure is light in the barn and very organized.
Thank you! It is a wonderful place to work!
Your organization is off the charts amazing! The barn is efficient, attractive and functional. I never stop being impressed by you two. (Hi Spud! 🐈) ❤️💙
Thank you! We always appreciate your kind words! Spud says “hi” by the way! 🐾 🐱
I love your barn.. I enjoy watching.. Stay blessed
Thank you so much!
How cool! I like the efficient design of the milking side of your barn. How well planned! Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome!
Nice little barn. Perfect for a micro!
Thanks!
Thank you for another excellent video. You have a fantastic dairy facility! Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, and milking 4 cows, we would have loved to have a facility like yours! Best of luck to you!
Thank you for the kind words of support!
Love. I think it is perfect - the size, the layout, the color. I will be looking forward to a video/post with equipment list and sources (like bottle washer or autowasher for milking machine. Thank you guys for sharing all that info!
Thank you for your kind words and support! We plan to put a “resources” page on our website that will hopefully have some handy information. It’s not there yet, but our page is clovermountaindairy (dot) com.
Great tour! Must be wonderful to work in that barn!
It really is. Nice and bright! Thanks for watching!
Great barn tour. Looking shipshape as expected. Spring around the corner. Can't wait to see new calves kicking up their heels. Plus filling the barn with hay. Be well friends.
Thank you for your kind words! Yes, Spring is on its way! The fields are starting to green up and the cows are rounding out! Haha! Thanks for watching!
Not gonna lie.. I would totally do a hay loft.. but man, This is a well laid out operation. I absolutely love it
We get that a lot! Haha! We really like the openness of the barn. I suppose if one wanted, it could be added. Thanks for watching!
Sehr gut!👌👍👏
How about "expansion"? Are you able to add another claw to the cleaning system, the vacuum pump will easily handle two? Would you consider comfort stalls for say 8-10 cows? That would mean an extension to the barn. At a certain point of expansion you would have extra A2 calves or premium bred heifers for sale and extra income. There was a time when cattle shows were popular and that boosted farm awareness of their cattle BUT that demands more time away from the farm and your hands on approach.
We have another pail milker, we just don’t use it. Our vacuum system could definitely handle it though. The extra time to clean and sanitize it would negate any time saved in the parlor with our small herd. As we grow, certainly we could add a second milker to gain efficiency. The plan is to actually add a pipeline milking system once we get a bit bigger. We already have most of the components, and we roughed in the required electrical when we built the barn. Once we do get to where we want to be size-wise, we will have stock to sell. Whilst we call ourselves a “dairy farm”, we believe in diversification, and that’s just part of that. Thanks for watching!
informative tour of your very clean well laid out barn looks like youve spent a lot of thought into the layout of it , seems to fill your needs perfectly, any plans for further development on the farm? how about housing for the horses that you plan on, maybe another small barn with their hay and harness?
The horses will have a run-in shelter of their own, but the area in the barn between the tack room and calves is set aside for harnessing horses and doing other work. There is actually a 12’ sliding door in that side wall. After going straight from building a house to building a barn, we don’t want any big projects for a while! Haha! We’re planing on building a simple tractor shed off the end of the shop this year though. Thanks for watching!
Love the vids what are your plans with the male calves
Hi I´m from Germany and I´m 13 years old and I love your videos. My parents have a dairy with 50 cows. Would you use a tedder for tedding hay. Grusses from Germany
Hello! Glad to hear you like our videos. No, we don’t use a Tedder. No need, as our summers are very hot and dry. Thanks for watching!
I just recently found out about cream top milk. Yowza. Why didn't anybody tell me this stuff existed! It's like having milk with little chunks of butter in it. Delicious. I drive 30 minutes and buy 3 gallons at a time now. Everybody promotes skim milk or almond milk for weight loss but they are missing out on the satiety that full fat dairy provides. I can make a protein shake with whole milk and be full for hours.
We are obviously fans of cream top milk too! We’re glad you discovered it. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the tour...nice to get the whole picture. Are you going to make a miniature of the barn for your trail layout?
Well of course! Haha! 🚂
What state are you in ? And it on the farm bottle made very cool but what did it take to get the license??? I want a personal tour please !????
We’re in Washington. We made a whole video on licensing: ua-cam.com/video/3THp5wAhsWU/v-deo.html Thanks for watching!
I was wondering if you deliberately left air vents or did you not get to installing Batons yet ?
You are corrects. We intentionally did not install battens for air ventilation. It works well. Interestingly, even on a windy day you can’t feel it in the barn.
REALY loving the vids. 2 Questions 1 are you thinking about bringing your heifer into the herd. 2 what are your plans with the male calves and have they been castrated
Glad you enjoy the videos! Yes, Dodie will eventually join the milking herd. She’ll stay in the “kindergarten” until she is bred, and then we’ll bring her over to the milking herd. Both bull calves have been castrated, and we’ll continue to raise them and finish them on our farm and then we’ll direct market them. Thanks for watching!
@@vnthomas16 thank you for answering my questions
I am a firm believer that beef should come from the dairy herd
Dairy farmers are (or should be) beef farmers too.
Do you think you will eventually pump the milk straight into the cooler tank or keep milking into the pot like you are doing now?
Hi! Yes, we do intend to eventually install a pipeline. We have many of the components already, and we roughed in the required electrical when we built the barn. Until we get a few more cows, we just don’t feel the need to go ahead and install it. With our current herd size, the bucket milker works just fine. But, we plan to grow a little, so stay tuned!
Do you A.I? And what company did you purchase your milking equipment through? Would you mind telling us what you have for milking equipment/processing the milk,???
Yes, we AI. Our milking equipment is a hodgepodge of stuff put together. Our Vacuum pump is a 70+ year old Surge. Our milker bucket is a DeLaval bucket (the old DeLavals are the best!). The claw is a newer NuPulse, but I use DeLaval O6 shells and GEA classic liners. Our bulk tank is a 1958 Van-Vetter (Made in Washington!). Our Pasteurizer is new, made by Northwestern Tool. We love it!
You need a conveyor to put hay on the second floor.
There is no second floor in our barn. We do have a hay trolley to lift in our hay though.
@@vnthomas16 I know I watched your film but you could have a second floor quite easily which would free up a lot of space. On my grandfathers dairy farm all the hay went on the second floor and that freed up some space for equipment during the winter.
Can you make a video about the process of getting USDA certified as a dairy and organic? Easy? Expensive? Any tips to making it go smoothly? Do you need to hire a consultant?
We do plan to do a video on the subject someday. The dairy rules are all administered by the state. While the USDA oversees the NOP, we also use the state as our certifying agency. They’ve been great to work with! There is a lot of paperwork, but it’s manageable. Never used a consultant.
You guys have a great set up there but here in Ireland the department of agriculture would make life hellish for u to be allowed bottle and sell your own milk Everyone knows its the big milk processors in bed with the agriculture department that are doing their best to stop it But thats life for the average farmer Always at the bottom of the ladder Anyway lovely video ❤
How does raising the calfs with the cows work?
Works great! We’d never go back to raising calves ourselves. Too much work. Besides, the mommas do it better than us. We milk just once a day. Momma and baby are together 24/7 for the first 6-8 weeks. Then we start separating them at night, reuniting in the morning after milking. We wean at 6 months-ish. The health, vigor, and gains of the calves are amazing.
what are your plans for the steers , sale barn your own freezer direct to customer freezer market
Some for us for sure, and the rest we’ll direct market. Thanks for watching!
@@vnthomas16 I can not eat animals I name. 😩 good luck.
Are you going put pipeline in some time
Indeed! Eventually that is the plan. I have most of the pieces already. I think we need to get a few more cows milking before it’s worth it however. Thanks for watching!
How do you make out of cow dung and how do you manage that
We spread our manure on our fields.
I didn't see any tack in the tack room?
We didn’t have horses yet when we filmed this. We have horses now, and yes, there is tack in the feed and tack room. :) Thanks for watching!
@@vnthomas16 Very clean barn, good job.
Is there a blueprint you can share of it?
Unfortunately no blueprints... We actually built everything out of our head. We did have the trusses engineered, so that was about the only formality in construction. Everything was built in increments of 12’ for the most part. Using a number that is both divisible by 2 and 3 gives you the greatest utilization and least waste of building materials.
@@vnthomas16 Thanks brother, appreciate the reply
What generation are you
We’re both first generation farmers. Thanks for watching!
How are you paying your bills with those few cows ?
Great question! The herd itself is pretty low input. 100% grass fed. So other than a little hay to supplement our own hay and pasture, we just have to buy minerals and some bedding during the winter. On the other end, we sell only value added products. No milk is sold as a commodity. We do whole and flavored milk in glass bottles, yogurt, and different cheeses. Yogurt for example, nets over $250/CWT. Thanks for watching!
Почему второй этаж не сделали под сеновал.
Нам нравится большой открытый сарай. Больше воздуха и света. Лестницы нет. Спасибо!
I milk 200 jerseys in CT I milk in a 50 stall rotary parlor are you planning to put in a pipeline in your parlor
Eventually we do indeed plan on installing a pipeline. I have most of the components, and we roughed in the required electrical when we built the barn. Until we get a few more cows though, I just don’t think it would be worth it. The bucket milkers are working fine for us now. Milking must go pretty fast for you with 200 cows and a 50 bail rotary! The dairy farm where we got our original stock is a 1,000 cow seasonal grass-based dairy and they have a 50 cow Waikato rotary parlor. I milked in there and can’t say I’m a fan. I appreciate a more “laid back” approach to milking! Haha! With my two-stall parlor, there is plenty of time to stand around! Thanks for watching!
@@vnthomas16 are your jerseys registered mine are have been since 1930 and what brand of pipeline do you have and where did you get your nupluse claw from
We didn’t bother registering our cows. Our pipeline parts are an amalgamation of brands, mostly DeLaval though... Our NuPulse claw was given to me, but I’ve gotten parts, and I know they sell complete units, from Parts Department. I use DeLaval 06 shells.
@@vnthomas16 I have a friend that installed a glass pipeline in his parlor he likes it his parlor is a 5 stall side opener he milks 20 Ayrshires.and sells raw milk and cheese
Pyrex pipelines are cool. I always enjoyed seeing them!
Much wasted space. Obviously this is not a money making business in this barn.