Virtual Farm Tours

Visit dairies from around the U.S. without leaving World Dairy Expo 2010. Virtual Farm Tours will focus on a variety of management topics, including: farm longevity, innovative reproductive tools, grazing benefits, managing transition cows, a research dairy herd, family succession, environmental stewardship and robotic calf feeders.

These free tours will be presented daily, Tuesday through Saturday, in the Mendota 1 meeting room in the Exhibition Hall. The managers will present a half-hour pictorial view of their operation, including general operation information and highlights of exceptional management practices. Time for questions and discussion will follow. The tours will be available for viewing on World Dairy Expo’s website after the show. AgSource Cooperative Services, American Jersey Cattle Association, Grow Wisconsin Dairy Team, Kansas Department of Commerce, Land O’Lakes Purina Feed, Quality Liquid Feeds and Semex and Structures Unlimited LLC are sponsors of the 2010 Virtual Farm Tours. Following is a short biography and description of each tour:

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2

Tuesday, September 28, 2:00 p.m.

Hosted by: Valley-Drive Holsteins, LLC, Campbellsport, WI
200 Milking/Adaptation Leads to Longevity
Sponsored by: Structures Unlimited LLC

Over six generations have lived and worked at Valley-Drive Holsteins, LLC and it continues to thrive today. Homesteaded in 1846, the farm has grown from its original 40 acres to encompass a milking herd of 200 cows with modern milking facilities on 230 acres. Jeff Hayes and his family, including his mother Merlene and partner Daryl Winter, focus on good cows and good management to keep their business thriving. Cows are bred to the top sires available and embryos are shipped worldwide. Over a quarter of the herd can be traced back to a purchase at the 1991 Agri-Prize sale, Con-Acres-HS Zara. Additionally, cow comfort is a focus for Valley-Drive Holsteins. A new facility was built in 2007 which features a double five parlor and freestall housing. Currently, the herd has a rolling herd average of 24,832 pounds of milk and a BAA of 106.4.
Back to top.

Wednesday, September 29, Noon

Hosted by: Stewart Farms Inc., Nampa, ID
630 Milking/Innovative Reproductive Tools
Sponsored by: Semex

As new innovations for farm management emerge, Stewart Farms Inc. is a quick adopter of these technologies. Joe Stewart, along with his brother Jere and parents Jim and Marcella, own and operate Stewart Farms Inc. Currently, the farm uses activity detection devices that cows wear around their necks. By monitoring daily activity logs, the system has helped to pinpoint cows in heat, resulting in optimal breeding time while reducing labor and cost. Since the adoption of the system, Stewart has seen conception rates rise to 54.5 percent, number of days open reduced by 30 days, the calving interval decreased to 12.6 months and the average number of services per conception decreased from 3.4 to 2.4. Additionally, the farm uses a feed tracking system that adjusts daily feed usage, resulting in 100 percent feed consumption and reducing the feed cost per cow by $2 dollars daily. Stewart Farms is home to 630 milk cows with a rolling herd average of 26,504 pounds of milk.
Back to top.

Wednesday, September 29, 2:00 p.m.

Hosted by: Clover Patch Dairy, Millersburg, OH
420 Milking/ Grazing Benefits
Sponsored by: American Jersey Cattle Association

Operating a dairy farm that provides a high quality of life for family and employees, plus achieves long-term financial security for its owners, has been a nearly 20-year endeavor for Alan and Sharon Kozak. Every aspect of their enterprise, Clover Patch, reflects thoughtful planning and careful execution, plus perseverance in overcoming mistakes and setbacks. The Kozaks started in the dairy business in 1991 by renting the complete facility and focusing ownership efforts on cattle. They have continued that strategy to this day. By eliminating Johne’s disease, controlling involuntary culling, achieving low death losses in the replacement program, and using sexed semen, their Registered Jersey™ herd has grown to over 800 head with continuous sales of excess stock. With the dairy situated on 450 acres in north-central Ohio, the Kozaks have access to milk markets that reward them for producing milk averaging 4.8% milkfat and 3.7% protein. Intensive management of grazing pastures and hay fields, supplemented by year-round TMR, supports 60 pounds daily production per cow.
Back to top.

Thursday, September 30, Noon

Hosted by: Ripp’s Dairy Valley, Dane, WI
860 Milking/Managing Transition Cows
Sponsored by: AgSource Cooperative Services

Ripp’s Dairy Valley is a family affair that focuses on the comfort and productivity of their cows. The dairy is owned and operated by brothers Gary, Troy and Chuck Ripp and their families, with wives and children helping with the day-to-day operations. The partnership was formed back in 1975 and culminated with the farm becoming an LLC in 2004. During that time, the herd also grew from 260 cows to the current day herd size of 860 cows. As the herd grew, new tools for measuring herd performance were integrated, including fresh cow evaluation. By using the Transition Cow Index®, developed by the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, they were able to evaluate fresh cow performance and health. The Ripps discovered that numerous cows had negative values indicating a poor start to the lactation. To ensure healthier cows and better lactation performance, the dairy constructed a new transition cow barn in 2008. Today, cows get a better start after calving and as a result, Ripps Dairy Valley has a rolling herd average of 32,856 pounds of milk.
Back to top.

Thursday, September 30, 2:00 p.m.

Hosted by: University of Minnesota Teaching & Research Facility, St. Paul, MN
130 Milking/Research Dairy Herd
Sponsored by: Quality Liquid Feeds

The University of Minnesota Dairy Teaching & Research Facility is committed to making a better future for the dairy industry. This facility focuses on researching the newest techniques for feeding and managing calves, heifers, and lactating and dry cows. A large amount of time and resources are dedicated to dry and transition cow research, to evaluate practical applications for moderate-energy dry cow diets: identifying forage alternatives to reduce feed costs, and the use of molasses-based liquid supplements to increase digestibility, intake, and reduce sorting. The facilities and herd have helped scientists and students conduct research for over 100 years, resulting in nearly 25,000 research articles published. However, the research doesn’t stop in the barn; milk is utilized for dairy product research, and cheese and ice cream sales on campus. Additionally, the facility serves as a teaching tool to visitors as well, educating thousands of people from intercity youth to international students.
Back to top.

Friday, October 1, Noon

Hosted by: Cycle Farm, Sturgeon Bay, WI
240 Milking/Family Succession
Sponsored by: Grow Wisconsin Dairy Team

Formally bringing the next generation into the family business is an exciting time. However, the decision making on how to grow, structure and run the business can bring their own set of dynamics and challenges. Tony Brey returned home to Sturgeon Bay, Wis. in 2007 to join his parents Bill and Clarice Brey in their farming operation and his brother Jacob is a sophomore in the Dairy Science program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The family recently enrolled in the Wisconsin Dairy Farm Management Team program to gain a more solid understanding of succession planning. In the program, they utilize a management team and receive consultation about future expansions, business planning and passing the farm to the next generation. Cycle Farm is home to 240 registered Holstein cows with a rolling herd average of 23,000 pounds of milk and a BAA of 107.6, the highest in the country for herds with 150 to 199 cows. Cycle Farm is so named because of the ever-changing aspects of dairy farming.
Back to top.

Friday, October 1, 2:00 p.m.

Hosted by: Royal Farms Dairy, Garden City, KS
6150 Milking/Environmental Stewards
Sponsored by: Kansas Department of Commerce

Royal Farms Dairy has emerged as a steward of land and resources through their water conservation efforts. The dairy minimizes water usage by using each gallon multiple times. Water that is used to cool milk is also used to flush pens and holding areas. Ultimately, this water is then stored in the lagoon until it is used to strategically fertilize and irrigate 1,600 acres, including the dairy’s and a neighboring farm’s fields. Royal Farms Dairy hopes to increase the number of irrigated acres to 2,720 acres in 2011. For their efforts, they have been honored with the Kansas Banker’s Association Environmental Stewardship Award. The dairy is a partnership of manager, Kyle Averhoff, the Irsik Family, two partners living in Washington and two partners living in Nevada. In a state where crop production is dominant and very few families make a living on less than 1,000 acres, Royal Farms Dairy is able to employ 62 people, milk 6200 cows, and house 5600 heifers all on the net consumption of water equivalent to 1-2 circles of irrigated corn. It is easy to see that this kind of economic development is very powerful for the local communities and businesses.
Back to top.

Saturday, October 2, Noon

Hosted by: Sandy Acres Dairy, Elk Mound, WI
480 Milking/Robotic Calf Feeders
Sponsored by: Land O’Lakes Purina Feed

In April 2009, Sandy Acres Dairy, owned by Jeff and Marie Pagenkopf, installed a robotic calf feeder to help streamline their feeding program and minimize labor and treatment costs associated with raising more than 250 calves per year. With the robotic calf feeder, calves receive multiple milk feedings per day in group settings, which has improved nutrient intake, increased average daily weight gain, and minimized the use of antibiotics and costly treatments. The robotic calf feeder has also reduced labor needs by eliminating manual mixing and feeding of milk replacer, allowing the Pagenkopfs more time to monitor calf growth and performance and check for signs of health challenges. In addition, the Pagenkopfs observed that because their calves are well-nourished and accustomed to group pens, they experience less stress from co-mingling with other calves during the post-weaning transition. The Pagenkopfs found their investment in a robotic calf feeder worthwhile.
Back to top.