Central Plains Dairy Expo - Virtual Tour
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2014 Virtual Tours
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2013 Virtual Tours
Dockendorf Dairy, Watkins, Minn.
Sponsor: Lely

When Steve and Lori
Dockendorf‘s two eldest children were preparing to leave for college, they
knew they would have to make some changes to become more labor efficient.
The idea of using robots was an exciting one for the Dockendorfs, but it
took them over three years of research, planning and building to fully
implement the changes. The family toured over a dozen dairies in the Midwest
for ideas on types of robots and new barn construction. In the summer of
2011, the cows were moved into a cross-ventilation barn complete with
waterbeds and robotic milkers. Currently, the 130 cow herd, with a rolling
herd average of 25,000 pounds, is milked by two robots. The cows are milked
an average of three times a day. The Dockendorfs not only have robotic
milkers, they also have a robotic feed pusher and a robotic barn cleaner
that run hourly.
United Pride Dairy, Phillips, Wis.
Sponsor:
Stewart-Peterson
Nearly 15 years ago,
the Pesko and Jasurda families made a bold move and combined their
neighboring dairies. Today, Jon and Sherry Pesko partner with Ed and Lori
Jasurda in a very diversified dairy operation. Since 1996, the facilities
have been expanded incrementally to create opportunities for additional
family members and employees to join the dairy. United Pride Dairy is now
home to 1,800 cows that are milked in a 60-cow rotary parlor and have a
rolling herd average of 29,218 pounds. United Pride Dairy uses a consistent
and disciplined approach to hedging feed and marketing milk, which has
protected their assets and helped them deal with fluctuating milk and feed
prices. They maintain a strong equity position which enabled them to expand
with optimism. Both partners are grooming next generation family members as
they assume more management responsibilities.



