Cows are milked on a large carousel at Rosendale Dairy in Pickett, Wisconsin. At Rosendale Dairy, each of the 9,000 cows has a microchip implanted in an ear that workers can scan with smartphones for up-to-the-minute information on how the animal is doing – everything from their nutrition to their health history to their productivity. — Photos: AP
PICKETT, Wisconsin: At Rosendale Dairy, each of the 9,000 cows has a microchip implanted in an ear that workers can scan with smartphones for up-to-the-minute information on how the animal is doing – everything from their nutrition to their health history to their productivity. Feed is calibrated to deliver a precise diet and machines handle the milking. In the fields, drones gather data that helps bump up yields for the row crops grown to feed the animals.
Technology has played an important role in agriculture for years but it's become a life and death matter at dairy farms these days, as low milk prices have ratcheted up pressure on farmers to seek every possible efficiency to avoid joining the thousands of operations that have failed.
Cows are milked on a large carousel at Rosendale Dairy in Pickett, Wisconsin. At Rosendale Dairy, each of the 9,000 cows has a microchip implanted in an ear that workers can scan with smartphones for up-to-the-minute information on how the animal is doing – everything from their nutrition to their health history to their productivity. — Photos: AP
Cows are milked on a large carousel at the Rosendale Dairy in Pickett, Wisconsin. A rotary milking parlour can handle 10 cows a minute and can sense when an udder is empty so cows aren't overmilked, which can harm their health. — AP
Director of agronomy Matt Wichman answering a question at Rosendale Dairy in Pickett, Wisconsin. — AP
A worker hauling feed at Rosendale Dairy in Pickett, Wisconsin. At Rosendale Dairy feed is calibrated to deliver a precise diet and machines handle the milking. In the fields, drones gather data that helps bump up yields for the row crops grown to feed the animals. — AP
Director of public affairs Avi Stern answering a question at Rosendale Dairy. — AP
An informational sign is seen at Rosendale Dairy. — AP
A photo taken with a long exposure shows cows being milked on a large carousel at Rosendale Dairy. — AP
Photo herd specialist Chema Ortiz looking at stats of a cow on his phone app at Rosendale Dairy. Technology has played an important role in agriculture for years but it's become a life and death matter at dairy farms these days, as low milk prices have ratcheted up pressure on farmers to seek every possible efficiency to avoid joining the thousands of operations that have failed. — AP
Tankers are parked outside Rosendale Dairy in Pickett, Wisconsin. The US dairy industry is caught in a vise between consumer trends and competition. — AP
Cows stand in a barn at Rosendale Dairy in Pickett, Wisconsin. Hallett said he wishes he could afford to update his cow stalls, but that getting credit from banks is difficult because they consider bigger operations less risky. — AP
Cows standing in a barn at Rosendale Dairy. With dairy prices outside farmers' control, they have to focus on controlling costs. That's where technology comes in. — AP
