Running a UK-sized dairy herd in the vast and intensive landscape of American agriculture might seem like swimming against the tide—but one U.S. operation is proving that smaller doesn’t mean less progressive.
Dornacker Prairies is a 360-cow dairy in Wisconsin run by fifth-generation farmer Allen Dornacker and his wife, Nancy, in partnership with Allen’s parents, Ralph and Arlene.
Like a growing number of UK farms, they have embraced technology. In 2018, the Dornackers transitioned to robotic milking, installing three Lely A5 robots inside a purpose-built cubicle shed. The size is actually typical for the USA, where the average dairy milks 350 cows. Although it is still somewhat bigger than the UK where average herd numbers have edged to 219.
The State of Wisconsin ranks second only to California for milk production, with more than one million cows milked across 6,500 farms. Unlike Californian dairies, which rely heavily on importing feed thousands of miles from the Midwest Corn Belt, Wisconsin’s climate allows producers to grow the majority of their own.
The Dornackers farm over 1,000 acres—owning 380 and renting the rest—allowing them to be 90% self-sufficient in feed. They grow 220 acres of soybeans, 280 acres of alfalfa, 360 acres of maize, and 150 acres of winter wheat.
In 2022, they expanded, installing three more robots to replace their traditional double-six herringbone parlour. The facility has capacity for up to nine robots, future-proofing the business for the couple’s four children: Kate (17), Jack (15), Adam (14), and Anna (12).
As part of the expansion, slurry storage was increased to hold one year’s worth of waste. Composting muck and incorporating it into green cover crops has reduced nitrogen requirements by 80% and decreased reliance on fungicides.
The business employs four full-time and four part-time staff across its dairy, arable and beef enterprises, with dairy cross beef calves also reared.
