Welcome to Clefthaven Farms
Clefthaven Farms, a modern dairy farm located in Plattsville, Ontario, has a long history of strong dairy management and innovation.

A Family dedicated to Dairy Farming: Clefthaven Farms is a partnership of (left to right) Orville and Ruth Fried with their four sons: Kevin, Bradley, Brian, & Darrell Fried.

History of Innovation: In 1988 the Fried family wanted to upgrade and expand their dairy operation, so they installed a blue diamond double 12 herringbone parlor with automation — the first Blue Diamond All-Exit in Canada!

In 2002 the Fried family decided their dairy operation needed to expand. They contacted Stonecrest Engineering to help them develop a plan to expand the milking herd. They currently milked at two locations and recognized the advantage this might offer the next Fried generation.

DeLaval VMS Robotic Milker:  
After consideration of the alternatives the adopted solution was to modernize and enlarge the second milking location. To minimize labor and leave time to annually crop their 1600 acres they chose to install two DeLaval VMS robotic milker units.

Site Inspections: 
Stonecrest Engineering staff was on site to inspect all important aspects of Clefhaven's VMS facility construction. 

Construction inspections include inspections of  soil conditions, footings and reinforcement, framing, truss erection, and a final project review.

Making sure everything works:
Stonecrest Engineering inspections made sure that Clefhaven's new facility and their dairy equipment worked together effortlessly to maximize milk production and minimize problems!

Cow Comfort:
A robotic milking system is not enough! To maximize the potential of the new facility Stonecrest Engineering had to develop an environment that ensured clean, comfortable and healthy cows.

Ventilation:
A Faromor motorized Split-Curtain system was chosen featuring a top Roll-A-Way & bottom power Roll-Up. This combination provides maximum light & fresh air, free from drafts and requiring minimum maintenance.

Large circulating fans located throughout the freestall help reduce summer stress during periods of high temperature and/or little breeze.

An easy to use and understand control panel makes auto opening and closing of curtains and operation of circulating fans quick & easy.

Faromor FRP chimneys are designed to achieve equal air exchange throughout the building while eliminating down drafts and/or rain or snow entry.

Manure Handling:
A clean floor keeps cows healthy and udders clean, especially important in a robotic barn.
The JOZ "above-the-slat" manure scraper system was installed as a reliable and easy to operate system.

A 3/4 HP electric motor and cable drive mounted above the floor easily operates two scrapers on each of three drives. The programmable electronic control panel is equipped with safety & manual override switches.

Lateral guidance of the JOZ grid scraper is provided via two rotating rubber rotors and the rubber contact strip ensures a clean floor while scraping in either direction. 

Feeding Systems:
Fried's employ an innovative belt feeder mounted above the feed alley to deliver fresh feed daily to the cows with minimal labor.

Nutrient Management:
To ensure compliance with Ontario's new environmental regulations Stonecrest Engineering developed a Nutrient Management Plan in consultation with the Fried family.

Future Objectives at Clefthaven Farms: Increase the milking herd size for the VMS installation to 120-130 cows (this is already accomplished) and increase the DeLaval parlor facility to accommodate a minimum 200 cow herd. Stonecrest Engineering has already been requested to begin planning for the enlarged milking center.

The Fried Family is proud of their dairy operations and are true leaders in adopting modern dairy farming technology and management practices.  Stonecrest Engineering is proud to have Clefhaven Farms as our customer.