ADDING AUTOMATION IOWA
DAIRY TRANSITIONS TO ROBOTICS WITH THE
HELP OF AN AWARD FROM LELY.
G
rowing with innovation and technology is how Takes
Dairy near Ely, Iowa, plans to continue into the future.
First-generation dairy farmers Dan and Debbie
Takes bought their eastern Iowa farm 30 years ago.
They began milking cows 22 years ago and have gradu-
ally evolved with the industry.
“My mom grew up on a hog farm, but my dad grew up in the
city. When they started dating, he fell in love with the farming
way of life,” says Josie Takes Rozum. “They started with beef
cows, but they wanted to provide more for our family, which in-
cluded six kids. They decided a dairy would be the best option.”
The couple started with 30 cows and, through the years, have
built their Holstein herd to 150 cows.
Dan has always been a forward thinker, and 15 years ago he
saw the importance of being farm-to-table on their farm – us-
ing the crops they grow to feed the cows and using the manure
from the cows to go back on the crops. This allowed them to
care for the environment and the finances. Going a step further
meant producing their own dairy products. In 2013, they pur-
Photography: Jennifer Carrico
chased an old lumberyard
building in Ely and began
renovations to create their
own creamery.
“Dan and Debbie’s
Creamery has been open for
three years and makes cheese
and ice cream, and bottles
milk for customers in the
area,” Takes Rozum says.
“It’s been great to see my par-
ents’ dream come true and
it’s been a good decision since
milk prices haven’t been as
good the past few years.”
Innovation sought
A
s the six children grew up,
four wanted to return to
the farm. Over time, the tran-
sition in responsibilities began
along with looking for new
innovation and technology.
“At the beginning of last
year, my brother, Dustin,
started researching how we
could include more technol-
ogy to give our parents more
time to enjoy the grandchil-
dren and not be working so
hard on the farm,” she says.
“He saw the robotic dairy
system and thought it would
be a good option.”
Because the family prides
itself on how it cares for
animals, cow comfort and
animal husbandry are very
important. The robotic
system focuses a lot on cow
comfort.
Research led Dustin to
Lely’s The Way to Dairy
contest. The company was
looking for progressive dairy
operations that wanted to
maximize each cow’s poten-
tial while changing the dairy
tasks to be more sustainable,
profitable, and enjoyable.
“We thought how perfect
the robots would be to give
us all flexibility yet provide
a great way of milking our
August 2019 | Successful Farming at Agriculture.com bonus
cows,” Takes Rozum says.
Filling out the entry form,
Dustin explained the family’s
high standards for sustain-
ability and innovation, while
paying close attention to
animal care. In December
2018, the family found out
it was selected as the winner
of a new Lely Astronaut A5
milking system or a Vector
feeding system.
Although the Takes
family knew it eventually
wanted to incorporate robots,
it didn’t know how quickly
the technology could be
added. Depending on op-
tions, prices generally range
from $150,000 to $200,000
per robot. This doesn’t in-
clude installation, start-up
support, etc.
Once the family members
received the award, they
knew it was time to get to
work. Plans were discussed
and blueprints were drawn.
The swing 16 parlor will
be replaced by two Lely
Astronaut A5 robots.
Since milk production is
expected to remain close to
current numbers once the
cows become accustomed to
the system, the family plans
to reduce the herd to 120. “A
high percentage of cows will
catch on in three days, espe-
cially those that are earlier in
lactation,” says Lely’s Steve
Fried. “Within three weeks,
more than 80% will volun-
tarily use the robot; within
three months, more than
95% will go on their own.”
The dairy will also in-
tegrate the Vector feeding
system. “The heifer and cow
barns will have a connection,
so the Vector feeding system
can feed both groups,” Takes
Rozum says.
Because the Takeses
a r
INSIDER
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By Jennifer Carrico
