Evolving the future

FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. — Perched on top of the steepest hill in Buffalo County sits a fifth-generation dairy farm that recently installed new technology to improve cow comfort.

Buffalo Ridge Organic, owned by Nathan and Jenny Brandt, milks 66 cows. Since installing robotic technology in October, they milk with a Lely robotic milking unit, care for their feet with a Hoofcount automated footbath, and clean the freestall barn with a Lely Discovery Collector.

Nathan Brandt returned to the farm he grew up on in 2012 and took over the operation from his parents in December 2016. But, the biggest transition at Buffalo Ridge took place 24 years before Brandt took over when his parents, John and Therese, began the transition to organic.

“The last time we sprayed was in 1988,” Brandt said. “We sprayed three or four times that year, but it never rained, so it never worked. My parents figured if they would have cultivated it, we would have gotten more corn than with spray.”

The couple took this lesson and put it into practice. Though they first applied organic principles to their farm in 1988, they shared rented land with another farm, so did not become certified until this arrangement was discontinued in 2005.

Being a certified organic farm helps Nathan and Jenny and their family accomplish their goal of being stewards of the land.

“We’ve been working on the conservation side over the last few years,” Brandt said. “We’ve reduced our tillage and incorporated more cover crops.”

The Brandts have added rye in the fall and forage peas in the spring.

“Last year we decided to not cultivate our corn and inter-seeded cover crop to prevent weeds from coming through,” Brandt said.

Buffalo Ridge Organic put up two silos last year to also improve conservation efforts. Now they are filling six silos, which Brandt said is reducing waste.

“The less waste we have, the less feed we have to make in the long run,” Brandt said. “It also helps protect us in case of a drought year. We’ll have more on hand.”

The Brandts farm 416 acres, feeding a mix of clover, alfalfa, grass and corn to their herd of Fleckvieh, Brown Swiss and Holstein cattle.

Brandt said cow comfort has improved with the new technology.

“(Before) at our peak, we’d have some cows standing in the holding area for two hours during milking,” Brandt said. “We’d have some who were tender on their feet, but since adding the robot and foot bath, we’re not seeing that as much.”

The Brandts’ new foot bath is installed at the exit of the robotic milking unit. The footbath operates three days a week. After 100 cows, it drains, flushes and adds the water and copper sulfate on its own.

Transitioning from their old double-4 parlor to a robotic milking unit has adjusted the Brandts’ breeding strategy. In past years, Buffalo Ridge Organic seasonally bred, expanding the herd to as many as 85. With the addition of the robotic milking unit, they have taken a year-round breeding approach.

Their new manure collector has cut down on the amount of labor and disruptions to the cows’ schedule. The collector runs every hour, taking 2-3 passes to clean the now 70-stall barn. With the addition of the robot, the Brandts took out 26 stalls to make room for a bedding pack pre-fresh area in the freestall barn.

“The floor is definitely cleaner,” Brandt said. “It’s less labor for us. We don’t have to go in and disturb the cows. It keeps them nice and comfortable.”

A month after installation, the improvements have already made a difference in milk quality as the Brandts have seen a reduction in somatic cell count. They have also had increased milk, butterfat and protein production and improved cow demeanor.

“The cows were already pretty friendly, but now they’re even more so,” Brandt said. “It’s nice to see them just be cows out there. They can go walk around whenever they want. They don’t have to stand at a gate or wait in a holding area to get milked. They can just go be cows.”