DAIRY NEWS – Two Wisconsin dairy farms are opening their doors for fellow dairy farmers and industry professionals to see some of the most innovative technologies in the industry in action. JTP Dairy in Dorchester, Wis., and Minglewood, Inc., in Deer Park, Wis., will be the host farms for the 2023 Innovation & Technology Farm Tours executed by Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW).
JTP Dairy will host a tour from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, August 23, and Minglewood, Inc., will host a tour from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday, August 24. Tour participants will see firsthand technologies and management practices to improve efficiency, animal care and productivity in the milking parlor, feeding system, sand separation and more.
“We use data and technology in a lot of ways here on our dairy, and we’re happy to share with other producers the things we’ve learned along the way,” said Kristin Quist of Minglewood Dairy. “We also know from experience that getting a chance to see the technologies in person is always really helpful.”
Details about each of the host farm include:
- JTP Dairy, owned and operated by Jake and Tolea Peissig family, W1202 County Road A, Dorchester, Wis., features innovations in both the milking parlor and feeding systems. They have used a guided-flow DeLaval VMS system for more than a decade and have recently added robots for increased availability. An MFR Lely Vector System for feeding has allowed them to reduce feed shrink and waste, and a haylage block cutter allows for a cleaner face and reduced heating in the silage.
- Minglewood Inc, owned and operated by Kevin and Roxann Solum and Jacob and Kristin Quist, 60 105th St., Deer Park, Wis., is the first dairy in the U.S. to install Stjernholm Sand Separation system from Denmark that delivers cleaner, finer sand that is ready for rebedding in 21 days. They utilize smaXtec rumination and activity system as well as a combination of parlor and robotic barn to milk 1,200 cows, including 8 DeLaval classic robots.
In addition to the farm tours, participants have the opportunity to interact with fellow producers and discuss management practices to make technologies and innovations successful on dairy operations.
“We’re looking forward to showcasing to other producers the innovations and practices that have been successful for us,” said Jake Peissig of JTP Dairy. “In the business of dairying, it’s important to share ideas with one another.”
Tours will begin and end at each farm location; attendees are encouraged to carpool to each event. Registration information and more details are available at www.pdpw.org. Or contact PDPW at 800-947-7379.
Up to three Continuing Education Units (CEUs) per tour are available from Dairy AdvanCE.
Professional Dairy Producers (PDPW) is the nation’s largest dairy producer-led organization of its kind, focusing on producer professionalism, stakeholder engagement and unified outreach to share ideas, solutions, resources and experiences that help dairy producers succeed.”
