MONROE - The University of Wisconsin-Extension Dairy Team, in cooperation with the Green County Milk Quality Council and Union Bank and Trust, will sponsor dairy facility farm tours on Thursday, Aug. 29. The tours will include seven Green County dairy farms that have made recent modernization improvements in their dairy facilities to increase productivity and animal comfort, and reduce labor. Herd sizes featured on this year's tours range from 75 to 625 cows.
The tours will be an open house format; visitors can visit as many of the farms as they wish between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will not be a central meeting place or any formal presentation. A farm representative will be on hand at each farm to answer questions.
Included this year are two dairies that have recently installed robotic milking units. One farm built their robotic milker into the side of their existing stall barn and the other farm replaced a pit parlor with two robotic milking units. The tours will also include a Swing 10 parabone parlor built inside an existing stall barn, a double 8 parallel added onto the end of an existing dairy stall barn, and a double 16 parallel parlor.
Several cattle housing configurations will be featured on the tours including: three- and four-row freestall barns. Bedding systems in the barns will include bedded pack, sand, rubber mats with straw and water mattresses. There will also be three heifer replacement facilities including new buildings designed for calves from weaning to 4 months and from 5 months to breeding age. Several manure handling and storage systems will also be included on the tours, including a new hybrid sand separation system.
The following host farms will be open during the tours:
Blumer Family Dairy: N4862 County N, Monroe (75 Cows)
This farm features a Lely A-4 robotic milker built into the side of an old stall barn. A new lean-to was added on the barn to create a traffic lane for the robot and a feeding area for drive-by feeding. The cows are housed in tie stalls in the old barn on sand bedding. Manure is scraped and hauled daily. (Farm entrance is located behind the Chalet Cheese Cooperative).
Riedland Farms: W5478 County DR, Monroe (125 Cows)
Two Lely A-4 robotic milking units have recently been installed on this farm to replace an existing herringbone milking parlor. Cows are housed in a three-row freestall with drive-through feeding. Sand bedding is used and manure is scraped daily into a concrete pit with four months storage.
Roger and Cheri Johnson Family Dairy: W3009 County KS, Juda (90 Cows)
A Swing 10 parabone parlor was built inside the existing dairy barn. Cows are housed in a three-row freestall on water mattresses and wood shavings. Manure is stored in an earthen lagoon that has six-month storage. This farm also has a 32-foot by 170-foot bedded pack building for heifer and dry cows with outside feeding and headlocks.
Cam-Cal-Kar Dairy: W8444 County P, Browntown (625 Cows)
The facility includes a double 16 parallel parlor with special needs area. This farm has both a three- and four-row freestall barns where sand bedding is used. This farm features a new sand separation system where manure passes through a closed plum system in addition to a settling lane and mechanical auger for separation. The farm has a 3-million gallon earthen lagoon for manure storage.
McGuire and Sons Farms: W5796 Town Center Road, Monroe (350 Cows)
This farm features two new loose housing bedded pack heifer facilities. One naturally ventilated building houses weaned calves from 2 to 4 months with inside feeding. The other building houses replacements from 5 months to breeding age with drive-by feeding. Manure is stored in a concrete pit that has storage three months.
Triple T Dairy: N1808 Wisconsin 69, Monroe (120 Cows)
A new double 8 parallel parlor was added onto the end of the existing stall barn. The old stall barn is used for the parlor holding area. Cows are housed in a four-row freestall with mats and straw used for bedding. The freestall has drive-through feeding and manure is hauled daily.
EbAcres Orchestrated Dreams: W6429 County P, Monroe (100 Cows)
This farm has a new four-row freestall barn with nose-to-nose configuration. They use sand bedding with Pack Mat sand savers in the stalls. It has drive-through feeding with natural ventilation and circulation fans. Manure is scrapped daily into a 85-foot by 160-foot ramped concrete manure pit. Cows are milked in a stall barn.
For more information, contact Mark Mayer, UW-Extension dairy and livestock agent, at 608-328-9440 or mark.mayer@ces.uwex Tour information and maps are also available at green.uwex.edu.
The tours will be an open house format; visitors can visit as many of the farms as they wish between 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will not be a central meeting place or any formal presentation. A farm representative will be on hand at each farm to answer questions.
Included this year are two dairies that have recently installed robotic milking units. One farm built their robotic milker into the side of their existing stall barn and the other farm replaced a pit parlor with two robotic milking units. The tours will also include a Swing 10 parabone parlor built inside an existing stall barn, a double 8 parallel added onto the end of an existing dairy stall barn, and a double 16 parallel parlor.
Several cattle housing configurations will be featured on the tours including: three- and four-row freestall barns. Bedding systems in the barns will include bedded pack, sand, rubber mats with straw and water mattresses. There will also be three heifer replacement facilities including new buildings designed for calves from weaning to 4 months and from 5 months to breeding age. Several manure handling and storage systems will also be included on the tours, including a new hybrid sand separation system.
The following host farms will be open during the tours:
Blumer Family Dairy: N4862 County N, Monroe (75 Cows)
This farm features a Lely A-4 robotic milker built into the side of an old stall barn. A new lean-to was added on the barn to create a traffic lane for the robot and a feeding area for drive-by feeding. The cows are housed in tie stalls in the old barn on sand bedding. Manure is scraped and hauled daily. (Farm entrance is located behind the Chalet Cheese Cooperative).
Riedland Farms: W5478 County DR, Monroe (125 Cows)
Two Lely A-4 robotic milking units have recently been installed on this farm to replace an existing herringbone milking parlor. Cows are housed in a three-row freestall with drive-through feeding. Sand bedding is used and manure is scraped daily into a concrete pit with four months storage.
Roger and Cheri Johnson Family Dairy: W3009 County KS, Juda (90 Cows)
A Swing 10 parabone parlor was built inside the existing dairy barn. Cows are housed in a three-row freestall on water mattresses and wood shavings. Manure is stored in an earthen lagoon that has six-month storage. This farm also has a 32-foot by 170-foot bedded pack building for heifer and dry cows with outside feeding and headlocks.
Cam-Cal-Kar Dairy: W8444 County P, Browntown (625 Cows)
The facility includes a double 16 parallel parlor with special needs area. This farm has both a three- and four-row freestall barns where sand bedding is used. This farm features a new sand separation system where manure passes through a closed plum system in addition to a settling lane and mechanical auger for separation. The farm has a 3-million gallon earthen lagoon for manure storage.
McGuire and Sons Farms: W5796 Town Center Road, Monroe (350 Cows)
This farm features two new loose housing bedded pack heifer facilities. One naturally ventilated building houses weaned calves from 2 to 4 months with inside feeding. The other building houses replacements from 5 months to breeding age with drive-by feeding. Manure is stored in a concrete pit that has storage three months.
Triple T Dairy: N1808 Wisconsin 69, Monroe (120 Cows)
A new double 8 parallel parlor was added onto the end of the existing stall barn. The old stall barn is used for the parlor holding area. Cows are housed in a four-row freestall with mats and straw used for bedding. The freestall has drive-through feeding and manure is hauled daily.
EbAcres Orchestrated Dreams: W6429 County P, Monroe (100 Cows)
This farm has a new four-row freestall barn with nose-to-nose configuration. They use sand bedding with Pack Mat sand savers in the stalls. It has drive-through feeding with natural ventilation and circulation fans. Manure is scrapped daily into a 85-foot by 160-foot ramped concrete manure pit. Cows are milked in a stall barn.
For more information, contact Mark Mayer, UW-Extension dairy and livestock agent, at 608-328-9440 or mark.mayer@ces.uwex Tour information and maps are also available at green.uwex.edu.