Hundreds gather to celebrate opening of Iowa's Dairy Center robotics milking parlor

by Lissa Blake

Cooperation is imperative.
That was the phrase of the day during the robotics milking “open barn” at Iowa’s Dairy Center on the Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) campus in Calmar Thursday afternoon, March 27.
More than 700 people attended the event, which included a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony, milking demonstrations and tour of the new facility and its $1.7 million robotic milking system.
Maynard Lang of Brooklyn, considered by many as an Iowa dairy pioneer, said, “It is essential that we pull together,” to keep Iowa’s dairy industry going.
Lang and Joe Lyon of Toledo, another well-known Iowa dairyman, were recently honored by the Midwest Dairy Association with the naming of the G. Joe Lyon and Maynard Lang Midwest Dairy Association Conference Room, the central meeting area in the new addition to the Dairy Center.
Midwest Dairy recently pledged $250,000 toward the robotics addition - $50,000 a year for five years.
“Dairy is on the mend in Iowa, which is going to be a player nationwide,” said Lyon, referring to the fact that in recent years, states like California are at the top of the nation for milk production.

HERE TO STAY
Located just south of the NICC campus in Calmar, the new, automated system is technology that’s here to stay, according to Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation President Gary Kregel. “The use of robotics in dairy is not new and has been in Europe for more than 15 years. The practice is about five years old in the Midwest,” Kregel said.
Kregel said the advancement allows producers to spend more time and effort on herd management and less on manual labor. “In addition, the quality of life for producers is greatly enhanced, especially for small and medium-sized dairy operations,” he said.
With the new innovation, more than 100 Northeast Iowa Community College students will receive hands-on training through NICC’s dairy science and large animal veterinary technician programs.
The new robotic addition increases cow comfort by bringing the Dairy Center’s freestall space to more than 32,000 square feet. The 3,000-gallon bulk tank accommodates both the robotic and parlor herds.
The Lely robots milk 112 cows per day, an average of 3.4 times. The robotic herd’s Jerseys average 61 lbs. per day and the Holsteins average 92 lbs.
According to Dairy Center Coordinator Megan Kregel, “The great thing about the robotic milking process is the cows choose when they want to be milked, up to six times a day. The pellets the cows eat in the robotic unit encourage them to enter. It's like the cows are eating their 'candy bar' while being milked and their 'salad' at the bunk.”

ECONOMIC IMPACT
In addition to providing hands-on learning experiences for students and education for the public, each of the Dairy Center’s 300 cows provides an economic impact of $23,445 through direct/indirect and induced commerce. Direct and indirect activities related to the Dairy Center support more than 22,000 jobs.
NICC President Dr. Liang Chee Wee said the college is proud to support the next generation of farmers. “This (the robotic addition) is just one part of our journey together,” said Wee. “This college and this foundation are stronger because of what we do together. You can count on us (NICC) to continue to partner for the good of the people we serve.”
According to its website, Iowa’s Dairy Center is supported by the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation, a non-profit, grassroots organization formed to prepare young men and women to operate dairy farms, provide ongoing education for existing dairy farmers and serve as a public educational facility.
For more information on Iowa’s Dairy Center, visit dairycenter.com.

MANY PARTNERS
Event sponsors for Thursday’s event included Homeland Energy Solutions of Lawler; American Wood Fibers of Schofield, WI; Becker Hardware, Farmers Union Cooperative and South Winn Vet Clinic of Ossian; Brick Brothers of West Salem, WI; Foremost Farms USA of Baraboo, WI; Heying Manufacturing and Lumber, Fitzgerald Inc., Randy Numedal/Calmar Oil and State Bank of Calmar; Norwegian Mutual Insurance, Wicks Construction, Perfect Edge, Winneshiek County Dairy Promoters, Bodenteiner Implement, Winneshiek County Farm Bureau, Alliant Energy, Bruening Rock Products, Decorah Bank and Trust/Cresco Bank, Erdman Engineering P.C., Gelling Custom Pumping LLC, Monsanto, Winneshiek County Corn Growers Association and Winneshiek County Marketing Center/Decorah NFO, all of Decorah; Delanco Animal Health of Mabel, MN; Fitzgerald, Inc. and Elkader Vet Clinic of Elkader; Swiss Valley Farms, Davenport; Wapsie Valley Creamery of Independence; Brenton Building/Superior Building Center of Monona; Grinnell Mutual of Grinnell; Al’s Concrete Products of La Crescent, MN; A & J Construction LLC of Cresco; Fort Atkinson Hay, Franzen Sales and Service and Mihm Brothers, Inc. of Fort Atkinson; Furniture Showcase of Oelwein; Hoof-N-Hair of Caledonia, MN; Iowa State Dairy Association, Ankeny; Naylor Seed of Scotch Grove; New York Life Insurance Company of Garnavillo, Nu-Tech of Wisconsin; and Resource Engineering Associates Inc. of Middleton, WI.