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7 201 2018
DAIRY ST R “All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 19, No. 21
December 23, 2017
A path towards automation Scherbers install automated feeding system as part of expansion By Jennifer Coyne jenn@dairystar.com
ROGERS, Minn. – When John and Staci Scherber were reviewing their options for the future of their dairy farm, there were several ideas but one important commonality – automation. “Robots can allow us to farm into our 70s and the kids don’t have to feel like they have to take it over. But if they want to come back, then this is here for them and the farm can continue,” said John Scherber, who milks 100 cows with his family in Hennepin County near Rogers, Minn. Last fall, the Scherbers took the rst step towards complete onfarm automation by incorporating an automated feeding system – the Lely Vector. The system is in addition to a 122-stall freestall barn that has the space needed for two milking robots to be installed in the future. Unlike other automated feeding Turn to SCHERBERS | Page 6
JENNIFER COYNE/DAIRY STAR
John Scherber and his family installed an automated feeding system November 2016 on their 100-cow dairy near Rogers, Minn. The system is the Scherbers’ rst step towards automa�ng their farm setup.
Kalthoffs return to dairy roots
Engineer, large animal veterinarian transition into family farm By Andrea Borgerding andrea.b@dairystar.com
MELROSE, Minn. – Five years ago, Adam Kalthoff had been working as a mechanical engineer for ve years already and his wife, Jenny, was just getting settled in her new career as a large animal veterinarian. As time went on, their lives have taken different paths and are leading them to Adam’s family dairy farm. “I was asking myself, if I didn’t want to be an engineer my whole life, what could I do on my own?” Adam said. “Sitting behind a desk was getting old, and I knew I had a
passion for agriculture.” Jenny, too, knew they would eventually end up in Stearns County where they both grew up on dairy farms. The couple lived in the Twin Cities for seven years while Jenny attended veterinary school. “I always knew we could come back here, but I didn’t know when or what we would be doing,” Jenny said. After spending ve years raising beef cattle on their 15acre hobby farm near Albany, Minn., the Kalthoffs moved to Adam’s parent’s 290-acre dairy farm where they are slowly taking ownership. Since Sept. 1, they have been milking their 41 cows and raising youngstock, Holstein steers and their own beef herd. ANDREA BORGERDING/DAIRY STAR It was not a difcult Adam and Jenny Kalthoff, with children, Olivia and Lukas began milking cows Sept. 1 on Adam’s transition for the Kalthoffs. family farm near Melrose, Minn. Farming is something the Kalthoffs wanted to do in their future. Adam worked as an engineer and Jenny con�nues working as a large animal veterinarian. Turn to KALTHOFFS | Page 5