Deutch
Dansk
Wilwerding Dairy in Freeport has grown from a family-run tie-stall barn in the 1960s to a modern operation milking just under 3,000 cows across four sites. Their main farm manages all dry cows, calving cows, and fresh cows, making it the heart of the transition program. As the dairy expanded, one challenge continued to surface: keeping colostrum handling clean, efficient, and consistent.
When Manual Cleaning Can’t Keep Up
Even with strong herd management, the farm saw increasing difficulty maintaining consistent colostrum delivery as cow numbers grew.
Their existing setup required staff to manually clean fresh cow buckets and milking units, which was labor-intensive and increased sanitation risks. Maintaining consistent temperatures and timely feeding became even more challenging as the operation expanded.
To strengthen their transition program, Wilwerding Dairy chose the ColoQuick system for its simplicity, sanitation benefits, and adaptable design.
A key improvement came from integrating ColoQuick directly into their fresh cow pipeline:
“Our milk is delivered right into the ColoQuick funnel, and the cartridges are filled. We feed fresh colostrum for the most part.”
Because the fresh cow pipeline is CIP-cleaned after each cow, it eliminates manual scrubbing and greatly improves hygiene. Extra colostrum is frozen and warmed as needed with the ColoQuick warmer, ensuring consistent temperatures even in cold northern climates.
“The warmer is a great addition… the colostrum can cool even while you’re moving cows. We warm it back up so it’s the perfect temperature when the calf is fed.”
Improvements After Implementing Coloquick
Wilwerding Dairy saw immediate improvements in efficiency and reliability after implementing ColoQuick:
- Cleaner colostrum collection and handling
- Consistent-quality feedings for both heifer calves and bull/beef-cross calves
- Less manual labor and fewer sanitation-related tasks
- Greater confidence in calf health for buyers receiving calves off the farm
The system’s simplicity has been a major advantage.
“If you don’t have a system, the ColoQuick system is very, very simple. The system is very easy… and we love it.”
From Small Farms to Large Dairies
For Wilwerding Dairy, the ColoQuick system delivered exactly what they needed: a sanitary, standardized way to deliver high-quality colostrum to every calf, every time. The farm values that it works equally well for large and small operations and supports their commitment to calf health and customer trust.
