Cow beds from North Brook Farms

Thirty years ago, Peter and Carolyn Kyle were dairy farmers milking 350 head on their 800-acre farm in central New York. Their veterinarian advised them to make their cows more comfortable, since well-rested cows produce more milk. So the Kyles decided to make the cows’ bedding softer and more enticing by incorporating recycled rubber.

The Kyles and their three sons scouted out local tire recapping shops for discarded tire buffings, packed them into stalls, and covered them with an industrial fabric. The cows readily laid down in their stalls, milk production soared and other farmers took notice. Soon, the Kyles were making “cow mattresses” for neighboring farms. Demand snowballed, and by the mid-1990’s, the Kyles had quit the dairy business to make cow mattresses full-time and incorporated as North Brook Farms.

Eventually, they started selling ground-up rubber shoe soles to local horse barns for use as an amendment in arena footing. Thus, North Brook Farm’s equine division, IGK Equestrian, was born.

Today, North Brook Farms is a leading manufacturer and distributor of cow beds and arena surfaces for the agricultural community. Recently, the company was granted a license to manufacture a unique, sustainable plastic plywood under its newest division, NBF Plastics.

All North Brook Farm products contain some recycled content, placing the company well ahead of the curve as the dairy industry moves toward greater sustainability. Farmers are the original environmental stewards, so it’s only natural the Kyles would bring these “green” values into the cow comfort business.

In many ways, the Kyles’ journey from small-town dairy farmers to world-class cow comfort system innovators is a classic American success story. Make North Brook Cow Comfort Systems part of your success story, too.