KINGSTON TWP. — A dairy cow comfort barn was a dream of Dr. Doug Ayers. He wanted to create an environment that would promote land and water stewardship as well as benefit the dairy herd at The Lands at Hillside Farms.
Ayers, who was known throughout the region as a conservationist, environmentalist, educator and veterinarian, died Sept. 12, 2017, but his legacy of caring continues as the nonprofit farm he founded prepares to build an innovative dairy barn in his name.
Ayers’ last plan for The Lands at Hillside Farms was to design and build an 80-foot by 180-foot “cattle comfort barn” near the facility’s education center off Hillside Road, said Chet Mozloom, executive director of the nonprofit.
“I studied the idea with Dr. Ayers up to the day he died,” Mozloom said. “We had a design and hoped to get it in place.”
The barn plans would include an interior “bed pack,” allowing the dairy herd room to lay down, move around and loaf inside without needing to be chained, Mozloom said.
Mozloom went to see a similar barn near the Berwick area.
“It was incredible to see cows at that level of comfort,” he said. “The cows do a lot of the work and their well-being and health needs to be maintained.”
The bed pack will also reduce nutrient run-off from entering nearby streams, he said. The bed pack would be used as compost to grow grass, which is healthier for the cattle, he said.
The planned barn would be located on the opposite side of Hillside Road from the existing dairy barn, which would eliminate the need to cross nearly 40 dairy cows across the road to graze, he added.
“We cross Hillside Road 700 to 800 times a year,” Mozloom said, noting the herd crosses the street four times a day 365 days a year.
The barn idea came with a hefty price tag.
An anonymous donor came forward with an offer to donate $2 for every $1 raised before Dec. 31.
Mozloom said the fundraising goal for the nonprofit was $300,000 to meet the match offer.
“They wanted to see if the community was behind the idea,” he said.
When the fundraising campaign started in late September, Mozloom was surprised how quick donations were received.
“There were kids from the Dallas School District giving their quarters,” Mozloom said.
Donors came from all over the Back Mountain and Wyoming Valley regions, including Bear Creek, Wilkes-Barre as well as other states, he said.
In about 100 days, the farm reached its goal
“We are very grateful,” Mozloom said.
Now, Mozloom is finalizing the barn design, figuring out where to place it in the field and working to complete preliminary plans to manage stormwater runoff.
“I am hoping to tie it up by early March and put the concrete work of the project out to bid,” he said.
In April, Mozloom hopes to prep the site for barn construction and move the dairy herd in around Thanksgiving.
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