Dave Fortier and Sophie Bédard enjoy the freedom with their children that robotic milking offers them.

Managing through a dairy barn retrofit

Human factors were the most challenging part of dealing with a change from a tie-stall to freestall with robotic milking on this Quebec farm

Dave Fortier and Sophie Bédard found that human factors were the most challenging part of a major dairy barn renovation which changed the barn from tie-stall to freestall and robotic milking.




Contemporary knowledge about wind and snow loads on buildings, and the size and scale of buildings now common on farms, calls for heavier and more complex roof trusses, wall studs and bracing.

Farm building costs could rise on code changes

Updates to the national building codes will affect on-farm construction, say builders

Costs to erect modern-scaled farm buildings in Ontario could increase in 2025 due to planned updates of national codes regulating construction, fire safety, energy safety and plumbing.