Success Stories
TRANSITION GRANT IN ACTION:
RIVER PLAIN DAIRY MODERNIZES MILKING
In 2019, the Cone Family of River Plain Dairy in Lebanon applied for a Farm Transition Grant, seeking financial support to transition the dairy operation from a two times daily manual milking farm to an automated on-demand Voluntary Milking System. Already having purchased the milking robot, the grant project included constructing a facility to house the milking system as well as support its technological components.
The build-out would result in a robotic and camera utility room, animal treatment room, new grain bin, larger capacity milk tank, centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, LED lighting, an energy-efficient ventilation system, and 1000BaseT internet and Wi-Fi for seamless remote sensing and connectivity between robots, Dairy Activity System, and dairy cow RFID tracking collars.
Construction of the milking facility began in August 2019 and finished in February 2020. Jeffrey S. Cone of River Plain Dairy notes, “I believe the most difficult transition was for [me] to allow the robot to do the milking and not try to interfere. Managing the robot is a lot different than milking the cow by hand. Many changes were made in adjusting and fine-tuning the robot to get the most efficiencies from it.”
Overall, the installation of the facility has allowed River Plain Dairy to increase herd size by 25%, expanding from 45 to 60 cows. The robot milks one cow at a time and is available to the herd 24 hours per day. An app on his cell phone allows Jeffrey to view all sorts of statistics about the day’s milking, and each animal’s production history is carefully measured and recorded automatically.
Jeffrey notes that his time is now spent in a management role, allowing him to focus on the future of the farm and spend more time with family. “I believe the investment of the robot is a smart and successful one. I also believe the robot will provide freedom from the hard work that goes with milking cows, and usher in a breath of fresh air to the sustainability of River Plain Dairy. Without the Transition Grant, the forward progress of River Plain Dairy would still be in question and possibly nonexistent. This advancement of technology goes hand in hand with the knowledge base of the up-and-coming generation; providing a step into the future that they can thrive with.”
River Plain Dairy is a member of Agri-Mark, Inc., Agrimark, a collective cooperative of dairy farm families in the Northeast, whose milk is used in the production of Cabot and McAdam dairy products.
The informational guidance and application for the 2023 Farm Transition Grant are now available! Applications will be accepted through January 11, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.
Two workshop options will be available to assist interested applicants in learning about the grant categories, submission process, and tips for writing their application. An in-person workshop will occur at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at the Hartford County UConn Extension Office in Farmington. Registration is required to attend this workshop. Click here to register for the in-person workshop.
A virtual workshop will occur at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 17, 2022, via Webex. The session will be recorded and posted to the agency website if you are unable to attend the live event. Click here to register for the webinar.
Questions regarding the Farm Transition Grant can be directed to Alison Grabarz at Alison.Grabarz@ct.gov. More information on application requirements, submission process, and accompanying forms can be found online at www.CTGrown.gov/grants.