Dairy Herd Management Technical Assistance

Our team of technical service providers will deliver technical assistance to dairy farmers throughout the state, targeting specific areas of dairy management with the goal of making improvements to their operations and improving economic viability.

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Rockbottom Farm and Optifeeders

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Rockbottom Farm, located in Strafford, Vermont, is a certified organic dairy managing a herd of 80 Guernsey and Jersey cows. Since 2001, the farm has processed 100% of its milk into bottled milk and premium ice cream under the Strafford Organic Creamery brand. As the last remaining dairy farm in Strafford, Rockbottom Farm stewards more than 600 acres of pasture and crop land.

Through UVM Extension’s Dairy Herd Management Demonstration Fund, the farm received a grant to purchase two DeLaval Optifeeders. The Dairy Herd Management Technical Assistance team spoke with Earl and Jackson Ransom, owners of Rockbottom Farm, about their experience with the new equipment.

Q: What management issue did this demonstration project address on your farm?

A: When we installed our new milking parlor in 2022, we began feeding cows in a small pen as they exited the parlor to ensure they received grain appropriate for their production and nutritional needs. But the system was labor-intensive and slowed cow flow back to pasture. In our old flat-barn parlor, we could feed each cow individually during milking, which allowed for a quick exit from the parlor back out to pasture. The new stand-alone grain feeders in our freestall barn have allowed us to save labor, increase production, give cows free-choice access to grain while they are in the barn.

Because our parlor and the Optifeeders are both DeLaval systems, the software integrates seamlessly. We even receive alerts if a cow has not consumed her 24-hour grain allotment. The first two feeders have worked so well that we have since purchased four more, which will be installed this winter. Once all six feeders are operational, cows will be able to eat their grain and return to grazing more efficiently during the pasture season.

Q: How did you track progress or monitor results?

A: Integration between the parlor and feeder software has made tracking easy. After some initial calibration, the system now allows us to clearly see whether cows have consumed their full grain allotment.

We also use Cow Manager, an activity and rumination monitoring system that tracks health and behavior. This gives us the ability to evaluate how cows respond to feed changes, whether that is a change in grain or a new forage.

Q: What were the findings from this project?

A: The biggest finding so far is improved efficiency. We are using less grain than before installing the feeders and cows have increased production by a few pounds. The labor savings have also been significant—we estimate saving 2 hours per day compared to our previous system.

Q: What benefits or challenges did you experience?

A: While the feeders have been highly beneficial, we quickly realized that two feeders alone weren’t enough to achieve the level of cow-flow we hoped for, particularly during pasture season. This led us to purchase the additional four units, which we were able to source from a farm no longer using them.

We also identified a few design improvements from the first two installations that we plan to incorporate into the next four. With only a few months of use so far, the results have been very encouraging. We look forward to evaluating the full impact next spring, particularly how quickly cows can move from the parlor back to the pasture once all six feeders are in place.