Jimmy and Andy Woodall a father and son team milk over five hundred cows on the east side of Logan County. A successful well managed dairy that is always looking for new management methods or researching new technologies to improve profitability.
The newest change was converting the free stall barn ventilation from 224 box fans to 24 feet ceiling fans built by Big Ass Fan Company in Lexington. The enormous fan appropriately named pushes air over the cows which greatly improving cow comfort resulting in increased feed consumption and ultimately more milk. The energy savings off operating 18 fans with 2 horse power motors versus 224 smaller fans with 1 horsepower motors is significant. During peak months they could save as much as $2,000 a month. In the long term the repair and maintenance of 18 versus 224 motors could be huge. The energy savings alone is considerable, but to improve the cows environment to increase production will allow this investment to pay back in less than three years. The number one issue in culling cows on a dairy is reproduction. It's too early to tell if the fans have impacted cow health to the point of improving conception. Any improvement in calving interval and conception rates will positively impact the dairy's profit.
The Woodall project was assisted by a grant and loan from the USDA Rural Development Office. The program (section 9006) is titled Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grant and guarantee loan program soon to be renamed "REAP". The USDA Rural Development Office has funding for projects that save energy or renew energy. It could be as small as insulating or as large as the Woodall's fans. Contact the USDA local Rural Development Office for details.
Jimmy and Andy Woodall willingness to look outside the norm and try a different approach have succeeded for their operation and the entire dairy industry looking to cut costs while improve the comfort of the cows. Do these big fans have application in other large animal units? Thanks to the Woodalls it will be looked at, you can count on that!
The newest change was converting the free stall barn ventilation from 224 box fans to 24 feet ceiling fans built by Big Ass Fan Company in Lexington. The enormous fan appropriately named pushes air over the cows which greatly improving cow comfort resulting in increased feed consumption and ultimately more milk. The energy savings off operating 18 fans with 2 horse power motors versus 224 smaller fans with 1 horsepower motors is significant. During peak months they could save as much as $2,000 a month. In the long term the repair and maintenance of 18 versus 224 motors could be huge. The energy savings alone is considerable, but to improve the cows environment to increase production will allow this investment to pay back in less than three years. The number one issue in culling cows on a dairy is reproduction. It's too early to tell if the fans have impacted cow health to the point of improving conception. Any improvement in calving interval and conception rates will positively impact the dairy's profit.
The Woodall project was assisted by a grant and loan from the USDA Rural Development Office. The program (section 9006) is titled Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grant and guarantee loan program soon to be renamed "REAP". The USDA Rural Development Office has funding for projects that save energy or renew energy. It could be as small as insulating or as large as the Woodall's fans. Contact the USDA local Rural Development Office for details.
Jimmy and Andy Woodall willingness to look outside the norm and try a different approach have succeeded for their operation and the entire dairy industry looking to cut costs while improve the comfort of the cows. Do these big fans have application in other large animal units? Thanks to the Woodalls it will be looked at, you can count on that!
