Project Summary: A Thanksgiving project
The Roerick family, of Swanville, Minnesota, started dairy farming in 1982 and grew their business throughout the years. They built a new barn with A4 Lely robots and started milking just after Thanksgiving in 2015.
Previous barn: Double 5 Herringbone parlor (80 cows)
Goals:
- Milking 3x a day
- More family time
- Preparing for future
2015, built new facility with:
- 3 Lely A4 Robots
- Lely Juno Feed Pusher
- 3 Lely Luna Cow Brushes
- Lely Discovery Scraper
- Cross-Ventilation Schaefer Fans
- Waterbeds w/sawdust
- Pellet Augurs for feed
- ID Tags (long-distance)
Results:
- Added cows
- Built for future herd growth
- Increased milk production; even in heifers
- Reproduction improved consistently
- Younger children can participate