Dr. Doug Ayers Dairy Barn
Opened June, 2019 Transitioning to this bedded pack dairy barn was one of the most significant achievements since the inception of The Lands at Hillside Farms, and it would not have come to fruition without the support of our community.
We experienced many beneficial changes since moving our herd from the old tie stall milking barn, and "we" includes the herd, the public and the land. There are employee safety gains, the Huntsville Stream in much better buffered, we no longer have to stop traffic 700 times a year to cross the herd to pasture, and so on. But, the greatest benefits are experienced by the cows.
Our cows are vastly more peaceful and calm. The comfort of being free from tie stalls permits these beautiful animals to behave as they wish, even on days during which the weather keeps them in. They eat when they want, they move when they want, they breed when they want and they lay sprawling as they wish. Furthermore, the distance between the barn and pastures is tens of feet instead of hundreds of feet to with a busy road to cross along the way.
These facts put us in a position to meet our ultimate goal of Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World. We are fully aware that the herd the land are the basis of The Lands at Hillside Farms and our efforts to education, especially regarding animal husbandry and the symbiotic land use. There are always ways to improve so this is a new beginning leading to even better standards, but there is no doubt that this is the greatest step we have taken along the lines of protecting our herd and land.
