From milking 200 cows in 1989 and undergoing expansion three times to now milking a herd of 1,500 cows, Jim, Mark and Chuck Fahey focus on quality at Prairieland Dairy. This fourth-generation dairy farm milks three times a day in a double-24 parallel parlor and maintains a rolling herd average of 31,000 pounds of milk with 4.2% fat and 3.1% protein.
Prairieland Dairy has achieved the Quality Award for DFA Fat and Protein for eight years running and has also received the Top 5 National Corn Growers Award. Prairieland Dairy’s reproductive management system includes utilizing Double Ovsynch on the first service and taking advantage of their CowManager program to identify and breed repeats after that service.
The Fahey’s also use CowManager for health, nutrition and location information to help manage their herd more effectively and efficiently. Prairieland Dairy’s heifers are custom raised close by so the family is able to stay involved and ensure the success of their future herd. The Fahey family farms 3,300 acres of corn, alfalfa, soybeans and wheat.
They work hard to focus on their environmental efforts such as minimum tillage, automatic row shutoffs, conservation plans through the county, and a nutrient management plan for manure.
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