Two years ago, the Klipp family of Four Streams Dairy, located in Hanover, Kan., were just like most typical dairy farm families. They juggled raising four kids, planting and harvesting crops, as well as running a 65-cow dairy. Between all the different activities, their time was a limited resource, and calf chores were rotated among family members.
As the children grew, fewer family members were around to help care for the calves. Tim Klipp knew something had to change.
While attending World Dairy Expo one year, the Klipp family came across an automated calf feeder display. The family left with a new idea for their farm.
Going All In
“When we were raising the calves individually, we didn’t have the consistency we were looking for,” Tim says. “We did some research and talked with others who had automated calf feeders.”
In August of 2019, the Klipp family began pouring concrete on their new facility. However, the construction didn’t come without its fair share of hiccups.
“We didn’t have the best communication with our contractor and not too many people knew how to build for an automated calf feeder, so we had to figure a lot of things out on our own,” Tim says. “But we knew if we were going to do this, we had to do it right.”
The Klipps did their research and knew what they needed to incorporate to make their system successful.
“We made sure that the ventilation was right and that it would be easy to keep clean,” Tim says. “It needed to be easy for just one or two people to take care of.”
A New Journey
In January of 2020, the Klipps moved their first group of calves into the new automated facility. After working out a few kinks and learning how to manage the calves in a group setting, the family finally had some time to take a
step back and appreciate their brand new facility.
“We had a few health issues in the beginning, but we figured those out and felt like we had more control and consistency in our calves,” Taylor says. “Even though we aren’t feeding them, we’re able to notice if a calf is off quicker.”
Though the journey to build an automated calf feeding system wasn’t easy, it’s paying off in dividends for the Klipps. “There’s still a lot of work involved, but we feel like we’re doing a better job at managing our calves,” Tim says. “There’s not necessarily less labor, but we’re able to do it at a time that works better for us.”
During a busy season of life, the Klipps were able to find a solution to a problem that not only affected their operation, but their family time as well. By investing in an automated calf feeding system, Four Streams Dairy is now spending less time feeding their calves and more time managing them.
