Netherland dairy styles have migrated to Wisconsin. Grazing and robotic milkers is a combination that is working for VanLangen Dairy.
Ron and Ester VanLangen grew up on dairies in the Netherlands where grazing was common practice. Since their migration to the U.S. in 2008, the VanLangens have transitioned a Wisconsin dairy into a modern grazing operation with robotic milkers. A setup similar to the Netherland dairies they were used to.
The dairy was one of the seven stops on the Minnesota Milk Producers Association and University of Minnesota Extension Summer Bus Tour June 15-17.
Currently 122 cows are milked by two Lely robots that are housed in VanLangen's new five-row freestall barn that also has a bedded pack for dry and fresh cows.
"This is a free-flow barn," said Rick Rugg, Lely representative. "Cows can do what they want, whenever they want. You'll typically have one-third of the cows lying down, one-third eating and the other one-third milking."
Feed keeps the free-flow system working. Cows come to the robots not because they have the urge to milk, but because they are seeking out high energy feed they'll receive while being milked in the robot.
"The driving force into the robots is the feed," Rugg said. "You take the energy out of the feed bunk and put it into the robot."
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