Plymouth Dairy's dry cow and heifer transition facility -- LeMars, Iowa

“It’s like our cows go on vacation,” says Plymouth Dairy Farms Herdsman Scott Thoms of the relaxed environment in the new dry cow and heifer housing they built. Facilities include a monoslope and a freestall barn with outside lots, maternity pens, a calf room and a single 4-milking parlor. The parlor is used to harvest colostrum. Having dry cows back on the dairy has improved their management of that phase of production, says Kurt Wierda, manager. Cow health is better and milk production has improved. Housing cows in the transition facility until they calve also freed up space in the milking barns. They were able to to add enough cows to fully match the capacity of the parlor. The gate and pens are designed so that one person can handle all the cow management chores in this 1,000 animal unit facility.