Hoard's Dairyman Blogs About Knigge Farms' Open House

The following is a 09/14/2010 blog entry by Hoard's Dairyman. Click here to see the blog entry on their website.

Open house marks anniversary of robotic milkers

Over 600 people came to Knigge Farms of Omro, Wis., to celebrate the 10th anniversary of robotic milking in the United States. It was in August 2000 that Pete and Theo Knigge, and their son, Charlie, installed a pair of A2, Astronaut robots in their new free stall barn. This May, just three months short of the 10-year anniversary, the Knigges installed the latest Lely robots, the Astronaut A3.

The Knigges told those in attendance that the new robots have some great improvements. Their modernistic design covers more of the working parts which reduces the potential for hoses and other components to get moved by cows as they are milked. The improved connection software makes for quicker milking machine attachment which has led to fewer milking failures. When a milking failure occurs, the Knigges must bring the cows up to the robot.

Another recent change to the Knigge operation is the addition of Juno which is a robotic feed pusher. On Knigge's farm, they set it up to push up feed every two hours. Since setting the system up a month ago, milk production has gone from 85 pounds per day to 94 pounds.

On average, cows are being milk three times a day. The highest-producing cow which is milking 140 pounds per day is going into the robot six times. In addition to a TMR, cows get a sweet grain mix to entice them to come into the robot. The average cow gets 9.5 pounds of that grain each day. The herd's TMR mix consists of first-crop haylage, 40.5 pounds at 36 percent dry matter (DM); corn silage, 34 pounds, 37 percent DM; high-moisture shell corn, 13.50 pounds, 67.5 dry matter; cottonseed, 5 pounds, 88 percent DM; protein mix, 2.5 pounds, 92 percent DM; third-crop hay, 2 pounds, 88 DM; and a mineral mix, .74 pounds; 95 percent DM.

One improvement the Knigges would like to see is a downward trend on their SCC which has gone up this summer. It now stands at 325 SCC. There are quite a few robotic herds that are under 200 SCC.

Pete Langebeeke, President of Lely USA presenting a plaque honoring the 10th anniversary of robotic milking in the US to Pete, Theo and Charlie Knigge.

Photo courtesy of Hoard's Dairyman blog.

Lely Featured in Eastern DairyBusiness

We are thrilled to share with you another Lely mention in the news, this time in Eastern DairyBusiness where the Blesy and Kilcer farms are featured.

To check it out, visit the online magazine website to begin reading the dairy technology piece titled, "The High Road to High Tech," as it discusses how dairies have adopted technology and made it work to improve their farms.

While you're there, be sure to flip to page twenty of the online magazine to read the article, "Less Labor, More Milk with Robotic Milkers," which highlights Nathan and Harold Blesy's dairy in Springville, NY, as well as Bill and Trina Kilcer's dairy in Genoa, NY.

It's so exciting to see how producers "Live Life Lely" all over the country!

Visit Lely USA at World Dairy Expo!

In three weeks Lely USA, along with more than 65,000 other dairy industry enthusiasts, will be stationed in Madison, Wisconsin.

That's right, September 28th marks the start of World Dairy Expo and Lely USA couldn't be more excited to see everyone!

We hope you'll stop by to see us in the Arena Building (booth 461-483) where you will see Lely's Astronaut A3 Next up close, while at the same time learn more about the Lely Calm automatic calf feeder.

Not only that, we'll have a second location just outside the Arena Building so be sure to visit us there, as well, to check out Lely's Juno feed pusher in action.

Join in the conversation with Lely USA, September 28 - October 2, 2010!

Learn how you can "Live Life Lely" and let us know what you would do with your extra time living life with Lely's line of innovative products.

You can also keep up-to-date on Lely USA's World Dairy Expo activities on Facebook and Twitter!

For more information about World Dairy Expo, just visit their website.

Knigge Farms Featured in Eastern DairyBusiness

Below is an excerpt from Eastern DairyBusiness.

Ten years ago, Knigge Farms LLC, Omro, Wis. became the first U.S. family dairy farm to install robotic milkers. This summer, they replaced those original units with a new generation of dairy robots.

The farm is owned by Pete, his wife Theo, and Charlie, 34. Charlie has a 7-year-old son, Jacob. The operation includes about 125 cows, 145 head of young stock and 25 feeder steers. The Knigges grow about 600 acres of corn, beans, alfalfa and wheat, and do some custom planting/harvesting. Pete is the herd manager, does most of the AI, and serves as the dairy’s primary general manager; Charlie takes care of nutrition, cropping and maintenance. Theo’s responsibilities include calf care and cleaning the robot rooms.

(Two of Pete and Theo’s daughters have off-farm jobs, but still remain linked to the farm. Krista works for Charleston-Orwig, a communications agency primarily working with ag clients. Mary, who previously worked with the National Milk Producers Federation, became a staff member for the U.S. House Ag Committee last spring.)

Eastern DairyBusiness recently talked with Pete and Charlie, shortly after the 10-year anniversary of the installation of their first robotic milkers and the installation of two new units.

Click here to read the full article from Eastern DairyBusiness.

Lancaster Farming features Horning Dairy

Lancaster Farming recently featured Pennsylvania dairy farmers, Lewis and Amy Horning. They recently built a new free-stall barn with a Lely robotic milker for their 50-cow dairy.

Below is an excerpt from Lancaster Farming's website.

Earlier this month, the farm of Lewis and Amy Horning was a hub of activity as more than 200 farmers and their families gathered for an open house.

In such a difficult economic climate, it might seem strange that the Hornings would take on a significant investment to update their operations. However they said they realized if they were going to be profitable in the dairy industry, some changes would be needed on the family farm.

“When we started thinking about doing something, the milk price was much higher,” Amy said. But the price drop helped them to take a step back and make sure they had considered all of their options, she said.

The search for how to update the farm began in 2008. Both Hornings decided they wanted to continue milking cows, but needed a new milking facility. Before the update, they milked in a tie-stall barn that was used by Amy’s grandfather.

The Hornings built a new free-stall barn with a Lely robotic milker for their 50-cow dairy. The farm is now retrofitting the old tie-stall barn for heifers.

Lewis credits Amy’s father for suggesting the idea of robots for their farm. He told the couple that if he were a young farmer with a family, he would seriously consider the idea. With that, they began to weigh their options by visiting farms with different styles of robots. After the visits, they decided that a Lely milker best fit their needs.

Click here to read the full article.

The Country Today Features Pfaff's Prairie Dairy

The below is an excerpt from The Country Today.

Dairy farmer Tom Pfaff had researched milking parlors before his nephew persuaded him to check out a robotic dairy operation in eastern Minnesota.

Pfaff was skeptical.

"We'd been looking at putting a free-stall and parlor up for some years," he said.

His plans changed, though, the moment he stepped inside the barn at the Minnesota farm.

"The cows were so quiet and the barn was so peaceful," Pfaff recalled. "When they told me the cows had only been in there 12 days, I was sold."

Pfaff's Prairie Dairy, which includes a 420-cow free-stall barn and seven Lely robotic milking units, was completed last November.

It sits a half-mile down the road from the Melrose farm his father, Tom Pfaff, purchased in 1962.

The new operation, installed by Preston Dairy Equipment of Sparta, is an upgrade from the home farm, where, at one point, the Pfaffs switched out cows to milk 160 in the 65-cow stanchion barn built in 1970. For a while they also milked in a 40-cow barn across the road.

"This took a lot of the physical work away," he said. "We have more animals, so we're still out here as many hours, but it's not that back-breaking work."

Ron Rodenberg, Pfaff's herdsman who started in November, said he has been most impressed with cow comfort in the new barn.

"You're really never pushing the cows," Rodenberg said, adding that most of the herd comes willingly to the chute.

"We always have a few we have to fetch," he said, "but we have a drop gate we can use on the few that don't want to come in."

Pfaff said that even cows previously milked in a parlor adjusted well.

He agreed that the cows are more relaxed in their new building.

Click here to read the full article.

Photo courtesy of Danielle Begalke. Vernon County 4-H youth watched as a robotic arm swung down to clean and milk a Holstein cow in the robotic milking system chute Aug. 11 at Pfaff’s Prairie Dairy in Melrose.

Ramsier’s Willow Spring Farm, LLC. and W.G. Dairy Supply, Inc. to host Open House Featuring Lely’s Astronaut A3 Next

Ramsier’s Willow Spring Farm, LLC. and W.G. Dairy Supply, Inc. will host an Open House Sept. 2-3, 2010, featuring Lely’s newest robotic milking technology ― the Lely Astronaut A3 Next. Attendees will have the opportunity to view the A3 Next in action, and have questions about robotic milking technologies answered by experts in the field.

“The Astronaut robotic milking system is taking dairy operations worldwide to new heights of consistency, economy and efficiency,” said Lely USA’s president, Peter Langebeeke. “We invite you to see how the Lely Astronaut A3 Next Robotic Milker is increasing productivity while reducing labor and keeping cows happier and healthier than ever.”

Open House Information

What: Ramsier’s Willow Spring Farm, LLC. and W.G. Dairy Supply, Inc. Open House

When: Sept. 2-3, 2010 / 9:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m.

Where: 2477 Eastern Road, Rittman, Ohio, 44270

Information: Tours are by appointment only. Contact W.G. Dairy Supply, Inc. for more information (330-435-6522 or 800-821-3952)

2010 World Dairy Expo

It's that time of year again when those in the dairy industry begin anxiously awaiting an event that will bring together more than 65,000 dairy industry enthusiasts.

That's right, it's just six weeks until we all meet at World Dairy Expo in Madison, WI, Sept. 28 -Oct. 2?!

While you're wandering the Expo, chowing down on grilled cheese sandwiches, ice cream and cheese curds, we hope you'll visit us Arena Building (booth numbers 461-483), as well as just outside the Arena Building in the Trade Mall (location, I).

Click here for online access to World Dairy Expo maps.

Once you've found us ...

See and learn how Lely's Astronaut A3 Next robotic milking system is allowing farmers the freedom to enjoy their social life, as well as taking dairy operations worldwide to new heights of consistency, economy and efficiency.

Check out the Lely Calm automatic calf feeder and learn how it supplies the correct portion and concentration of feed throughout the day, resembling the natural behavior of the calf.

We all know that the constant availability of feed stimulates extra cow traffic, especially during the night when feed is not normally pushed to the fence. That’s why Lely developed the Lely Juno feedpusher, which provides farmers with more flexibility on their dairy. See Lely’s Juno "in action" just outside the Arena Building!

We look forward to meeting you! You can also keep up-to-date on Lely USA's World Dairy Expo activities on Facebook and Twitter!

For more information about World Dairy Expo, just visit their website.

Knigge Farms and Central Ag Supply Inc. to host Open House Featuring Lely’s Astronaut A3 Next

Central Ag Supply Inc. and Knigge Farms, the first robotic milking farm in the U.S., will host an Open House on Sept. 14, 2010, featuring Lely’s newest robotic milking technology ― the Lely Astronaut A3 Next. Attendees will have the opportunity to view the A3 Next in action, and have questions about robotic milking technologies answered by experts in the field.

Ten years ago, the Knigge farm became the first robotic milking farm in the United States. On May 25, 2010, the Knigge’s replaced their original Lely Astronaut equipment with Lely’s latest technology, the Lely Astronaut A3 Next.

“We are continuously developing our line of innovative products to improve dairy producers’ financial and social wellbeing,” said Lely USA’s president, Peter Langebeeke. “We are proud that the Astronaut A3 Next does both and take pride in the fact that the Knigge family has trusted Lely, once again, for their farm’s robotic milking technology.”

The Knigges shared the following message on their Facebook page May 26, 2010: “We installed new Lely robotic milkers. The cows seem to like them quite well. Crew from Central Ag Supply Inc. have been here for 48 hrs now, sleeping in their truck to make sure it’s all working.”

Open House Information

What: Knigge Farms and Central Ag Supply Inc. Open House

When: Sept. 14, 2010 / 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Where: 4577 Poygan Avenue, Omro, WI, 54963

Directions: Knigge Farms is located 20 miles west of Oshkosh off Highway 21 (3 miles west of Omro). Go north on Poygan Ave. Knigge Farms is the second farm on the west side of the road.

Information: Contact Central Ag Supply (920-386-2611) or Knigge Farms (920-685-5531)

NMC Farm Tour, September 8

This year's NMC Regional Meeting will feature a farm tour of Michigan State University's W.K. Kellogg Biological Station where researchers recently installed Lely's Astronaut robotic milking system.

The below is information from NMC's website:

Robotic Milking System and Pasture-Based Dairy Center at the Michigan State University W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Hickory Corners, Michigan

Date and time: Wednesday, September 8, 11:30 am - 5:00 pm
Tour size limit: 40 people.
Fee: $50 (includes lunch and transportation to and from the farm)

The Kellogg Farm at the Michigan State University Kellogg Biological Station transitioned from a confinement dairy with 3X milking to a pasture-based dairy with automatic milking (robotic milking) in the summer of 2009 (see Michigan State University YouTube video below). In July, the herd of 100 lactating Holstein cows was moved from the old dairy facility to the new pasture dairy barn. Cows were first trained to use the robotic milking system before being introduced to the pasture later in the summer. Cows will have access to the pasture for approximately a six month grazing period each year and will be confined to the dairy barn for the remainder of the year.

Tour participants will have an opportunity to see the robotic milking system in operation and learn about management of the dairy and our experience as we transitioned to the new dairy system. Drs. Janice Siegford and Santiago Utsumi, Michigan State University Department of Animal Science, will report on changes in animal behavior and health as well as changes in milk quantity and quality during this transition. Drs. Siegford and Utsumi will also discuss future research involving robotic milking systems and pasture-based dairy management.

Registration closes August 31. Early registration is recommended as there are limited spots available.

Click here to read full farm tour details online.

STEM Mentor Program Visits Robotic Dairy

The below is an excerpt from a recent post by the STEM Mentor Program blog.

On June 19 the STEM Mentor Program – an innovative partnership between The Rochester Area Colleges Center for Excellence in Math and Science (The Center) and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester (BBBS) - visited Springdale Farm in Ogden, New York.

Springdale Farm provided a wealth of STEM education and activities for the Bigs and Littles in the program, which matches fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from the Rochester area with adult mentors who have a background or passion in STEM fields.

Owned by Monroe County and operated by Heritage Christian Services, the 200 acre farm is a working agricultural education facility open to the public. It boosts a petting zoo, greenhouse, duck pond, nature trails, picnic area and playground.

The farm is also home to Riedman Robotic Milking Center - a working dairy that utilizes a robotic milking machine to milk sixty cows. Springdale Farm was the first public demonstration farm in the Northeast to install this cutting-edge technology.

STEM Mentor participants took a tour of the Riedman Robotic Milking Center and got to see this amazing technology first hand.

The tour elicited many questions–by the Bigs and Littles alike. “I have a question,” said Little Brother Raajon as he watched a cow being milked and a nearby tank filling with the cow’s white milk, “Where are the cows that produce the chocolate milk?” The Springdale Farm tour guide proceeded to answer the question with great detail for the entire group.

Read the full blog at The Stem Blog.

The (new) Lely.com

Lely takes pride in being "smarter, faster, stronger!" as the Lely Astronaut A3 Next has proven to be since the first prototype was introduced in 1992. That's why we're eager to share with you our newly redesigned website that is easier to navigate, while at the same time provides valuable information and resources.

Let the (brief) tour begin!

Homepage
We'll start out by visiting www.lely.com. You will notice right away that the look and feel of the site has been updated, while still maintaining Lely's classic clean and simple design.

Your Country
Lely is a world leader, which is why we offer "country-specific" pages. Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and USA … travel the world of Lely with the click of a button.
To learn more about Lely USA, click here.

Videos
Are you a fan of videos? Want to see how Lely's products work in action?
Check out Lely's extensive video library here.

Pictures
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s why we’ve compiled our best photos for you, all available and FREE to download, for whatever your image needs might be.
Click here for Lely's image library.

History
Looking for a little bit of history? Lely has been around for over 60 years, so there is plenty to catch up on.
Scroll through this fascinating timeline to learn more.

Our Products
Forage harvesting, milking, feeding, housing, caring and turfcare are all featured products available on the new site. If you’re wondering “Why Lely?” … we’ve got an answer for that. Not sure how something works? We can explain that too, all within each product description.

There's so much more to discover on the site, but we'll let you take it from here.

Enjoy!

And let us know what you think ... we'd love to hear your thoughts!

VanLangen Dairy featured in Dairy Star

The below is an excerpt from a recent story featuring the VanLangen Farm on dairystar.com.

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."

To read the full article, click here.

"Live Life Lely"

"Live Life Lely"

We at Lely hope you are familiar with the above way of life, either because you currently own Lely's innovative products or are intrigued by our vast product line. If "Live Life Lely" isn't in your vocabulary quite yet, we look forward to introducing you to our extensive range of products, all well-matched to the needs of our modern cattle farmers and contractors.

Beginning with our first Lely machine, the finger wheel rake, it was Cornelis and Arij van der Lely's specific aim to build machines that would alleviate heavy physical labor on farms.

Today, we continue our mission to be the company in the dairy and cattle market that is the front runner in state of the art farming solutions, striving for improvement of the financial and social well-being of its customers.

It's important to us that our farmers understand Lely's history, mission and way of life. Therefore, we want to share with you a video recently released by Lely that we trust will leave an impression about what it's like to "Live Life Lely."

Enjoy!

Fitzgerald Inc. Enters Into Agreement to Become Lely Center Dealer

Lely has announced it has entered into a marketing agreement with Fitzgerald Inc., a leading milking equipment company headquartered in Elkader, Iowa. As part of the agreement, Fitzgerald, Inc. will have exclusive rights to sell and service Lely robotic milking equipment in Northeast Iowa.

“Many areas of Iowa are a key dairy farming markets for Lely, and we’re extremely excited to be partnering with Fitzgerald Inc. to bring our state-of-the-art Astronaut A3 Next robotic milking systems to dairy producers in this region,” said Peter Langebeeke, president of Lely USA Inc. “Fitzgerald Inc. is dedicated to providing dairy producers with high quality innovations and first class customer service. These qualities make Fitzgerald Inc. a perfect fit for our Lely Center Dealer network.”

As a Lely Center Dealer, Fitzgerald Inc. will sell the Astronaut A3 Next robotic milking system, as well as handle installation, maintenance and service calls with Lely-certified technicians.

Mike Fitzgerald, owner of Fitzgerald, Inc. said, "We believe Iowa is an ideal market for robotic milking. The Lely company gives us great confidence in experience, quality, and technology and we are excited to be a part of a dairymen's dream of cows milking themselves!"

The Astronaut A3 Next is the most recent automatic milking innovation from Lely, entering the market just three years after the Lely Astronaut, which to today’s date has remained one of the most advanced milking systems in the marketplace.

“At Lely, we are continually striving to improve our state-of-the-art technology to improve dairy producers’ financial and social wellbeing,” said Lely USA’s president, Peter Langebeeke. “We are proud that the Astronaut A3 Next does both. The A3 Next consumes significantly less energy and water than competitive brands. The use of first-class materials, combined with a limited number of moving parts, ensures a long lifetime and a significantly higher trade-in value. By paying attention to energy costs, Lely is also introducing an outstandingly sustainable product.”

Since first introducing the Astronaut robotic milking system 17 years ago, Lely has installed more than 9,000 Astronaut robotic milking units worldwide and secured its position as the world leader in robotic milking systems.

“Each day, over 1.2 million milkings are done by Lely robotic milking systems,” Langebeeke said. “That’s important for a number of reasons, but the most important in our mind, is that on each operation where those automatic milkings are taking place, a dairy producer has the freedom to focus on other aspects of his/her farming operation, to spend time with family, to rest with the knowledge their cows are in good hands. We’re proud to partner with Fitzgerald Inc. to offer more producers the freedom they’ve earned.”

Blesy Farm featured in The Post-Journal

The below is an excerpt from a recent story featuring the Blesy Farm on post-journal.com

More than 19,000 pounds of milk is produced each day at the Blesy Farm south of Springville.

What's amazing is that the farmers who work there can do it without laying their hands upon a single cow.

Thanks to four Lely Astronaut robotic milking systems installed on the farm in September, the cows practically milk themselves - some as many as four times a day.

The 1,200-acre farm is co-owned and -operated by Harold Blesy and his son, Nathan. While the process of getting the cows acclimated to getting up and walking into an automatic milker was trying at first, cows now line up for their turn in one of the farm's milking devices - which more resemble a contraption out of a science-fiction movie than anything one would envision would be inside the normal-looking red barn at the end of Henrietta Road.

''Cows might act stupid, but they are creatures of habit,'' Harold Blesy said. ''You put them out in this environment, and they go in, they get milked, and they are happy.''

Click here to read the full article.

Heintz Badger Valley Farm on Robotic Milking

The Land O'Lakes channel on YouTube recently featured the owner of Heintz Badger Valley Farm sharing information about how his operation has changed after installing Lely robotic milkers. He speaks to the physical and lifestyle changes of his family, and improvements in milk production and herd health.

As the owner shares toward the end, "You just look at the cows and it makes you happy. You can just tell how comfortable and calm they are."

Pfaff family makes Agri-View cover

Below is an excerpt from the April 28 cover story in Agri-View.

Tom Pfaff faced a dilemma.

He wanted to keep dairying. Yet he also wanted to find a way that was physically easier, gave him time off, and let him use some of the latest technology.

At this time last year, Tom and his family and employees milked 160 cows in a 60-stall barn. Go ahead and cringe if you want to. Tom readily admits that switching that many cows was no fun.

But in November, all that changed. He began milking 420 cows in a brand, spanking-new freestall operation. Better yet, neither Tom nor his six full-time employees now actually do any milking.

Instead, seven robotic milkers stand ready 'round the clock to handle that chore. Besides freeing up time and labor for milking, the new PfaffsPrairie Dairy facility on the outskirts of Melrose is doing its part to reduce energy consumption.

...

Probably the most striking feature about this Jackson County dairy is its robotic milkers. Such machines have been used on Wisconsin farms close to 20 years, but the strides in innovation are evident in Tom's gleaming, red-and-white barn.

But he admits that he wasn't sold on robotic milkers all along. He first had in mind a new freestall barn and a milking parlor, or perhaps a flat parlor retrofitted into the existing barn. But a visit to a farm near Houston, Minn., convinced him that robotic milkers where the way to go.

"I was overwhelmed with what I saw," Tom recalls. "I thought, 'This is what I'm looking for. If it can be duplicated, that's what I want.'"

Click here to read the full article.

Old dairy gets new look

The below is an excerpt from a recent feature story on Kyle and Kurt Johnson on FarmWeekNow.com.

Brothers Kyle and Kurt Johnson about six years ago jumped at the chance to take over the Bound County dairy operation of their grandfather, Bill Schrage.

But it didn't take long for the brothers, who currently are in their late 20s, to encounter one of the biggest business decisions of their young careers.

"We knew we needed to update, "Kyle said. "Our parlor (which was built in 1957 and could handle only 16 cows at the time) was pretty outdated."

The limitations of the facility meant the Johnsons of Greenville had to work long days (typically from about 4 a.m. to 8 p.m.) to milk their 80-cow herd. The situation also impeded their goal of expanding the operation.

"We had to do something," Kurt said.

The Johnsons initially considered investing in a new milking parlor and hiring outside labor until they toured dairies in Wisconsin and Minnesota that used robotic milking systems.

"We were amazed," Kyle said. "We liked what we saw."

The Johnsons subsequently installed a Lely Astronaut A3 robotic milking machine on their farm in December converted their operation to a fully automated system.

There are two milking devices on the machine, each is open 24 hours a day except for two 15-minute wash cycles, and each can service 60 cows per day.

"We've increased production by about 10 to 12 pounds (per cow) per day," Kyle said. "That easily making the payments to the bank" to cover the cost of the robotic system."

Click here to read the full article.

Dairy Star Features the Pfaff family dairy, A robotic believer

Below is an excerpt from the Dairy Star article, A robotic believer, featuring the Pfaff dairy and their switch to robotic milking.

MELROSE, Wis. – During a snowstorm in January 2009, a friend persuaded Tom A. Pfaff to visit a farm with him. "I told him, 'I have no interest in robots. I don't want to go. It's too snowy. Let's skip it,'" said Pfaff, who ended up riding along for the trip.

His reluctance to make the 58-mile-one-way trek quickly turned into enthusiasm when he arrived at the destination.

"It was going so smoothly after only having the robots in 12 days," he said. "At that moment, I was sold on the robots as soon as I saw them."

Immediately, Pfaff began plans for his farm, Pfaffs Prairie Dairy, he owns in partnership with his dad, Tom L., in Melrose, Wis. By November, construction had been completed and Pfaff started milking in his new facility: a freestall barn with seven robots, milking 420 cows.

"They told me it was impossible to get it built in less than a year, but we got it done," Pfaff said.
Although the new facility had been constructed in a short time, Pfaff had been contemplating a new set up for about five years.

"I had been kicking the idea around for quite awhile. It was either expand the dairy or get out of it, because it was getting so labor intensive. It's hard to find help for milking," Pfaff said.

But robots had never been in the picture. After winds blew the roof off his barn, forcing him to milk 160 cows in a 60-stall stanchion over two years ago, Pfaff began to seriously look at his options. He had drawn up parlor possibilities, but since his visit in January 2009, Pfaff knew robots were the way for his farm.

"The robots do a very good job. They do it right. It shows in the quality of milk," Pfaff said about the robots, which have already been the reason for his herd's somatic cell count to drop from 200,000 to 140,000.
…..

Pfaff also likes being able to spend time with his family on holidays, at church on Sunday morning or at dinner time each night.

"You don't have to be right here and the robots are still milking," he said. "There's nothing more appealing than cows being milked when no one's here."

Since the cows walk to the milking station on their own time rather on a schedule, Pfaff said he's recognized a change in the demeanor of the herd.

"They're calmer, more relaxed and more comfortable now than they were before. They're very content," Pfaff said. "They're almost like pets now."

Pfaff has been surprised at the ease of the transition since moving into the new facility in November.

"I had a fear that we would have to cull a few cows because they wouldn't adjust, but we didn't have to cull any of them," he said. "All our cows took the switch."
All the cows had to be pushed in the first few times, but they quickly picked up the routine.
…

One main reason for Pfaffs expansion was the future possibilities. Pfaff and his wife, Sara, have three daughters and a son: Brittany (19), Jamie (18), Macie (15) and Collin (9).

"I thought it would be easier for them if they did have interest down the road," he said.
At this time, Jamie and Macie have dreams of dairy farming in the future. As he continues the process of taking over full ownership as his dad retires, Pfaff knows he has to be the same role model for his kids as his dad.

"I had a good teacher. My father did a good job farming," Pfaff said. "He promoted farming and agriculture to me so I wanted to make a career out of it. Without him I wouldn't be where I am today."

Today, milking with seven robots, Pfaff only has one regret.

"I wish we would have done something sooner," he said. "I feel sad we had to work so hard the old way."

Click here to read the full article.