Dairy History PDF Print E-mail

Old KBS BarnsW. K Kellogg donated land for a demonstration farm to Michigan State College, which is now Michigan State University, in the late 1920’s.  The farm consisted of about 30 Guernsey cows. 

With financial support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation MSU constructed a new dairy in the 1984, which was dedicated in 1985, to support research, outreach, and education goals of MSU.  When constructed the facility represented the ‘state-of-the-art’ in dairy production and reflected the industry trend by going to Holstein cattle.

That facility included a free-stall barn with a double-6 herringbone-milking parlor and milked about 100 cows 3 times per day.   Milk production was about 25,000 lbs per cow year (9 gallons per day) just prior to transitioning to the pasture-based system.

That facility was in operation until 2009 when the farm transitioned to the current pasture-based dairy.Historic Guernsey photo

 

 

 

 

 

Confinement Dairy Facility

(In operation from 1984 to 2009; 2008 information shown)


Total Number of Holstein Cows and Replacement Heifer

201
Number of Cows being milked (milking 3 times/day)

99
Product:

Rolling Herd Average (lbs)

Butterfat (lbs)

Protein (lbs)

26,341

952

809
Housing: Cows -- Michigan Freestall
Calves -- Hutches and Transitional Hutches
Milking Parlor: Double-Six Herringbone
Parlor Cleaning: Flush System
Manure Handling: Liquid/Solid Separation
(Solids: applied directly to fields or composted and used for bedding)
(Liquids: irrigated into fields)
Land Base (acres):
Main Farm site
Turner Property (lease)
Lux Arbor

638
148
308