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"Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" 4- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 10, 1998 Farming in the future Local dairy operation harnesses technology and innovation By Heather McCrae Port Perry Star When Bastiaan Benschop and his wife, Mary, decided to modify their Scugog Township dairy operation a few years ago, they began touring farms throughout North America to view new technology being introduced. What they ended up with was a huge free-stall steel barn big enough to hold 160 cows, a milking parlor that milks 16 cows at a time, and a flush system that sees turbulent water sweep away manure and other waste at flow rates as high as 6,000 gallons per minute. While free-stall barns and larger milk- ing parlors are becoming more popular now, the unique manure flush system the Benschops had installed is only seen in use on a few other farms within Durham Region. The Benschops had their new barn built for efficiency: "What we had before was too labor intensive," Mr. Benschop said. "Before, we were milking six cows at a time on the pipeline system and now, with our new parlor, can milk 16 cows at a time." They also like the cow barn's open con- cept. Built with trusses, it offers better ventilation as there is nothing in the ceil- ing to obstruct the air flow. . And the flush system saves time. The Benschops were in Florida in 1991 when they initially saw how effective the flush system worked on a 1,200 cow barn. Since then they've toured other farming operations throughout the U.S. and parts of Ontario to see how other systems worked. The waste removal system they had installed was pioneered and manufac- tured by Agpro and purchased from JB Enterprises in Mississauga, the sole dis- tributor from Ontario through to the east coast. With the push of a button, a gigantic wave of thousands of gallons of water is dispensed from a floor valve to wash down the freestall alleys. The valves are fed by a 12-inch PVC pipe from a 40-foot tower. The flush water has solids sepa- AS Bastiaan and Mary Benschop have constructed a new state-of-the-art free stall barn on their Port Perry farm. It features a large milking parlor, under-floor water heating, rated from it and runs into a lagoon to settle out before it's pumped back into the tower tank and recycled. It takes only seconds to clean the alleys. "Theoretically, now one person can milk 100 cows, feed the heifers and do all the cleaning and bedding on a weekend," Mr. Benschop said. "The work can now be done in half the time it took before." The cows are happier, too he said. Mats manufactured from recycled shred- ded rubber tires and covered with a SYIe thetic covering offer the animals maxi- mum comfort. Plastic side curtains better known as "turkey curtains" surround the exterior walls, offering superb ventilation. Controlled by an electronic thermostat, they're automatically raised or lowered, depending on the weather. i ' a 2 yA Roe ~~ Thousands of gallons of water flush away manure quickly in the new barn at the Benschops' farm. The high- & 1 ; a hoa I casos 5 Sr RAE ee Bee : efficiency operation allows for more cows to be milked more quickly, and make maintenance much easier. and a unique manure flushing system. They can now milk up to 16 cows at a time. A huge mixer wagon filled with feed is towed through the barn. Feeding a bal- anced ration according to a nutritionist's specifications, everything is weighed, guaranteeing no mistakes or guess work as to what and how much the cattle are fed. The cows are housed in a barn 91 metres by 180 metres and the milking parlor, milk house, office, holding area and special needs section is located in an adjacent, smaller building. Construction began in June 1997 and when the project was completed, the Benschops held an open house early this year. More than 500 people came to tour the state-of-the-art facility. Wherever possible, local contractors were employed. Mrs. Benschop said everyone put their whole heart and effort into the project, and did a wonderful job. "Because of the highly qualified people we had on the job we now have a quality barn,"she said. "At our open house we had so many people happy for us." The entire family 1s happy with the new system. The Benschops' daughters Ehzabeth and Joanna who are currently in high school and Gabriel, a Grade 8 student, think everything is really neat because 1t gives them more freedom. "It's also easier work," Gabriel says. Another area that wasn't overlooked was the heated cement floor in the office, hallway and milking area. As everyone knows, we all feel more comfortable and alert with cool heads and warm feet, rather than the opposite. The under- floor water heating the Benschops chose makes the working areas "nice, and very comfortable," said Mr. Benschop. The Benschops, who have been farming all their lives, feel this new costly addition will greatly assist their dairy operation. "This was our choice, and we feel it was the right one for us," said Mr. Benschop.