Perennia Helps Bring Efficiency and Growth to Folly River Farm

When Lauchie and Jolene MacEachern took over a farm they worked on seven years ago, they never imagined how technology would completely change their work.

Primarily a dairy farm, Folly River Farm, located in Debert, Nova Scotia, spreads over 300 acres, with 85 cows. After years spent milking cows three times a day, the couple looked to technology to make the process more efficient.

A funding program was offering grants for new projects and the farm qualified in the lottery-style draw, allowing them to make the investment in robots. But it was the groundwork Perennia helped implement, with animal comfort and stability that allowed for everything to come together. “We had always heard great things about Perennia,” Lauchie said. “When our sales manager retired, he suggested we reach out to them and they’ve been offering their guidance and helping us improve ever since.”

From changing rations to better quality silage, changing the cows’ stall dimensions, the neck rail heights and getting more lights in the barn, each little change recommended helped productivity. “The more comfortable the cows are, the better production is,” he said. Even when the robots came in, Perennia advised on how far the robots had to be from the cows and provided resources for the MacEacherns to review. “Perennia ensured we could make informed decisions and know what was best for the cows.”

“The work we’ve done with Perennia has allowed us to grow substantially since we purchased the farm. We’ve increased production by 40 per cent without increasing our herd size.”

Because of the dairy consulting services provided by Perennia the MacEacherns now have more free time, a rarity for most farmers, they’re falling into easier routines and are able to take on other things, like growing grain corn, barley, soybean, clover and alfalfa.