Dr. Jeffrey Bewley is a consultant and partner with CowFocused
Housing—a management consultancy focused on providing dairy farmers the insight
and expertise they need to maximize cow comfort, health and productivity.
An experienced professional who has researched and worked with
dairy farm operations for more than 20 years, Dr. Jeffrey Bewley knows how
crucial it is to build and maintain facilities centered on cow comfort and
health—particularly when it comes to optimizing operational efficiency.
What Should a Cow-Focused Facility Provide?
As Jeffrey Bewley knows, any cow-focused design should focus on six
basic elements, including:
·
Water, which should be accessible to each animal
at least 21 hours out of each day.
·
Food; nutritious, palatable feed that should
also be accessible a minimum of 21 hours a day.
·
Air; made available through proper, effective
and ongoing ventilation.
·
Light sources accessible at least 18 hours each
day.
·
Rest for 12 hours a day.
Space, enough for the animal to feed and drink without fear, injury or obstruction.
