Attendees at the recent Alltech Dairy School were asked, “Are you in it to win it?” The gathering at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin drew more than 250 farmers, nutritionists and industry professionals to discuss innovations and investments every dairy should consider for a fruitful future.
While volatile milk prices and increased feed costs have caused many dairy producers to re-examine their playbooks and develop a new defense strategy, the 11th annual Alltech Wisconsin Dairy School, held Thursday, Nov. 13 in Green Bay, urged producers to consider working on their offense instead this year…
“You need to do your research. Don’t over think it. The more cows you have, the harder it gets,” [Jake Peissig, JTP Farms] said. “What are your goals? Tap all your resources and make sure you are dairying for the right reason.”
Jack Rodenburg, DairyLogix Canada, opened the main conference asking, “Do robotics have a place on your dairy?” Rodenburg foresees robotics greatly impacting the future of dairy production in the United States, as the technology can reduce labor and management time, improve productivity and lower costs, revitalize the family farm and offer a sustainable alternative to “bigger is always better.”
“In the future, we will be looking to robotics to reduce labor, improve productivity and narrow the gap between mega farms and 300-cow family run dairies,” Rodenburg said.
Other investments discussed at the dairy school included technologies that drive peak milk performance and tools to analyze feed content, among other highlights.