Yep, it always feels good when the grass is long enough and the weather is cool enough to let a few cows out on pasture.
Posted in Dairy
Spring, has sprung and we are in full swing. The ground conditions for planting went from perfect, but too cold in early April, to soaking wet into early May. Finally, May 7 we finally started planting corn.
With some good weather this week and a little luck we should be done planting corn and hauling manure at BWD by the end of this week (May 17).
The second Annual National Wildlife Turkey Foundation Wheelin’ Sportsman turkey hunt was last weekend and we have been honored to host these hunters for the second year in a row.
The NWTF has proven to us that they can host a very organized and professional hunt with a group of individuals that would normally not get to experience the thrills most us see as a part of normal life.
This year there were 16 disabled hunters, and each had a story to tell.
Thanks again to NWTF, the volunteers, and all the sponsors that made this years Wheelin’ Sportsman hunt a success.
Posted in Uncategorized
Sure he stopped by Fair Oaks, but it sounds like he drove right past us!
But it is an interesting idea for a fundraiser. Not only is he taking the long way to Florida, he is doing it on a Farmall tractor.
Good Luck on reaching your Goal!!
Posted in Uncategorized
Congratulations to Fair Oaks Farms and our milk cooperative’s commitment to sustainability!.
Last week Fox News highlighted Fair Oaks’ methane digester to CNG operation, where cow manure is converted to CNG in order to power the trucks that deliver milk to the processing plants.
Fair Oaks on Fox Nows!
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Posted in Media
Those of you that wander by Bridgewater Indiana, have noticed that sticks are going in the ground for the new freestall barn. This is an exciting first stage of our expansion, and we are ready for it. We have been receiving heifers over the last few months at both Bridgewater Dairy (Montpelier) and Oakshade Dairy so we are ready for the expansion.
But thats not what the fuss is all about. Monday March, 18 the BRU will be arriving. What the heck is a BRU? Well, most of you know that Bridgewater Dairy has a methane digester that not only creates electricity, but also allows us to use recycled manure for bedding. This product not only provide’s a healthy environment and great comfort for the cows, but we have found that it reduces the overall impact on the surrounding environment as well. In effect we are re-using manure for our bedding and thus reducing the amount of waste we need to manage. Unfortunately, the Bridgewater Dairy (Montpelier) digester only produces enough bedding to support Bridgewater (Montpelier) and Oakshade Dairy so we needed another option for Indiana.
Since Bridgewater Indiana Dairy, is not large enough to support a digester, we sought different methods to reduce waste and cost to make this dairy friendly to our environment. We discussed sand separation and the Bedding Recovery Unit (BRU) among other technologies. After much discussion and debate we settled on the BRU, which is essentially a screw press mounted on top of a large drum composter. This then allows us to heat the manure solids and create a product very similar to the bedding that comes out of the Digester.
As a matter of fact, Bridgewater Dairy (Montpelier) owned a BRU before the methane Digester was installed, but the technology was pretty new, and was still trying to become a cost-effective solution. Technical research, visits to other dairy facilities, and seven years of growth behind this technology, we are willing to put our best effort to work with this technology.
Check out this YouTube video on the operation of the BRU. if you are attentive you will notice some of the pictures are of BWD when we had the previous BRU.
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Posted in Bridgewater Indiana, Dairy, manure
Partly out of necessity, but we have added a Jobs page. As we have expanded we recognize the need for a better path to advertising. Currently, we have 3 positions open.
1. Accountant with office management experience. perferably with 2-5 years experience in upper level accounting activities and supervisory experience
2. Shop Supervisor. Must have experience supervising 5-10 individuals in a maintenance environment. Agriculture, and Dairy experience preferred.
3. Dairy Quality Assurance. As we strive to excel at caring for our animals, and employee’s we see a strong need to hire an individual with 4 year college focused on Dairy.
Check out our Jobs page. www.bridgewaterdairy.com/jobs.html
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Posted in Uncategorized
