Farm advocacy thanks to a robot

from Country Acres - June 18, 2021

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Schlangens on life mission to help small farmers

BY DIANE LEUKAM | STAFF WRITER

ALBANY – Robot milkers are becoming more common in the dairy industry, with numerous farmers choosing to go that route. Steve and Cheryl Schlangen have had theirs since 2010, and it has changed their lives – and possibly many others’ lives.

Because of the robot, Steve has been able to follow his life mission to serve other farmers through a multitude of organizations. He currently serves as the chairman of the board of the dairy farmer-owned Associated Milk Producers Inc.; he is on the board of National Milk Producers Federation and the Minnesota Milk Policy Committee and is involved in a return on investment project with Headwaters Agriculture Sustainability Partnership (HASP). After nine years, his term on the Stearns County Dairy Advisory Committee is fi nished, though he remains involved.

“They probably take up half of my mental time, maybe more than that,” Schlangen said May 27 on the farm south of Albany.

The Schlangens milk 65 cows and raise corn, alfalfa, soybeans and barley on their 200-acre farm. On a normal year, it is enough to feed the cattle with some of the crop to sell. They began by renting the land in 1987 and eventually bought the farm in 1989. Over the years, they have put up nearly all of the buildings, including the freestall barn in 1992.

The Schlangens milked their cows in a double six herringbone parlor for many years. Their four kids were getting older – daughters Krista and Jenna were away from home and twin sons, Michael and Matthew, were reaching high school age. Both were in three sports and Steve and Cheryl wanted to watch their games.

When they began hearing about robot milkers, they thought it seemed like a crazy idea, but it sparked their interest.

“Our vet, Dan Tomsche, took us to Greg Blaine’s farm near Little Falls to see his operation; we saw it work and felt it would change our lifestyle,” Schlangen said. “We came back and said, ‘we have to fi nd a way to do this.’”

Since then, they have never looked back. They had plenty of challenges and there is maintenance, but help is just a few miles down the road. Even though it was a new idea at the time, they decided to take a chance.

“I didn’t think we would lose money; it was a big investment – it’s like buying a combine or something except you use it every day,” he said. “I don’t know what we would have done over the years if we wouldn’t have put it in.”

An addition was built onto the freestall barn to house the unit. Sitting at the desk in the small offi ce, Schlangen explained the technology he once saw as intimidating but

PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM Steve Schangen and his wife, Cheryl, farm near Albany where they milk 65 cows with the assistance of a robotic milker. The technology has allowed Steve the time needed to be involved in many farm organizations as an advocate for dairy farmers within Central Minnesota and the state, as well as nationally.

Schlangens page 19

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“It took a long time to learn how to run everything and computers were probably the hardest,” he said. “When I graduated high school in 1979, they just came out with a PC.”

Using a computer program interfaced with the robot, they can go into any number of reports and do so twice a day at a minimum. Transponders worn around each cow’s neck keep track of all her individual data. Reports show everything from the number of times she has come to the robot to be milked to pounds given, conductivity (indication of a possible infection), her temperature, weight, activity, lameness and rumination.

Any red fl ags are put on alert lists which can be checked easily. A list of “fetch cows” is generated morning and night. These are cows that, for any number of reasons, may not have come to the robot to be milked. Then, Steve or Cheryl will check on those cows and bring them to the robot.

If a cow’s milk needs to be separated from the rest because she has been treated for an illness, or because she has just freshened and colostrum is needed for calves, her number is entered into the computer. Her milk will be separated from the rest and the robot system will be automatically fl ushed and cleaned before any other cows are milked.

When cows come to the robot, they are cleaned and prepped with a brush system before the unit is attached. While they are being milked, they are able to eat pellets, a dietary supplement in a feeder in front of them, the amount based on their production.

Schlangen said the system is great for cows that are milking heavier earlier in their lactations, especially for heifers that have less capacity for large amounts of milk. Many of the heifers will go to the robot four to fi ve times a day; the average for the herd is three times. With today’s genetics, the Schlangens hope to see most of their cows at peak production giving 150 pounds of milk a day, with an average of 80-90 pounds per cow per day as a goal.

He doesn’t make that number a priority.

“You do what is the most productive and has the best return – the bottom line is what really matters and what pays the bills,” he said.

Out in the barn where a cow was being milked at the robot, Schlangen pointed out the “X-link,” a monitor that displays a wealth of data about the cow being milked, in this case #819 who is currently producing 120-130 pounds a day.

“The cows get milked exactly the same whether I am here or not,” he said.

Often, he is not there. With his farm advocacy involvement, he has generally gone 80-90 days out of the year, which has changed due to COVID. While he is away, the robot continues to milk

PHOTO BY DIANE LEUKAM Cow No. 819 gets milked May 27 at the Steve and Cheryl Schlangen farm near Albany. In 2010, the Schlangens invested in a robotic milker, which handles all of the milking for the herd.

Schlangens page 22

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