The Signers manage a milking herd of about 60 cows, maxing out the space available to them in the farm’s previous tiestall facility. Thus, they set out to create a new facility that would not only incorporate newer technology into their routine, like a robotic milking system, but more importantly, would provide a greater level of comfort to the cows.

Agricultural work can involve many hazards, but injuries, illnesses and death are preventable.

Since the early 1960s nearly, 150 people have died in the U.S. because of manure-related gas incidents. Of these, almost half occurred on dairy farms, with the most common activity at the time of death being conducting repairs or maintenance on manure-handling equipment or attempting to rescue another individual.