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25
2 DAIRY ST 5R C E L E B R A T I N G
Y E A R S
October 14, 2023
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 25, No. 16
Klingsporns have challenging adjustment to robotic milking system
2 5
A slow transition
By Amy Kyllo
amy.k@star-pub.com
PINE ISLAND, Minn. — When the Klingsporn family transitioned their farm to robotic milking systems, 3-year-old Dylan Klingsporn’s favorite reason to come up to the new barn was to eat the cake brought in for the extra help. For the rest of the family, the transition was anything but a piece of cake. David and Linda Klingsporn and Kevin and Melisa Klingsporn milk 195 cows on their dairy farm near Pine Island. The Klingsporns began
AMY KYLLO/DAIRY STAR
The Klingsporns — David (from leŌ), Linda, Kevin, Dylan and Melisa holding Lydia — walk through their new freestall barn and robot facility Sept. 19 on their farm near Pine Island, Minnesota. The Klingsporns began transiƟoning to roboƟc milking systems in December 2021 and said their farm is currently 75% adjusted.
building in the summer of 2021 and started their rst day with robots in December
2021. Now, almost two years later, they said their farm is 75% adjusted. Kevin said the
rst year they were not satised with their decision to install robots, but as the tran-
sition has continued, they are happy with their decision. The Klingsporns installed three Lely Astronaut A5 units and a Juno robotic feed pusher and built a 164-stall freestall barn and a 4.6-million-gallon lagoon manure storage area on the top of a hill about a quarter of a mile from their existing building site. The transition was quite challenging for the Klingsporns. In the weeks prior to the transition — and the expansion of space that came with it — the Klingsporns said their dry cows and regular cows were overcrowded. This all led to tired cows that just wanted to sleep. “That whole rst year, we were training every single one of those cows to milk on the robot,” Melisa said. Even cows that had gone through the initial transition, which were subsequently Turn to KLINGSPORN | Page 7
Farming in silence Deafness not a deterrent for Rickert By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
ELDORADO, Wis. — When meeting Andrew Rickert for the rst time, it can be hard to tell he is deaf. Born with normal hearing, Andrew’s world did not turn silent until around 20 months of age after he contracted spinal meningitis. Exposed to a year and a half of sounds would provide him with audible speech later in life. “Andrew’s speech is so good because he heard for 1.5 years compared to a person born deaf,” said his dad, Jim. “The memory of speech makes a difference.” Andrew is good at reading
lips and can understand much of what people say. He can then respond verbally. “People know they have to face me so I can read their lips,” Andrew said. Andrew and his wife, Shannon, and their kids — Miles, Emma, Jonah and Micah — farm with Andrew’s parents, Jim and Kelly; his grandfather, Don; Jim’s brother, Greg; and Greg’s son-in-law, Andy DeVries. The Rickerts milk about 1,000 cows and farm nearly 2,800 acres at Rickland Dairy near Eldorado. Cows are milked three times a day in a double-16 parallel parlor with a rolling herd average of 30,000 pounds of milk, 3.8% butterfat and 3.1% protein. The Rickerts are passionate about registered Holsteins, and this year, the family received a special honor when they were named Wisconsin’s 2023 Distinguished Holstein Breeder.
Turn to RICKERT | Page 6
STACEY SMART/DAIRY STAR
The Rickert family — Micah (front, from leŌ) and Jonah; (back, from leŌ) Jim, Kelly, Emma, Miles, Shannon and Andrew — milk about 1,000 cows and farm nearly 2,800 acres at Rickland Dairy near Eldorado, Wisconsin. Andrew has been deaf since around 20 months of age aŌer contracƟng spinal meningiƟs.