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DAIRY ST R
October 29, 2022
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 24, No. 17
A spreading improvement
Reuling strives for efciency in bedding By Grace Jeurissen grace.j@star-pub.com
CLARKSVILLE, Iowa – Reading up on worldwide dairy practices and technology has been something Eduard Reuling has always enjoyed. And, beyond his enjoyment, Reuling’s reading led him to invest in a robotic bedding system on his farm near Clarksville. “I always try to know what is happening in the world,” Reuling said. “Coming from the Netherlands, I like to know what is going on over there since I still have many friends there.” Reuling and his wife, Resy, and their children, Jenny, Ryanne, Nick and Wouter, milk 500 cows in a swing-32 parlor three times a day.
In 2005, the Reulings moved from the Netherlands to start Snow Rock Dairies LLC. They began milking 350 cows and slowly grew the herd to where it is today. The Reulings spent a number of years trying different bedding options. “When we rst started, we used rubber mats and sawdust, but the sawdust would get wasted by the cows, and we had to bed regularly,” he said. “This became expensive and time consuming so we tried manure solids.” Reuling said manure solids were not efcient for his operation. In 2017, waterbeds were installed in the freestall barns. At rst, they spread hydrated Turn to REULING | Page 8
A bright future
AARON THOMAS/DAIRY STAR
Eduard Reuling checks the se�ngs on his Astor bedding robot Oct. 21 at his farm Snow Rock Dairies LLC near Clarksville, Iowa. They milk 500 cows in a swing-32 parlor.
Rolling the dice
Buying dairy farm 20 years ago pays off By Jan Lefebvre jan.l@star-pub.com
TAYLOR JERDE/DAIRY STAR
Plant manager Terry Johnson stands in front of the Dairy Farmers of America sign Oct. 20 at the plant in Zumbrota, Minnesota. The Zumbrota loca�on is one of the largest plants for DFA.
Zumbrota DFA plant completes expansion By Taylor Jerde
taylor.j@star-pub.com
ZUMBROTA, Minn. – The Dairy Farmers of America plant in Zumbrota has grown in size not only to meet customers’ demands but to better serve the dairy farmers in the area and the communities it serves.
“What really drove this decision was the needs of the customers,” said Terry Johnson, plant manager. “When you make this investment, there is a continued demand and a process of creating value-added products that also help add value to our dairy farmer owners and end product that goes out.” The $90 million expansion added an additional 86,000 square feet to the facility which initially boasted Turn to DFA | Page 9
VERGAS, Minn. – When the Schlauderaff family bid on a dairy farm near Vergas during an auction in 2002, it was a big move. When their bid won, it took a while to sink in. “After the auction ended, we had to get back because we had corn chopping to do,” Casey Schlauderaff said. “The reality didn’t set in until later when we had to do nancing and try to put the whole project together and make it work.” In the 20 years since then, the family has done just that – made it work. Today, Schlauderaff Enterprises milks 650 Holsteins three times a day in
JAN LEFEBVRE/DAIRY STAR
Some of the 650 Holsteins eat Oct. 18 in one of two freestall barns at Schlauderaff Enterprises near Vergas, Minnesota. The Schlauderaffs milk three �mes a day in a double-12 parallel parlor.
a double-12 parallel parlor, which is a big change from the 150 cows they milked on their home farm near Detroit Lakes prior to purchasing the second farm. Family members live
on or near the home farm. A 15-minute commute is all that separates the two farm sites. At the Vergas farm, Turn to SCHLAUDERAFF | Page 6