Dairy
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Malecha Dairy started in 1989 with 13 cows. Today, we care for 2,100 cattle throughout their entire life-cycle.
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MILK COWSOur milk cows head to the parlor 3 times a day, and enjoy the highest quality feed when lactacting.
Our barns feature fans and sprinklers for cooling and fly control for added cow comfort. |
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CalvesOur calves receive hands-on attention in individual calf hutches.
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HEIFERSOur heifer barns provide comfortable shelter for our heifers.
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DRY COWSAs their milk production slows, dry cows move into pens to rest, prepare for another calf and are then kept comfortable on bedded packs for pre-care and post care before re-joining as a milk cow.
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Our team
About our dairy
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In 1989 we started our dairy with 13 cows and over 22 years we've grown to our current size of 1000+ milking and dry cows. By October of 1997 we started dirt work for our current site. Construction began January 5, 1998, and our first milking was that June 15 of approximately 750 cows. We started milking 3 times a day the following year on June 15, 1999.
Our freestall barn is a six row barn measuring 112ft. x 510ft. with 696 stalls. Each stall is a deep bedded compost bed, the bed is bedded daily with freshly dried compost. Our Curtain sidewalls with natural ventilation keep the barn comfortable, and a row of fans above the cows cool the barn in hot weather. Lights in the barn run on photocells or a timer.
There is a 348ft. x 12ft. x 44ft. storage pit under our breezeway for removal of manure in our freestall. Manure is pumped from this pit into a 600ft. x 200ft. x 13ft. storage lagoon that has a clay max liner installed approximately 12in. under the lagoon. This lagoon design complies with all environmental regulations. We apply the nutrient to our surrounding crop land in the spring and fall as fertilizer.
The 20ft. x 98ft. breezeway has footbaths in the return lane that can be heated in winter. The breezeway connects the freestall barn to the holding area for the milking parlor, and the ICU (intensive care unit) barn.
The ICU is 112ft. x 224ft. It houses 6 different groups of cows. It also has maternity pens, an area for lock-ups, sorting, a vet work area, and supply room. The holding area is 44ft. x 142ft. with a heated floor for winter use.
Our parlor is a Blue Diamond (Alfa Lavel) double 16 stall expandable to a double 24 stall with Maestro cabinetry (77ft. x 78ft). It has automatic take-off milking units and Auto ID recording. Auto ID makes it possible for us to keep track of daily milk weights from each individual cow. Each cow has a RFID tag in their ear. When entering the parlor she is identified and the computer records how much milk she gave and how long she took to milk. This also helps us to detect sick cows or cows in heat.
Our freestall barn is a six row barn measuring 112ft. x 510ft. with 696 stalls. Each stall is a deep bedded compost bed, the bed is bedded daily with freshly dried compost. Our Curtain sidewalls with natural ventilation keep the barn comfortable, and a row of fans above the cows cool the barn in hot weather. Lights in the barn run on photocells or a timer.
There is a 348ft. x 12ft. x 44ft. storage pit under our breezeway for removal of manure in our freestall. Manure is pumped from this pit into a 600ft. x 200ft. x 13ft. storage lagoon that has a clay max liner installed approximately 12in. under the lagoon. This lagoon design complies with all environmental regulations. We apply the nutrient to our surrounding crop land in the spring and fall as fertilizer.
The 20ft. x 98ft. breezeway has footbaths in the return lane that can be heated in winter. The breezeway connects the freestall barn to the holding area for the milking parlor, and the ICU (intensive care unit) barn.
The ICU is 112ft. x 224ft. It houses 6 different groups of cows. It also has maternity pens, an area for lock-ups, sorting, a vet work area, and supply room. The holding area is 44ft. x 142ft. with a heated floor for winter use.
Our parlor is a Blue Diamond (Alfa Lavel) double 16 stall expandable to a double 24 stall with Maestro cabinetry (77ft. x 78ft). It has automatic take-off milking units and Auto ID recording. Auto ID makes it possible for us to keep track of daily milk weights from each individual cow. Each cow has a RFID tag in their ear. When entering the parlor she is identified and the computer records how much milk she gave and how long she took to milk. This also helps us to detect sick cows or cows in heat.
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Phone: 320.760.0541
Email: todd@malechainc.com 14542 Co Rd 33 Villard, MN 56385 Click here for Directions |
@ COPYRIGHT 2018 MALECHA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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