New Portable Parlor For Emergency Milking

New Portable Parlor For Emergency Milking DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Dairy Equipment & Ideas 6-6-25 After a fire or storm destroys the barn, the first concern of a dairy farmer and his family is to get the cows milked ù which can be a real problem. To help solve it, Donovan Trevaskis, of La Crosse, Wis., has designed a portable milking parlor to rent out in emergencies caused by fire, tornados or whatever. Called Port-A-Parlor, the unit is a 30 ft. trailer, 10 ft. wide and 13 ft. high, with six herringbone milking stalls, DeLaval milking equipment, an 82 gal. hot water tank, and washer. It's Grade A approved, weighs 8,000 lbs. and has 220V, 100 amp power that can be hooked up to a power line or portable generator. The farmer furnishes his own milk storage tank. The gutter is a 12 in. piece of plastic pipe cut in half lengthwise and installed at an incline. The Port-A-Parlor pulls behind a pickup and rents out for $2 per cow per day. The trailer meets specifications for road travel. It's equipped with a fifth wheel and gooseneck hitch, and can be towed with a pickup. Once on the scene, all that's necessary to have the unit ready for milking is to connect a garden hose to the water supply, and to hook up the electricity. Travaskis has one unit in operation. It's been rented out as far as 125 miles away. He thinks a dairy state such as Wisconsin could keep two or three units busy. The portable milking parlor is priced at about $40,000. Trevaskis and his partner, Jerry Baldner of LaCrescent, Minn., plan to have additional units operating in all major dairy states within the next year. The unit is priced at about $40,000. For more information on buying or renting, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Donovan Trevaskis, Rt. 1, LaCrosse, Wis. 54601 (ph 608 788-8686).

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