Cows return to Forest-Ridge

EDEN, Wis. — On Aug. 26, the Loehr family began milking again on their farm near Eden. Two years, two months and eight days after a fire destroyed all their barns except the calf barn, their herd was finally home.

With grateful hearts, the Loehrs welcomed their community to an open house Sept. 13. It was a way to say “thank you” to all those who helped the family during one of their toughest times.

“We had over 1,000 people here,” Kurt Loehr said. “It was incredible.”

Kurt and his wife, Sarah, and their daughters, Adella and Ainsley, milk 65 cows with two Lely A5 robots and farm about 300 acres at Forest-Ridge Holsteins. The Loehrs are working their way up to 120 cows to be at full capacity. Kurt’s dad helps on the farm daily, and Kurt’s mom, brother and sister also lend a hand when needed.

The Loehrs’ new robotic facility blends modern with traditional to fit the family’s needs.

“The cows love it,” Sarah said.

The tunnel-ventilated barn measures 133- by 300-feet and features overhead glass-panel doors instead of curtains. The doors are controlled by a thermostat and open and close automatically as fans turn on and off.

The barn is divided into two main milking groups, each group with 50 stalls. Four pens have access to the robots, which are arranged in a free-flow system. LED lights above each robot illuminate the area and prevent shadows. A large fan placed horizontally in front of each robot provides extra airflow.

From rumination and activity monitoring to milk weights and conductivity scores, the Loehrs said the robotic milking system offers useful data.

“It’s all technology we can utilize,” Kurt said. “We didn’t have that before.”

There are 13 post-fresh stalls next to one robot and space for 12 box stall cows next to the other robot. The barn also features a calving area and bedded packs for donor cows and special needs cows. In addition, the barn has 33 free stalls for dry cows and bred heifers and a dedicated space for show animals. Show cattle and dry cows also have access to pasture.

“This layout gives us a lot of flexibility and options to do different things,” Kurt said. “It’s probably not the way 99% of people would build it, but for us, it’s the way we want to take care of our cattle.”

The barn is equipped with a combination of headlocks and a FreeFEED system. Other amenities include an indoor heated wash rack and a calf warming room. The barn also includes two robotic manure collectors and a robotic feed pusher.

The barn’s design provides expansion opportunities, with the ability to add another robot to each room, which would allow the Loehrs to double herd size.

“We worked with a lot of good people on this project,” Kurt said. “A lot of good friendships were struck up over the last six months.”

Following the fire, the Loehrs housed their cattle at 8-10 farms. Many were housed at farms utilizing robots, and Kurt said the environment of those facilities was the biggest reason he and Sarah chose to go with robots.

“When we walked into a robot barn, it was always so quiet and peaceful,” he said. “It was an addicting atmosphere.”

Sarah said flexibility was another reason for choosing robots over a milking parlor.

“Our kids are getting older, and we thought robots could give us a little flexibility with their sports schedules,” she said.

Over the past two years, the Loehrs made memories amongst the heartache as they continued showing and developing their genetics. They had the junior champion at the state Holstein show the last two years and supreme champion at the Wisconsin State Fair.

One heifer in particular shown by Ainsley — Bella-Ridge WR Madrigal — was an encouragement to the Loehrs.

“That animal had a lot of bright spots for our family over the last couple of years that kept us all going,” Kurt said. “For us, showing is what got our kids through the last two years. That was their peace of mind, their comfort zone.”

Kurt said his family put a lot of time into the rebuild, especially his brother, Luke, who built the domestic area that includes a conference room, offices, bathroom and shower. The space is comprised of separate offices for Sarah and Kurt, as well as a vet room to store drugs and the main robot computer. Kurt said the conference room, which includes a kitchen, has turned into a gathering spot for all.

“We wanted a place where people could come to the farm and get together,” he said. “This is our way of giving back to everyone who helped us. You try to treat people the right way all through life, and they came in when we needed it the most. There was so much help from so many resources and so many people to thank. That’s why we wanted to get back into it. Why wouldn’t you want to be part of that community?”

Providing an area for dairy bowl kids to practice or a place to meet with our boarding clients or Kurt’s dad to host his weekly card parties was important to the Loehrs.

Burned around the edges, their old Forest-Ridge Holsteins farm sign was salvaged from the fire and hangs in Kurt’s office — a nostalgic reminder of the farm the Loehrs once knew.

“As much as that day sucked, it’s given us a lot of opportunities to do some pretty neat things,” Kurt said. “Don’t get me wrong, I would still take our old facilities back if we could, but life is all about change, and this is a change we had to do. There are benefits. This barn is new and modern and gives us more efficient ways to take care of animals.”

Surrounded by family, friends and neighbors, Sept. 13 marked the end of the long road traveled by the Loehr family since June 18, 2023.

“This event outweighed all the bad,” Kurt said. “It made you forget. It also gave a new perspective on what it’s like to be a dairy farmer these days to people not familiar with dairy. It was a positive day not only for us, but for the whole community and industry. The fire really solidified who we are and what our passion is, and hopefully that shows.”