The cost of being Wisconsin's largest dairy farm

Controversy aside, Rosendale Dairy is a sight to behold. With over 4,000 cows already under one roof, construction has begun on Phase II of the farm plan which would add another 4,000 cows and make Rosendale the single largest dairy operation in Wisconsin. An Elanco program held at the farm allowed us to get an inside look at the new dairy which has been under scrutiny of environmental activists over the last year.

After facing much opposition and being held to the government’s highest design standards, the trio of owners Jim Ostrom, John Vosters, and Todd Willer went above and beyond the law to build a sustainable, low-carbon footprint, large-scale farm. And large it is. The cross-ventilated barn, part of Phase I, is seemingly endless with row after row of cattle.

Maybe the most interesting part of the $70 million farm investment is the cutting-edge technology. An 80-cow DeLaval rotary milking parlor gives each cow a nonstop, seven-minute ride around the huge parlor room three times a day. Ostrom says by the end of the summer they will be using a robotic teat dipper for postdipping to minimize waste and reduce labor.

Other farm features include a drive-in commodity shed where two mixers are being filled at any given time and an on-site manure-processing facility where dried manure solids are produced and sold to local farmers.

Rosendale is expected to provide nearly 70 permanent local jobs and contribute over $40 million in purchases per year from local contractors and vendors. Omro Dairy, Omro, Wis., and Tidy View Dairy, Kaukauna, Wis., are also owned by the partnership.