Do you remember our case study about cooling & cross-ventilation system?
We talked about it in an exhaustive article you find here.
Three years after the beginning of the project we visited the "La Torre" farm to check the current status and to have a chat with the owners…
The main data over these years have always remained unchanged:
This summer we went back to meet Marco and Walter San Martino during an unexpected heatwave that could put anyone to the test.
As soon as we entered their shed, we had a pleasant feeling of freshness and we didn't see any cows in a state of heat stress or suffering.
Therefore, we evaluated together which improvements and advantages they encountered in the transition from an open barn with mechanical air circulation to a closed structure equipped with exhaust fans and evaporative cooling pads.
The San Martino family decided to invest also in the calf farm located next to the main barn.
Although smaller in size, they decided to keep the idea of the closed barn with the combination of exhaust fans + evaporative cooling pads.
In this case, they choose box fans model EWD31 with a Pericool evaporative panel mounted on the MDFX gutter system.
In this environment, the calves are welcomed during their first weeks of life, in the period in which they are weaned and they need to grow before they are placed together with the adult animals.
Moreover, at this stage the first step of socialization takes place: the older calves begin to share the space with other animals in order to understand how to live together and get used to the group life in which hierarchies exist and the strongest tends to overwhelm others.
It is therefore important to maintain a pleasant and comfortable climate that allows the young to grow healthy, minimizing the risk of contracting illness or suffering from heat.
"I can easily say that after three years the cost of the plant is totally amortized. With the animal welfare achieved in comparison to the previous situation (mortality rate and quality of the meat), the investment is paid back.
The evaporative cooling pad really creates a cool environment and it is a true cold source.
When using nebulizers directly on animals to cool them down, THI is always wrong and the data is not reliable.
The combination of cooling pads and exhaust fans makes it possible to optimize the climate in the barn and the farm can customize the use of the system according to the external climatic situation, reducing costs and with tangible results. Percentage consumption is lower: it cools more and at a lower cost ”.