From the Ashes Rises a New Dairy Barn
A devastating fire destroyed our equipment barn in November 2017 along with a lot of hay used to feed the cows. I remember talking with Donnie and saw the doubt he expressed about the future of the farm after such a large loss. My heart sank.
Months went by and by the time spring came around, Donnie was a man with a plan to build a new barn to house 120 heifers or young cows. The new barn would ultimately save the farm money because at the time they didn't have space to raise their own calves into the next generation of milking cows. Calves born on the farm had to be sold (for very little) and heifers bought. With the new barn they would also have the opportunity to sell heifers to other local farms. This is a big deal in such a difficult dairy market where margins have become negative and the farm struggles to break even each day.
Construction began in May and was completed in just 3 months with the help of some talented local contractors. I set up my timelapse camera to capture the progress! The batteries died a few times, a large colony of ants made the camera their home, and I had a baby and couldn't get to editing it when the barn was done. Despite the challenges - it came out great and I finished it as a Christmas present for Donnie. The farm is something to be proud of and I saw that pride again in Donnie's face when he watched it. I hope you enjoy too and please keep dairy farmers in your prayers - we need a solution soon to these difficult times.
