COMESTAR HOLSTEIN DAIRY FARM

The Comestar Holstein Farm is a star in the Canadian dairy farming industry, best known for an enviable string of national and international champion breeding cows, also operates an excellent 1,000+ animal milking operation in Victoriaville, Canada. Since its inception in 1987 the owners have always strove for the best operation not just in terms of yields but also in terms of quality and animal welfare. In that vein a new 400-cow state of the art automated milking barn of over 100,000 square feet was envisioned and built.

Hot-dip galvanizing was clearly a superior choice for all the supporting steel structure.

The Comestar quest for excellence was seen everywhere in this new project; based around six DeLaval VMS V300 automated voluntary milking machines, the most advanced technology in the world. In pursuit of the most effective design possible non-combustible steel clearly was superior to traditional wooden structures. However, several downsides to steel had been identified by the dairy farming community.

First was corrosion, particularly caused by animal waste and acidic cleaning solutions needed for sanitary maintenance, the most common solution was paint systems but experience showed that paint systems failed prematurely and a second concern was flaking toxic paint becoming digested, thereby threatening both animal health and milk purity.

Hot-dip galvanizing was clearly a superior choice for all the supporting steel structure with lower initial cost, exceptional maintenance free service-life and far superior abrasion resistance. Also, pure natural zinc is benign and even a needed element in the diet of the animals.

That robust nature and precision fabrication of galvanized steel also saved time and money with rapid erection with exacting dimensions speeding the rest of the building construction.

The modern technology of the DeLaval machines provides unprecedented comfort to each animal as they each choose independently when they wish to be milked. This hallmark of animal welfare, thanks to hot-dip galvanizing, will also provide durable, inflammable and nearly maintenance free shelter to many more generations of those so very productive and award winning Comestar Holsteins.

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