At the recent 2025 National Mastitis Council Annual Meeting in Charlotte, N.C., three progressive dairy producers showcased their innovative approaches to enhancing milk quality. Patrick Christian of Christian Hill Dairy LLC in Wisconsin, Peter Gelber of Highbrighton Dairy in Georgia, and Adam Beard of Heglar Creek Dairy in Idaho shared insights into their operations.
Christian Hill Dairy: A Team Approach to Success
Patrick Christian spoke about the operational efficiency at Christian Hill Dairy LLC, where his team of five employees milk in their double-50 parlor.
“The teamwork allows us to maximize our productivity,” Christian says, emphasizing the role of each team member in transitioning between sides of the parlor efficiently.
Multiple expansions, growing from a double-24 to a double-50 as their herd increased, has allowed the farm to produce high-quality milk from their 2,600 cows. They plan to expand their herd to 4,000 head and are commencing the construction of a renewable natural gas (RNG) facility.
“It takes a very dedicated team on the bottom to help with success on the top,” Christian says.
This commitment to teamwork is essential to their operations and future growth. Wisconsin Farmer Combines His Two Loves Together—Education and Dairy
Highbrighton Dairy: Efficient Cow Flow and Focused Labor Utilization
Peter Gelber shares his experience managing Highbrighton Dairy, which houses 13,400 Holsteins milked in multiple parlors, including a 120-stall rotary parlor.
“Our rotary parlor efficiently milks 6,300 cows, yielding 900 cows an hour with an average of 94 lb. per cow,” Gelber explains.
Highbrighton Dairy also has an impressive somatic cell count averaging 75,000.
A strategic approach to managing livestock includes relocating problem cows. Gelber emphasizes the importance of labor, especially when fresh heifers are integrated.
“Labor is crucial, but it’s important not to waste resources on unnecessary personnel,” he says. His message to dairy producers was to ensure top-performing cows remain productive.
Gelber recommends not to getting fixated on one number, like the number of cows you are milking or what your profit per hundredweight is. He challenges everyone, and asks: “Are you firing your top cows because you let them out the door and they got 2 lb. of milk left in them.”
He also says having an extra person without guidance is a waste of money. The Path Forward
Heglar Creek Dairy: Embracing Robotics for Increased Efficiency
Adam Beard describes how Heglar Creek Dairy in Idaho has advanced by adopting robotic milking technology. Since building a second facility with 18 robots, the dairy milks around 1,050 head, up from 1,600 to 1,800 through automation advancements.
“The whole idea of robots is they milk [the cows] themselves,” he remarks, reflecting on the automation’s positive impact on cow management.
While robots present a self-sufficient model, Beard notes the importance of manual operations such as stall cleaning and bedside scraping, scheduling such activities thoughtfully to minimize cow disturbance.
“Our routine is every morning at 6 a.m. on Thursday is to get the cows up and push them to the one side,” he says, “to put compost down, push them through the foot bath and then do the same with the other side. So that’s about two hours in the morning that we have to get the cows up. It’s correlated with the same kind of feed truck that comes through. So, our thought is, well, they’re going to get up to eat then anyways.”
He says Mondays are vet day, and they have to disturb cows for that, but otherwise they try to be mindful about when they do their cow handling.
By introducing systems that streamline processes, such as automated teat dipping, Beard’s operation minimized manual intervention and bolstered cow flow, contributing to maintaining their somatic cell count under 100,000.
These producers illustrate that with dedicated teams, efficient operations and innovative technology, the dairy industry can achieve remarkable quality and productivity.
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