With a PhD in animal sciences from Purdue University, Jeffrey Bewley serves as an adjunct professor of animal sciences at Western Kentucky University. Also working as an analytics and innovation scientist at Holstein Association USA, Jeffrey Bewley, PhD, has professional interests in the evolving areas of precision dairy management, animal health economics, and compost-bedded pack barns.
Compost-bedded pack barns are generating popularity around the globe due to the advantages they offer lactating dairy cows. These barns feature spacious and open areas that are bedded with sawdust or wood shavings, and offer cows a more comfortable living space compared to free-stall barns since they provide the animals with more freedom to move. Cows living in compost-bedded barns have exhibited fewer lameness problems, improved sleep, and enhanced productivity. The cows’ somatic cell counts also decreased, thus indicating a reduced presence of infection in their bodies. Furthermore, compared to cows living in sand barns, those living in compost barns experienced lower rates of mastitis.
Compost-bedded barns typically cost less to build than free-standing barns but require increased expenditure on bedding. To maintain a compost-bedded barn, sawdust bedding must be topped up often and fans should be installed to reduce moisture. The bedding must also be turned over once or twice per day using a cultivator or rototiller.
Jeffrey Bewley 