New state-of-the-art compost pack dairy barn being built south of Kincardine

It has become somewhat of a tourist attraction.

A new state-of-the-art compost pack dairy barn is being built on the farm of Geoff and Sandra Farrell, on Highway 21, south of Kincardine.

The couple and son, Patrick, will be operating the new barn which can handle up to 80 cows in what is basically an indoor pasture with an automatic milking system. Currently, the Farrells have 60 cows which they milk twice a day in a milking parlour.

Construction of the new barn, located northwest of the current barn, began April 8, and is expected to be complete by late June, with the robotic milkers delivered July 1. The west wall of the current holding pen will open into the new barn which is 210-feet long and 75-feet wide, with another 35-feet to the west for storage of the hardwood shavings used for bedding up the cows.

Patrick says the solid waste will be worked twice a day and cleaned out once or twice per year, producing a high-quality fertilizer. The liquid waste will go into gutters and be pumped into the slurry storage to be applied to the farm fields.

The barn will have 11 chimneys, and four 24-foot ceiling fans, as well as curtains on the sides to control the temperature inside. The old dry-cow barn will be torn down, while the old dairy barn will be used to house the young stock.

The Lely robotic milking system is manufactured by a European company, and the Farrells are installing the Astronaut A4 model.

Tuesday, a huge crane was brought in to lift the roof onto the new barn, in seven 30-foot sections. By Friday, the newly-shingled roof was almost complete.



A huge crane lifts a 30-foot piece of roof onto the new barn at the Farrell farm, south of Kincardine

Patrick is taking the dairy herdsman program through the University of Guelph, Kemptville College. He is the sixth generation Farrell to work this farm.

"It's hard to believe that Geoff's dad, Robert, started out with a stool and a pail, milking the cows by hand," says Sandra.

The Farrells have three other sons: Thomas who is married and works in the family farm business; Jonathon who is a teacher; and Jacob who is in university in Ottawa.