Airplanes on display at a dairy show? Yes indeed at this year’s World Dairy Expo.
Cirrus Aircraft had a plane on display in the outside exhibit area and it was receiving a lot of attention. To learn more about them I spoke with Valerie Blanchenay, Marketing Director. She says many of the owners of their planes use them specifically for business travel so that what might have been a six hour drive turns into only an hour and allows you to get your meeting done and be back home in time for dinner. The company started in Baraboo, WI and just celebrated selling their 5,000th plane. Exhibiting at a farm show is new and this is their first time at World Dairy Expo. Valerie says that international visitors have been interested because there are countries without good transportation infrastructure like roads and planes become even more useful for travel.
These are single engine planes that have an interior designed much like a car. They have a range of about 1,000 nautical miles. Low end models start at about $280,000.
Posted: September 19, 2011 at 6:32 pm
By News Editor
Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)’s School of Agribusiness and Agriscience has unveiled their new $4.3 million dairy.
The dairy’s features include a double-eight parallel milking parlor with rapid-exit gates that can milk 16 cows at a time and a computer-controlled milking system with individual cow-ID and cow-activity measurements, along with real-time milk weights and milk-quality measurements. The milking system includes an in-line heat exchanger to precool the milk to 58 degrees before it enters a 2,000-gallon bulk tank, where it will be cooled again to 38 degrees.
A high-performance round baler, purposefully designed for producers who want capacity, speed and reliability in smaller 5′ x 4′ round bales, is now available from Vermeer. The new Vermeer 504N, modeled after the Vermeer Super M Series, produces 47″ wide x 60″ diameter (1.2 m x 1.5 m) packages that weigh up to 1200 lbs (544 kg), depending on moisture content.
Vermeer Introduces a New Generation of Rebel Balers — Twelve years ago, Vermeer introduced the first ever hitch ‘n go baler designed to meet the needs and pocketbooks of producers with low horsepower tractors looking to roll their own high-quality round bales. Today marks the launch of the new Rebel Baler generation, this time with two models – the Rebel 5420 and 5520 Balers – and several significant new features incorporated from larger Vermeer models, but still maintaining the user-friendly functionality and meeting the lower horsepower requirements of the popular original.
Vermeer Adds High-Capacity Wheel Rake to VR Series — A new, high-capacity wheel rake capable of raking 28′ (8.5 m) wide passes – yet nimble enough to maneuver like rakes much smaller in size – is now available from Vermeer Corporation. The heavy-duty VR1428 is designed to give operators more capacity and the ability to handle more acres in less time, with fewer maintenance issues. It combines smart, streamlined design and functionality with simple, tool-free adjustments, while incorporating outstanding operator conveniences.
Posted: November 18, 2010 at 2:40 pm
By News Editor
Lely has introduced a new generation of robotic milking systems: the Lely Astronaut A4.
Although this new Astronaut is filled with innovating features, the most revealing is that Lely has taken its vision on dairy automation one step further creating a product that allows even more freedom for the cow, more control for the farmer with more milk as a result. The natural way of milking.
The main revolutionary feature of the Lely Astronaut A4 cow box is the walkthrough design called the I-flow concept. Allowing the cow to walk straight in and out of the box eliminates any unnecessary obstacles, further reducing the threshold for the cow to enter the cow unit at her own pace. The spacious cow friendly design and positioning of the cow unit, allows for continuous interaction with the rest of the herd and thus eliminating unnecessary stress on the cow.
The Astronaut A4 is set up in a modular concept. A central unit features a central vacuum and cleaning system for up to two cow units. It is self-contained and a configuration with two cow units can span a distance up to thirty metres which ensures much more freedom and space for the positioning of the units in the barn. Due to its modularity, it is a valid option both for family farms of 300,000 litres up to farms that produce well over 10 million litres of milk annually. The Lely Astronaut A4 comes in two models, the Manager and the Operator versions, both with additional options to configure the Astronaut A4 designed to the specific needs of the farmer.
Besides these innovations the new Lely Astronaut A4 is filled with new technology such as a new milk friendly pump transporting the milk to the tank without rotating impellers which can damage the milk. To reduce downtime as much as possible, key wear parts have been changed into easy to replace cartridge systems.
Lely has explicitly refrained from automating the actions of milking itself; instead the company continues to build a system around the cow to make sure that cows like to be milked within a low-threshold system.
Successful robotic milking is a new style of farm management, where the decisions shift from the farmer to the cow. Farmers can control many factors on an individual cow basis; factors that cannot be controlled in a conventionally milked herd. Through Lely’s dedicated management program for dairy farmers; Lely’s T4C, a quick overview is generated on the performance of the herd, the robotic milking system and the cows that require attention. It allows farmers to focus on the cows that need him/her the most. The T4C management program is now also available on the robot itself and therefore available for management on the spot. It comes with an optional dynamic feeding module (DLM). This system automatically changes feed allocations per cow based on optimum cost benefit ratio to maximize profits.
I talked with Peter Langebeeke, president of North America operations for Lely, about the new feedpusher and some of the company’s recent accomplishments. “Lely started out 60 years ago making farm equipment on the farm of the brothers van der Lely,” said Peter. “Ten years ago we brought the robot to the U.S. and we started at the Knigge Farm in Wisconsin.” Lely held an event at the Knigge Farm in September to celebrate the milestone and to highlight the latest in robotic milking technology ― the Lely Astronaut A3 Next.
Juno the Feedpusher is the newest robotic technology introduced by Lely and they were very pleased with all the attention it was getting on display for the first time at World Dairy Expo. “Everybody realizes that feed pushing is important if you want to make sure that cows have feed in front of them all the time,” Peter said.
Posted: October 7, 2010 at 3:37 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
When the exhibit judges saw what BouMatic had on display at the 2010 World Dairy Expo, it was no contest who was getting the Best Large Booth award.
The Robotic Post Milking Spray System was quite an attention-getter at the expo. “After the cow is milked, this system will apply teat dip automatically and consistently as the cows come through the system,” says BouMatic’s John Mansavage, who says the machine can take the place of three full time employees on a commercial dairy.
They still have a few tweaks to do before the system becomes commercially available, so John didn’t give a time frame for that, nor would he say how much it might cost, but he says it will be well worth it in terms of saving labor costs.
Posted: August 10, 2010 at 8:26 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
The first robotic milking farm in the United States will host an open house next month to highlight the latest in robotic milking technology ― the Lely Astronaut A3 Next.
The event will be held at Knigge Farms near Oshkosh, Wisc., which became the first U.S. robotic milking farm ten years ago. In May of this year, the Knigge’s replaced their original Lely Astronaut equipment with the Lely Astronaut A3 Next.
After installing the new equipment, the Knigges shared the news on their Facebook page: “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.” That just goes to show that dairy farmers are among the best in the agriculture industry at using new social media as well as using new technology!
Attendees at the September 14 event at the Knigge operation 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 open house is being hosted by the Knigge family and Central Ag Supply Inc.
Posted: October 26, 2009 at 5:15 pm
By News Editor
The Wisconsin Dairy Council has introduced a new website and promotion called “iRock with Milk”, an exciting opportunity for local Wisconsin school districts to learn more about including milk in a healthy diet.
The Council is working with Wisconsin school foodservice to coordinate a statewide in-school milk promotion to remind all students that drinking milk with meals really “rocks.” The “iRock with Milk” promotion features 2nd Thought Band, a classic rock group of high school students from Whitefish Bay, Wis. A special contest for middle schools throughout Wisconsin will award seven schools with a concert by the band and the opportunity to celebrate milk as a healthy beverage choice. Over 1,200 cafeteria promotion kits will be distributed for this school year to Wisconsin schools.
As part of the promotion, students can visit the newly created website to download 2nd Thought songs, make music videos and enter to win prizes. On the site, visitors can make their own “moo-sic” video with the “Keys to Healthy Living” video creator. And they can enter for a chance to win an iPod nano®, an iPod shuffle® or an iTunes® gift card.
Michigan State University has opened an experimental dairy with the latest technology, including two robotic milking machines made by Maassluis, Netherlands-based Lely Group. Robot milking operations have long been in use in Europe but spread only slowly in the U.S. Part of the new dairy is also pastured-based paddocks. Financing for the 94-cow dairy at MSU’s W.K. Kellogg Biological Station came from a $3.5 million 2007 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, along with university funds.
The best news? The dairy is open to the public! About 1,200 people toured the dairy Wednesday, when it was opened to the public for the first time. Along with the self-milking system, visitors saw such cow-friendly features as in-pen water beds, rotary back scratchers and automatic manure scrapers. To save energy, the barn has curtains along its side walls that are raised or lowered to control the temperature. It also was designed to make maximum use of natural light, cutting the electric bill.
“The robotic milking machine will measure the cow’s body weight, eating behavior, milking time per quarter, total and quarter milk yield and milk quality. The farmer gets a lot of information that can be used to make management decisions. Cows … come and go as they choose,” said Mat Haan, operations manager at the Michigan State dairy. “If a cow decides she wants to milk at two o’clock in the morning, she can, as opposed to the farmer bringing the whole herd together and working them through the parlor in one big group.”
The dairy is trying out practices and technology that could “help keep small and midrange family dairy farms in business,” Haan said. “It’s not going to happen at 1,000 or 2,000 animal operations.”
Equipment like the self-milking system can help reduce farmers’ labor costs, which is important when milk prices are low, as they have been in the past year.
A new study by Cornell University shows that dairy cows using the DeLaval Swinging Cow Brush (SCB) register higher milk production and lower clinical mastitis cases. The SCB is a grooming device that allows a cow to brush and scratch herself at her leisure!
The study compared different groups of cows housed in pens using the Swinging Cow Brush to the similar reference groups kept in identical pens under the exact same conditions but without the SCB. The research team concluded that second lactation cows using the SCB showed a significant and increasing difference in daily milk production of up to +1kg per day.
“The Swinging Cow Brush provided a favorite pass time for the cows in this herd. It was fun to watch their interaction with this grooming device. The added benefit of increased production and reduced clinical mastitis makes me think that every farmer should utilize the Cow Brush to make the cows and themselves a bit happier” said Ynte H. Schukken, Professor of Herd Health at Cornell University.
Installation of the SCB resulted in an immediate increase in cow grooming behavior. Farm workers noticed instantly the frequent, intense use of the brushes and the eagerness of the cows to use them, according to the Cornell research team. A second major finding was the significant drop in clinical mastitis cases (over 30%) among second and older lactation cows housed in pens with a SCB present.
“Animal Welfare is a top priority for DeLaval. We are delighted to market a product that makes it possible to improve health, comfort and welfare for the animal while notably boosting profit for the farmer,” said Tim Nicolai, DeLaval Vice President Product Area Milk Quality & Farm Supplies.
According to DeLaval the investment made on SCB can be covered several times over by the profits made through increased milk production and the cost savings achieved through mastitis prevention. Additionally, the SCB keeps cows clean, active, calm and more balanced.
I spent a lot of time at the trade show during the Central Plains Dairy Expo in Sioux Falls this week, and I stumbled upon Barron Built Products.
Based out of Ruthton, Minn., Tom and Daniel Barron work to innovate new products to help the busy dairyman. Pictured here is a hay feeder that catches the hay in barrels below to eliminate waste. This product is hand crafted and runs for $450. In addition, Barron Built contracts for customized feeders to fit your needs. They also build curved swinging doors for the calf huts.
“Sometimes I can’t sleep at night with so many ideas running through my head,” said Barron, of his innovative ideas to simplify a dairy producer’s busy life. “I keep a notebook on my night stand, and I will draw out my ideas during the middle of the night. At Barron Built, we are dedicated to creatively constructing new technologies that will help producers in their operations.”
In my opinion, these were pretty slick pieces of equipment and a good investment for anyone interested in trying something new! For more information on these products, contact Tom at 507-828-3749 or Daniel at 507-829-0085.
Last week GEA Farm Technologies was announced as the new “brand” for WestfaliaSurge, Houle and Norbco. Before Expo was over I spoke with Linda Mrugacz, Director, Marketing & Communications. I wanted to find out what kind of feedback they had been receiving from producers attending the show.
According to Linda, “Actually, it’s going very well. There’s a lot of interest in general about the name, a lot of questions about it, “What does GEA stand for?” Well, it stands for Global Engineering Alliance. GEA Farm Technologies is part of a global alliance of 250 companies according to Linda. She says this means that producers will get the benefit of a “total offering” from the “family of GEA Farm Technology companies.”
You can listen to my interview with Linda as part of our Milking Parlor Podcast: milking-parlor-40.mp3
To subscribe to the Milking Parlor podcast, here are some instructions.
The first news I found here at Expo came from our sponsor, GEA Farm Technologies. I know we’ve been promoting WestfaliaSurge but the company is re-launching their brand and this post and interviews will help explain it. Basically, WestfaliaSurge is now a part of the new GEA Farm Technologies.
The CEO and President of GEA Farm Technologies is Vern Foster. He gave us a comprehensive presentation this morning (media and dealers) to explain the reasons behind the change and what that means for the company and its customers.
He says, “It’s to pull all of the organizations that are part of GEA Farm Technologies, Houle, Norbco, WestfaliaSurge, pull it under a common brand so it makes sense for the marketplace, makes sense for our investors, makes sense for our customers and our dealer distribution.” The GEA stands for Global Engineering Alliance, a 5.3 billion Euro company that operates in 50 countries. Vern says, “It helps us really re-focus under one umbrella as we continue to grow and create additional organizations and innovate into the field of agriculture.”
Since Houle, Norbco and WestfaliaSurge have separate sales forces he says they’ve been in discussion together to “offer a more total solutions package to a producer.”
He says you’ll start seeing the new GEA Farm Technologies brand at trade show and in their advertising. In fact, his business cards already show the new logo!
Posted: September 15, 2008 at 3:40 pm
By News Editor
TyraTech Inc., the pioneer of safer, effective natural pesticide products and automated manure management systems, announces that the Rancho Teresita Dairy has signed an agreement to purchase and install the TyraTech WasteSolver™. This will be one of the first systems to be installed in California.
With ever-tightening environmental regulations, it is increasingly difficult for dairy producers to manage their cows’ manure. This new system is designed to provide an automated solution that efficiently and cost-effectively turns manure into ready to use bedding and organic horticulture ready growing media, which generates incremental profit opportunities for dairies.
The patent-pending WasteSolver is an automated manure management system that efficiently reduces environmental problems and lagoon maintenance by capturing 50% to 70% of suspended manure solids, and then naturally treating the solids in 24 hours through a method similar to pasteurization. The continuous and rapid process is designed to reduce the production of methane by avoiding composting and by aerating liquids that are returned to the lagoon.
Cornell Kasbergen, owner of Rancho Teresita Dairy, commented: “The automated WasteSolver system appealed to me on several levels. First, it replaces the need to devote labor and land to drying manure for bedding. Also, the income streams for bedding sales and potentially greenhouse credits provides incremental profit for our dairy. Lastly, I believe this system is environmentally efficient, which should help us effectively manage an increasingly cumbersome regulatory environment.”
Posted: June 23, 2008 at 10:57 pm
By Laura McNamara
The idea of gaining two extra hours in dairy farm management each day without working extra hours seems like a dream, right? What about cutting the time employees spend searching for animals… in half? Well, Scott Haag at Box Canyon Dairy in Wendell, Idaho says a set of MobileDemand rugged tablet PC’s makes those dairy farm dreams an everyday reality.
MobileDemand is a rugged tablet PC manufacturer based out of Idaho and they’ve just put the power of the PC in the hands of the field staff at Box Canyon.
MobileDemand says its partnership with ProfitSource enables dairy farms to bring both wireless computing and specialized DairyQuest software into the cattle pens, streamlining operations, saving time, and reducing error.
I spoke with MobileDemand CEO Matt Miller about how he found the agriculture industry to be optimal match for the rugged PC company. You can listen to my interview with Matt here. 06-08-miller-matt.mp3
MobileDemand also offers a video summary of its case study with Box Canyon Dairy. The video further illustrates how the tablet PC and DairyQuest Software have helped one dairy farm increase efficiency in both the breeding and health monitoring of its 8,000 cows. You can watch the video here:
Congrats to Joe Michaels who has been named the Forage Segment Director at Vermeer Corporation.
Michaels, who previously served as the segment’s sales manager, is now responsible for overall operations and will report directly to corporate management.
“Joe’s experience and understanding of the market will be invaluable to Vermeer as we continue to develop and market new and better solutions in the hay and forage marketplace,” said Bob Vermeer, president of Vermeer Corporation.
Michaels brings twenty-five years of agricultural equipment sales, service, marketing and product development experience.
After joining Vermeer as ag product director in 2000, he left the company briefly to help McCormick, USA re-launch the McCormick brand in the US market (McCormick USA, which was originally based in Pella, shared a strategic marketing alliance with Vermeer from November 2001 to March 2004) and then returned to the Vermeer forage group as sales manager.
Posted: February 13, 2008 at 6:41 pm
By News Editor
Dairy producers visiting the World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif. this year (February 12-14) will have the first look at many new, exciting products, including the new WasteSolverT created by TyraTech Inc. The WasteSolverT is a new automated manure management system designed to help large dairy farms produce more milk and profit in four key areas:
Increasing cow comfort and increase milk production through use of the resulting soft, clean bedding material that has proven to be equal to (if not better) than sand;
Achieving an average 9% phosphorus reduction, and equal or greater reductions in nitrogen and potassium for the Manure Management Plan, that could help allow a corresponding herd size increase;
Significantly reducing annual bedding costs compared to sand or dry manure/cellulose;
Reducing labor costs due to the system’s highly automated nature.
Stop by the TyraTech Inc. booth at the World Ag Expo to learn more! Booth #6507-6508.
Posted: November 14, 2007 at 12:38 pm
By News Editor
Naturally Iowa, Inc., a organic dairy processer in Iowa, has announced that they will be the first to manufacture polylactic acid (PLA) bottle preforms in the country.
The Company has reserved a dedicated factory space in Waverly, Nebraska and has ordered the necessary molds for the manufacturing and production of PLA bottle preforms. Preforms are the second stage in the production of a PLA bottle. Preforms are formed from the raw resin into a cylindrical tube through an injection molding machine. The preforms are then used with blow molding equipment to produce the final PLA bottle.
According to William Horner, President and CEO of Naturally Iowa Inc., the new equipment and facility gives Naturally Iowa complete control over the manufacturing and production process of the biodegradable PLA bottles. “This is one of many firsts for Naturally Iowa. After four years of research and development, Naturally Iowa became the first and only dairy in the world to integrate the blow molding of PLA preforms into our dairy production process. Now, Naturally Iowa will also control the manufacturing of PLA preforms for dairy containers, handling the entire process from resin to perform to bottle.”
Naturally Iowa distinguishes itself from other dairy processors and producers by offering the highest quality organic and all- natural dairy products packaged in an environmentally-friendly, sustainable container that completely biodegrades in 60 to 100 days in an industrial compost facility.
Posted: October 12, 2007 at 1:46 pm
By Cindy Zimmerman
You only thought we were done with stuff from World Dairy Expo.
I did an interview at expo with John Deere Hay and Forage Specialist Jim Buchs on how dairy producers can get added value for forage at harvest with Harvest Lab.
“We put a unit on our forage harvester that can measure the moisture as its going through the machine,” Buchs said. “With that information, we can calculate the true tonnage that we are harvesting.”
That information can be used to adjust the harvesting rate to the receiving rate at the bunker silo so you can adjust packing tractors or other required applications.
This week I’m attending Propane Days going on here in Washington, DC. This annual event is put on by the National Propane Gas Association and sponsored by the Propane Education & Research Council. I ran into an interesting project that PERC is working on with a company called Rinnai. This is a company that makes gas fired appliances and one thing they’re doing that is real interesting is tankless water heaters.
As you’ll hear in my interview with Mike Peacock (left) and Kirk Morrow, they’re working with PERC on a project with some dairies to showcase how their technology can benefit the farm. Essentially they say it allows the dairy to replace boiler systems that can break down causing the dairy to be without hot water until it gets fixed. Their systems don’t have many moving parts and so they last a long time. Additionally they’re working with the dairies on some other applications like floor heating which would help northern dairies in the winter to keep floors from becoming slick and animals from slipping.
In my interview with Mike and Kirk they also provide some explanation of just how this tankless system works. You can listen to my interview with them here: Rinnai Interview
Airplanes on display at a dairy show? Yes indeed at this year’s World Dairy Expo.
A brand new 
When the exhibit judges saw what 
The Robotic Post Milking Spray System was quite an attention-getter at the expo. “After the cow is milked, this system will apply teat dip automatically and consistently as the cows come through the system,” says BouMatic’s John Mansavage, who says the machine can take the place of three full time employees on a commercial dairy.
The event will be held at Knigge Farms near Oshkosh, Wisc., which became the first U.S. robotic milking farm ten years ago. In May of this year, the Knigge’s replaced their original Lely Astronaut equipment with the Lely Astronaut A3 Next. 
The 
A special contest for middle schools throughout Wisconsin will award seven schools with a concert by the band and the opportunity to celebrate milk as a healthy beverage choice. Over 1,200 cafeteria promotion kits will be distributed for this school year to Wisconsin schools.
A new study by 
I spent a lot of time at the trade show during the Central Plains Dairy Expo in Sioux Falls this week, and I stumbled upon Barron Built Products. 
Last week 
The first news I found here at Expo came from our sponsor, 
Since Houle, Norbco and WestfaliaSurge have separate sales forces he says they’ve been in discussion together to “offer a more total solutions package to a producer.” 
You only thought we were done with stuff from World Dairy Expo.
This week I’m attending 