“A first principle” among dairy farmers is that happy, contented cows give more milk — and better quality milk — than cows that are unhappy.
So, much of what happens on Washington’s dairy farms — from the physical layout of the farm to the milking cycle, from meal planning to housing design, from bedding arrangements to veterinary care, from noise-control to barn ventilation — is designed for cow comfort. Normal practice for maximizing animal welfare on Washington’s dairy farms can be grouped into four essential categories:
