Hamra Farm – getting water access right in the dairy barn
How we're making every drop count
Water is often called the cheapest feed in the barn. On a dairy farm, it’s also one of the most critical. Milk production places a high demand on water intake, which means dairy cows need significantly more water than beef cattle to maintain feed intake and support daily milk yield.
Without fast, easy access to clean, reliable drinking water, cows simply won’t drink enough. And when water intake drops, feed intake and milk production quickly follow. That’s why water access – and water system design – needs to be built in from day one rather than added as an afterthought.
At Hamra Farm, this principle guided the recent expansion project. Water was treated as a fundamental element of the barn design, with a clear goal: make it easy for cows to drink whenever they need to, without competition or stress.
That meant planning the water system as a whole – considering trough capacity and placement, overall water flow, cow traffic, and solutions adapted for cold winter conditions. The result is a system designed to support natural drinking behaviour throughout the day, helping cows maintain feed intake and milk yield.
Below, we share how water access was planned at Hamra Farm, with a focus on the VMS Barn, along with practical takeaways for anyone planning or upgrading a dairy barn.
A walk through the VMS Barn
Talking about water is one thing. Seeing how cows actually use it is another. William Eriksson, Market Area Development, Eastern Europe, DeLaval, takes us inside the VMS barn to show how water is accessed and used by cows in everyday operation.
Why water placement matters for cow flow, intake, and milk yield
When it comes to water, availability alone isn’t enough – placement is critical. Dairy cows drink often and in small amounts, particularly around feeding and milking. Water points therefore need to be located in a way that fits naturally into how cows eat, drink, and move through the barn, rather than turning drinking into a separate task.
Cows won’t queue, squeeze past others, or take a detour just for a drink. When drinking points are too far away or located in busy, uncomfortable areas, cows simply don’t drink as much as they should. And that’s a problem. When cows drink less, they also eat less. Digestion suffers, and milk yield usually drops.
Addressing this meant planning water access as part of everyday cow movement, not as isolated drinking points. Trough placement and capacity were planned alongside cow traffic, feeding areas, and resting zones, with particular attention to year‑round reliability. In a cold climate, that also means designing water access that remains usable and attractive in winter, not just workable on milder days.
Water placement and cow flow in our VMS Barn
In Hamra Farm’s VMS Barn, water troughs are located at every cross passage and along the feeding alley. When drinking points are positioned along routes cows already use, water intake becomes part of everyday movement. It gives our cows easy access to water without detours or delays, encouraging regular intake throughout the day and helping maintain stable digestion and production.
This also keeps cow flow moving smoothly and supports steady, voluntary visits to the DeLaval VMS™ robotic milking systems, without creating unnecessary pressure around the milking area.
By placing troughs mainly in wide cross passages rather than directly in the main walking alleys, cows can stand and drink while other cows pass freely behind them. A simple rule of thumb is that a full‑grown cow should be able to stand and drink without feeling pressured, with space for at least two other cows to pass freely behind her in both directions. This is particularly important in high‑traffic areas. Drinking undisturbed reduces competition and social pressure, contributing to calmer behaviour in the herd.
Waiting yards and temporary grouping areas
In areas where cows may be temporarily grouped – such as waiting yards or VIP areas – smaller stainless steel water bowls are used.
These bowls are push‑activated: when the cow presses the bowl with her head, fresh water flows in immediately. This provides quick, reliable access to water in smaller or short‑term grouping areas, without the need for full‑length troughs, while maintaining hygiene, cow comfort, and system functionality.
Designing capacity for peak demand: water trough space per cow
Good placement alone is not enough if too many cows want to drink at the same time. Capacity therefore plays a central role in the overall water system design.
At Hamra Farm, we followed DeLaval’s recommendation of a minimum of 10 centimetres of water trough per cow. With around 350 cows, this corresponds to at least 35 metres of total trough length. This provides a baseline that allows the system to handle periods of peak demand, such as immediately after milking or during warmer weather.
Stainless steel troughs and high‑capacity flow
It’s not just the size and placement of water troughs that matter – cleanliness plays an equally important role. Clean water is essential, because cows are sensitive to taste and smell, and even small changes in water quality can reduce intake.
Stainless steel troughs were selected for their durability, hygienic surface, and ease of maintenance. To support daily hygiene, staff routinely carry a DeLaval Dirtbrush in their pockets, making it easy to give the trough a quick scrub during daily rounds. The troughs are also designed to tilt, making regular cleaning quicker and more effective, and helping maintain good water quality over time.
Just as important as cleanliness is ensuring troughs refill quickly, especially during peak drinking times, so cows never have to wait for water. High‑capacity valves deliver up to 32 litres per minute, ensuring cows always have sufficient water available. Even when several cows are drinking at the same time, flow remains consistent, so cows don’t run out of water or experience interruptions that could limit intake.
A water system designed for cold climates
Since we’re located in Sweden, seasonal conditions had to be considered from the outset when designing the dairy barn water system. Cold winters can quickly create challenges if water systems aren’t built to remain functional at low temperatures.
To prevent freezing, water in the system is always kept in motion. The circulating system has a central heater that activates when needed during winter. Keeping water circulating and heated, helps prevent ice from forming in pipes and water valves ensures that clean, drinkable water is consistently available throughout the year – without relying on temporary solutions or emergency interventions.
The water system is also linked to the pre-cooling system for the milk. When the milk collected in the VMS is sent to the cooling tanks, it is cooled using water. As heat is taken out of the warm milk, that heat is transferred into the water, warming the water slightly. Instead of letting this heat be lost, the slightly warmed water is fed back into the farm’s water system and reused. This is especially beneficial in a cold climate, where using water that is not ice‑cold helps reduce freezing risk and allows energy already in the system to be put to better use.
A system that works reliably across seasons supports cow comfort, steady water intake, and smooth daily routines in the barn.
Integrating the water system into the wider barn design
And here’s another video to take you deeper into how we planned our water access. William walks through how water access was designed in the VMS Barn, looking at placement, drainage, and how everything supports smooth cow flow in everyday operation.
Water systems need to be planned together with floors, drainage, and other technical systems in the barn. Thinking about water access early makes it easier to manage spilled water and keep alleys dry during everyday operation.
Drainage beneath the water troughs is used where needed to manage spilled water and prevent excessive moisture in the alleys. This is particularly important in barns using manure‑collecting robots, as overly wet surfaces can interfere with robot performance and reliability.
At the same time, alleys should not become too dry. If conditions are too dry – especially during summer – manure can dry out and adhere to the floor, making it more difficult for the robot to collect. In bare concrete alleys without rubber matting, dried manure can also create a slippery layer, increasing the risk of cows losing their footing. Maintaining the right balance supports effective manure collection, good hoof health, and safe cow movement.
Our key takeaway: small decisions have a lasting effect
None of these design choices stand out on their own. But taken together – access, capacity, placement, hygiene, and climate adaptation – they show why water systems deserve the same level of attention as feeding, milking, and housing.
Careful water system planning has a lasting impact on cow welfare, barn functionality, and production efficiency. Because when water is easy to access, cows drink more – supporting intake, comfort, and performance across the entire herd.
- Next in the series: Read how Hamra Farm keeps alleys clean, through smart manure collectors and thoughtful barn design – and why clean alleys matter just as much for cow comfort, efficiency, and sustainability.