Cinnamon Ridge dairy farm in Donahue, Iowa ranks second in the country for milk production. That status attracts tourists from around the country.
Cinnamon Ridge gets up to 6,000 visitors a year, but the farm is also unique for one reason in particular.
“We milk with robots, which means there is no human interaction with the milking process. Normally there is a person that puts the milker on and takes the milker off but that isn’t the case anymore,” said Cinnamon Ridge farm owner John Maxwell.
“Normally it’s two in the morning and in the evening, therefore by milking more times a day you get more milk out of the cows,” Maxwell said.
That’s not the only thing that makes Cinnamon Ridge stand out.
“We are also number two in the nation for milk production for a Jersey cow. Jersey’s are really important and they’re becoming more and more of a wanted breed because their milk production is high in fat; 5% fat is what our herd is,” said Maxwell.
For the Jersey cows at Cinnamon Ridge, it takes about 6lbs of milk to make one pound of their cheese. Their cows typically drink almost a bathtub full of water on a daily basis. Cinnamon Ridge believes if they can do one thing, it will put them at the top spot in milk production.
“We believe cow comfort is king, so anything we can do to make these ladies more comfortable, we’re going to do it,” Maxwell said.
Cinnamon Ridge is even different when it comes to their gift shop. The dairy farm operates on an honor system.
“The store has our products in it, our beef our pork, our eggs from our chickens. We sell all of those things in a little store by the road and you come, you select your product, you put the money in the slot and you’re on your way; no attendant is there at any time,” said Maxwell.
Cinnamon Ridge monitors its cows using fitbits. The exercise trackers are normally used for people. Managers put them around the cows’ necks to monitor their movement and keep track of how much they eat. It helps determine how often they need to be milked.
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