Dairy Farm, Westbend, WI

• Type: Gina's Dairy Farm
• Location: West Bend, WI
• Quantity: 1446 sq. ft.

Starting a dairy farm today is a challenging venture today, which can yield life-sustaining profits passed down through the generations for those willing to check off the list. When Gina decided to sell her New York City coffee shop for six figures and move to America’s breadbasket and produce milk and cheese, she knew it would be tough. Beyond all the implications involved with managing many heads of cattle, there was also the task of housing them that posed an uphill task.

She contacted us during the groundwork of her first facility, looking for a cost-effective material to use for all her buildings that could stand the test of time, but would also be easy to clean since she’d have to manage the milk and the water the cows drink. She had received samples of different materials--some thin metals, synthetic wood, and fiberglass--and wanted to see if vinyl was a viable alternative. We were happy to send over a few pieces of PVC wall panels for her to test. According to Gina, the preliminary tests removed all the other materials from contention. During our brief conversation between the sample submission and Gina’s first order, she made it clear why. While very durable, she knew the metal panels were susceptible to rust, and would eventually become more costly due to upkeep; the synthetic wood, being made of composites of real wood and other materials, offered no protection against fluid absorption; the fiberglass (FRP) was the toughest to decide, she claimed, but PVC won out because unlike fiberglass, it is truly waterproof and stops bacteria from forming.

The latter point was important because she didn’t want to endanger the living animals that would be housed year-round near the wall panels, and because contaminants in a business that produces edible products are a sure way to cause much bigger problems. While Gina’s farm is still in the early stages of its existence--and thus, it’s too early to say if it will become a huge success--she was pleased that this part of the operation was something she didn’t need to worry over.