Problem we solve
The robotic barn is the home of the cows and the workplace of the dairy farmer. It is a tool for milk production and the milk business. The dairy farmer builds a robotic barn on average once every 15 years and as an investment it is the largest, which the dairy farmer invests in during his career - averaging about 2x the annual turnover. Therefore, it has a high expectation value for the investment.
With the acquisition of a milking robot, significant labour savings are hoped for, as well as better animal welfare for years to come. The barn should also be able to meet environmental and consumer requirements during its lifetime. A barn built today 2021 must meet these requirements up to 2035-2040.
These expectations were not met for most investments. The reason is the inability of the milk producer to update and introduce new work routines.
The technical constraints of the barn can be an obstacle to the introduction of the most modern and cow-friendly care methods. Also, there is ignorance about the environmental impact of barn use now and in the future.
” We help progressive dairy farmers to improve their skills and facilities so that they will have a justification to produce milk in socially acceptable, economically and environmentally sustainable ways to ensure animal and human well-being.”
How can we help you?
How to begin with dairy barn investment – Four important steps
Over 400 cows - is robot milking an option?
PODCAST: This 30 - minutes webinar is made for LISTENING.
Observe your barn from the cow’s perspective and learn from cows!
4dBarn offers training programs - eLearning and consulting services.
4dBarn® Invest - Farmstead plan is the first design step
4dBarn® Boosted – Improve your existing barn production and labour efficiency
4dBarn® Designed – A robot barn designing, training and the layout
4dBarn® Ventilated – Calf barn ventilation and Dairy barn cooling
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Questions in Your mind? What kind of different investment paths could our farm have? Can I use my existing facilities as a part of switching to AMS?
Am I able to get a well functioning barn with a lower investment cost? Where should I put my new barn and secure future expansion? Can I fix existing barns to a new use? What is the ball park cost of these different options?
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From the beginning of the planning process, 4dBarn® works actively with farmers; pointing out main and side tasks in the barn and combining those together for greater efficiency.
The result is a functional stall, gating, and traffic flow plan with a routine working procedure.
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4dBarn® Ltd analysis is based on an improved international database. 4dBarn® Boosted – Improve robot barn processes and work efficiency
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Ventilation service helps to design and improve new or old calf barn ventilation. Raising calves is always challenging, but it does not have to be.
Testimonials
4dBarn Team
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Jouni Pitkäranta, ArchitectJouni Pitkäranta has vast experience in barn design since 1987 when he was 15 y old. Before 4dBarn he has run his own barn design and architecture office Cowhomes. Jouni Pitkäranta is specialized in robotic milking barn, youngstock, and calf barn design. He has designed about 700 dairy facilities in total mostly in Finland, but also in Japan, Sweden, Estonia, Russia, Lithuania, Holland and Germany. -
Marjo Posio M.Sc.(Agr.)Marjo Posio is a dairy management expert and her core expertise are calves. Marjo has strong practical experience from dairy barns, large scale calf barn and AMS barn troubleshooting. Since graduation in 2009, she has worked as a project manager and advisor. She is highly skilled in customer service. Digital tools and services are her great interest. -
Virpi Huotari, M.Sc.(Agr.)Virpi Huotari is an experienced CEO with a demonstrated history of working in the food production industry and consulting. Strong business development professional is skilled in coaching, entrepreneurship, and strategy. Her specialties are leadership on the farm and LEAN, human resources and coaching managers and employees. -
Antti Puuri, BS (Agr.)Antti Puuri brings strong practical expertise to the team. Growing up on a farm, Antti has gained experience on his family farm and working on various dairy farms in Finland and abroad. This varied experience has given him valuable insight into how different factors affect the efficiency of the barn and the welfare of animals and people. Antti is convinced that every barn requires an individual approach in the design... -
Virpi Kurkela, DVMVirpi Kurkela's professional interest is focused on the health and welfare of dairy cows in robotic milking and herd health management. At 4dBarn, her role is to apply a veterinary perspective to issues related to dairy herd housing and biosecurity. She is also a highly experienced and inspiring speaker. -
Nahoko Kanai, DVMNahoko Kanai has worked in her veterinary career with large animals as a practicing vet. She has a extensive knowledge of nutrition management and herd health in Japanese dairy farms. As a part of the 4dBarn team, her goal is to deliver the most up-to-date information from the world to the Japanese Dairy industry. Dr Kanai is responsible of customer service, marketing and selling in Japan. -
Miho Tabata, DVMAfter devoting herself to small animal science and related business,Miho Tabata entered the dairy world and started her career as a translator, taking the opportunity of moving into Hokkaido, a major dairy area in Japan. Her current interest lies in the whole dairy business. Dr Tabata is responsible of Japanese translations in all materials. -
David W Kammel PhDAn Emeritus Professor is helping dairy farms with farmstead planning, cooling and management of large scale parlor barns. Kammel received his doctorate in 1985 and he worked in the area of dairy and livestock housing design and management with thousands of dairy farms in Wisconsin, the USA and internationally. He made his career as the State Extension livestock specialist in the Biological Systems Engineering Department at the University of Wisconsin.
Contact Us
FINLAND Contact:
email: info@4dbarn.com
email: firstname.lastname@4dbarn.com
Address: Isokatu 16 B 11. 90100 Oulu, Finland