We are often faced with producers trying to decide between DCC Waterbeds and a “top-of-the-line” flat cow mattress or mat that may quote up to $100 less per stall. Saving $100 per stall may look good at the time, but those “savings” are quickly erased by the cost of losing cow comfort.

Well-managed sand stalls are comfortable for cows, we won’t argue that. But at what cost? We think you’ll be surprised to see how much the costs add up (especially over time), and hear first-hand from producers who switched from sand and didn’t lose production.

Everything that goes into your dairy system, must come out. For every ton of sand that you put in the free stalls, that same sand must come out. Setting aside the high cost of buying, moving, bedding, and removal of sand bedding (see next page for financial impact), the biggest cost of sand might involve what sand does to your soil over time.

DCC Waterbeds have a lower total cost of ownership than sand. We have produced a cost calculator to help producers fill in real farm data to determine just how much you could save by transitioning to DCC Waterbeds without losing production.

The financial impact of lowering the cull rate and increasing the 4+ lactation cows in a herd can be significant.