NEW LONDON, Minn. — One year ago, Tom Kampsen and Becky Heinz set a plan to build a parlor on Kampsen’s dairy farm near New London. They decided to utilize the existing structure of their tiestall barn.
Milking took four hours each time, turning the barn over twice with 48 cows in each group and using six units.
“That got old really fast,” Kampsen said. “It was a lot of labor. We were feeding cows in a freestall barn and feeding cows in a tiestall barn.”
Construction on the parlor began last July, and on Oct. 12, 2023, the couple began milking in their new facility. However, getting through the building process, they said, was a trial of perseverance as they continued to milk their cows in the barn while construction sights and sounds took place all around them.
“We were milking in 20 stalls on one end of the barn while the other end was ripped out, so the cows were spooked,” Kampsen said. “The last week, we milked in eight stalls and just had a pipeline hung from the ceiling with wire all the way to the milk room, and it took 5-6 hours for milking each time, because we could only use four units. It was a big pain in the butt during construction, but we got through it.”
Today, Kampsen and Heinz milk their herd of mostly Holsteins and some Jerseys in a double-7 herringbone parlor in their revamped facility. The parlor equipment is from Heinz’s farm near Brooten where she used to milk cows. Kampsen and Heinz are planning to grow the milking herd at Kampsen’s site to about 170.
“The parlor is way easier on the cows; they come in pretty much on their own,” Kampsen said. “Time savings is also big. The parlor cuts milking time in half.”
A team of two can now milk the cows in two hours. Kampsen, who usually does the morning milking, can finish the job in three hours. Heinz handles most of the evening milkings with a part-time employee.
With the parlor completed, Kampsen and Heinz are looking toward their next project.
“Now we want to add on to the freestall barn this year and (create) a bedding-pack barn so that we can put trouble cows and fresh cows on bed packs,” Kampsen said.
The freestall barn, built in 2021, is 50- by 120-feet. This summer, they will add 60 feet to the barn and increase from 70 stalls to 113.
The expansions on the farm are being done with the next generation in mind. Kampsen’s three sons are considering joining the operation.
Kampsen’s son, Dylan, was working with him full time when they built the existing freestall barn. Dylan then enlisted in the Marines, but he will likely come back to dairy farming in two years. Ayden will be 18 this fall. Kampsen said he intends to farm full time after high school. Tommy, 13, is already talking about possibly farming.
“(My sons) have plans and dreams, so we’ll see how it goes,” Kampsen said.
Heinz said building the parlor has been worth it for her and Kampsen, but they and their cows had to go through a learning curve.
“Even for us, just getting into a routine, and then for the cows to get into a routine, it took about six months before it came down to two hours for milking,” Heinz said. “Part of the issue was all the construction for several months in the cows’ environment.”
Kampsen agreed.
“They didn’t know if they were coming or going,” he said. “I’m glad that part is done. Production went down just because of the big transition, but it’s coming back.”
Heinz said they are noticing health benefits to the herd as well.
“The somatic cell count has been cut in half,” she said. “When we first started using the parlor, we had some flareups. … But now, if we have one flareup a week, that would be a lot.”
Kampsen and Heinz said they are happy with the cost-saving measures they took while planning and building, which is making their expansion affordable. At first, they thought about building everything new, but using the shell of the tiestall barn made financial sense to them.
The first half of the barn with 24 stalls is the parlor, and the other half is a holding area.
The pipes for the parlor were put in the tiestall barn’s gutters and cemented in, and now drainage from the parlor is pumped through the pipes to the pit. The parlor and concrete work were completed by D&D Agriculture Supply & Construction of Pennock. The other work was done by Kampsen and Heinz with help from family and friends.
“My dad, Tom, did most of the carpenter work, and he also did most of the plumbing besides in the parlor,” Kampsen said.
Tom also did most of the steelwork, with Kampsen assisting. Kampsen’s cousin took a week off from his job to help with welding. Friends and other family came to help when they could.
While planning the parlor, Kampsen and Heinz considered various options.
“Becky had seen a lot of parlors when she worked in nutrition, and she saw some of what worked and what didn’t,” Kampsen said.
For the project, the couple was able to use parlor equipment from Heinz’s farm. They had thought about installing a robotic milking system but put that off for now.
“It came down to that we’d have to redo all the electrical for the farm (for robots),” Heinz said. “All those things would add a lot more expense.”
Kampsen agreed.
“The way we did it was very affordable,” he said. “At the end of the day, you can spend a million dollars on new equipment and such, but milk is still worth 15 bucks.”
Construction of the parlor involved a whirlwind of activity for the couple each day.
“There were many nights when I would go inside in my work clothes and sit in my chair at 1 or 2 in the morning,” Kampsen said. “Then, I’d get right back up at 3 or 4 in the morning to go back out to work.”
Already, the parlor is allowing them to grow their herd while simultaneously giving them more time off and freedom.
Since the parlor is easier for employees to manage, Kampsen and Heinz have been able to schedule date nights and more family time. Heinz said she is finding a better balance and is able to give more time to her two daughters, Hailee and Evalyn, who come to Kampsen’s farm almost every day. Hailee has begun helping with milking and calf chores.
“This is the first time I’ve been able to be a full-time dairy farmer,” Heinz said. … “Timewise, I had two kids who were getting the short end of the stick, and now I can be there. I can be there in the mornings and get them on the bus.”
Kampsen is finding more time for relaxation.
“I’ve always wanted to go to the (Central Plains) Dairy Expo, and I’ve never been able to do that,” Kampsen said. “This year, we went. It was fun.”
Mostly, Kampsen said he likes working with his family, and the expansion is making room for that.
“I like the family together, working together … side by side,” Kampsen said.
Weathering the construction storm has given the couple a sense of accomplishment.
“It was nice just to be able to breathe and be thankful for what we have and all the help we had,” Heinz said. “Now that we’ve had the winter to settle down and get some sleep, and with chores taking so much less time so that we can be done by 7:30 most nights, it’s nice to get in the house and make a good meal and enjoy the fruits of our labor.”
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