The decision to expand a dairy is never an easy one. As with every sector of agriculture, the dairy industry is constantly riddled with uncertainty.
Each cow at Orland Ridge Dairy wears a collar that contains data regarding her eating, sleeping, milking and ruminating habits. The robotic milker scans the collar when she enters to be milked. It determines whether or not she’s ready to be milked as well as, telling it how much feed she should get during the milking process.
Orland Ridge Dairy, near Madison, South Dakota, milks 1600 cows with 24 Lely Astronaut robots. A robotic arm cleans the entire udder with a brush and applies the milking claw with laser accuracy.
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Orland Ridge Dairy utilizes automatic manure scrapers in each alley. The machine pushes the manure into pipes, which then flows into the on-site manure pit.
The manure pit at Orland Ridge Dairy separates liquid from solid waste. The liquid is stored to be spread on fields while the solid is used as bedding for the cows.
Melisa Goss, Associate Editor for the Tri-State Neighbor, is a South Dakota farm girl whose love of travel has allowed her to see ag’s vital impact around the world, from America’s heartland to the rice paddies of Southeast Asia and many places in between. She makes her home in Sioux Falls with her husband, daughter and miniature schnauzer. You can reach her at mgoss@lee.net.
Melisa Goss
Tri-State Neighbor Correspondent
