A Message from University of Minnesota Extension:
The University of Minnesota is excited to host a summer dairy field day in Wright County at the Merryville Farm in Waverly. This event will take place from 10:00 a.m. to noon Tuesday, August 1. The farm is located at 5599 20th St. SW. This event is free to attend.
The Merryville Farm has been a family-owned and operated dairy farm since 1877. The family milks 250 Holstein cows with the help of four DeLaval VMS robots in a retrofitted, guided flow system. In 2023, the family installed an I-beam rail to bed stalls without entering the pens. Calf are raised on automatic calf feeders.
In this two-hour event, the attendees will learn about five different topics including: DeLaval robots in a guided flow system, I-beam rail bedding system, automatic calf feeders, feeding ratios, and the economics of robots.
"Technology such as robotic milkers to automatic calf feeders has changed the way in which farmers can run their dairy operations,” said Livestock Extension Educator Karen Johnson. "Come listen to how this family integrated new technologies into existing facilities."
Due to generous sponsorship from Farm Systems/ DeLaval, Minnesota Dairy Initiative and Vita Plus, this event is free to everyone. Registration is requested but not required. For questions about the event or to register, please contact Karen Johnson at (320) 484-4303 or ande9495@umn.edu.