Lower-cost milking parlor options for smaller herds

By Randy Pepin, University of Minnesota Extension

When smaller dairy producers inquire about the cost of the parlors their neighbors with larger herds build, they often conclude that a milking parlor is unattainable.

A majority of smaller dairy farmers have no desire or are unable to expand to a size enabling them to afford a modern, $250,000 to $500,000 parlor. They wonder if there is a lower-cost alternative available.

Why is there interest in lower-cost parlor options? The first reason that usually surfaces is personal health. Many of our former 30- to 40-cow herds are now milking 60 to more than 100 cows in their present tie-stall or stanchion facilities. Bending down to milk cows can create a severe strain on farmers’ knees and backs, forcing many to consider building a pit parlor or exiting the dairy business.

The second most common reason dairy farmers consider a parlor is labor efficiency — less time spent milking cows.

Other reasons are increased safety for both the operators and the cows; ease of training new people to milk the cows; and easier adoption of other labor saving and cow-comfort technologies such as total mixed rations, fence-line feeding, compost and bedding pack barns, and free-stalls.

A major potential cost-saving strategy is to convert the present tie-stall or stanchion barn to a pit parlor with a holding pen facility. The existing barn already has an attached milkhouse, the farm well water is already in the building, and frequently a manure-handling system is in place. As a result, cost savings of utilizing the existing structure could be more than $100,000 before constructing the actual parlor.

Another easily adapted technology is the swinging milk unit concept commonly called the swing parlor. The milk line runs down the middle of the parlor pit above the operator’s head, allowing each unit to milk cows on either side of the pit. The swing parlor saves substantial money in milk unit investment.

The significance of the low-cost parlor concept is that it enables many smaller dairies to incorporate the advantages of a milking parlor within an achievable budget. The actual construction cost can vary from as little as $20,000 to more than $100,000, depending on the situation and the options added. With a low-cost parlor, many dairies can continue to milk the same number of cows or grow slowly within from their herd replacements.

More information is available on the University of Minnesota Extension dairy website at www.extension.umn.edu/dairy.

(Randy Pepin is an agricultural educator with University of Minnesota Extension.)