Advances in robotic milking, activity and rumination monitors, barn and facility designs, and more will be on display during two farm tours hosted by Professional Dairy Producers (PDP). The Farm Tours provide dairy producers and industry professionals the opportunity to see new technologies, equipment and practices at work. It is also an opportunity to learn from fellow producers about the potential impact on their operations, teams, and bottom line.
The 2024 PDP Innovation & Technology Farm Tours will be held on August 21 at Haas Dairy in Colby, Wis. As well as on August 22 at Trillium Hill Farm in Berlin, Wis. Each tour will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Tours will begin and end at each farm location. The attendees are encouraged to carpool to each event. The 2024 PDP Innovation & Technology Farm Tours are sponsored by DeLaval.
“PDP Innovation & Technology Farm Tours are incredibly valuable to dairy farmers because they allow us to not only tour facilities and ask questions of the farm operators, but also to share ideas and get feedback from everyone else on the tour,” said Paul Lippert, vice president of PDP board of directors and dairy producer from Pittsville, Wis. “Investing in new technologies or equipment is a big decision for dairy farms of any size, so gathering input and hearing what worked and doesn’t work from peers is critical.”
Events
The Wednesday, August 21, tour will be hosted at Haas Dairy. It is owned and operated by Jeremy and Katie Haas and family. It is located at 224547 Dill Creek Lane, Colby, Wis. Haas Dairy milks 200 cows in a robotic milking facility with an average production of 96 pounds per day. The tour and discussions will include:
- Four DeLaval VMS V300 robotic milking units in a guided flow, milk first layout
- DeLaval Herd Navigator™ 100 that is integrated into the VMS V300 to monitor progesterone levels, utilizing Cow Manager® for activity and rumination
- Cross-ventilated, sand-bedded barn constructed in 2016
The Thursday, August 22, tour will be hosted at Trillium Hill Farm. It is owned and operated by David & Julie Jones, Mike & Chelsey Jones and family. As well as Ben & Samantha Jones and family. It is located at N8273 County Rd. F, Berlin, Wis. The dairy milks 1,800 cows are three times a day in a with an average production of 102 pounds per day and 100,000 SCC. The tour and discussions will include:
- Double 24 parallel parlor
- Stjernholm sand separator that allows for reclamation of 99 percent of all sand used
- Feed-pad design enables 95 percent of all rainwater to drain from feed pads while simultaneously collecting all leachate from feed piles
