Background

Rosendale Dairy: Better for jobs, better for the environment
and better for the future of America’s Dairyland

Rosendale Dairy represents a $70 million investment in the state at a time when the economy is struggling and other industries are retrenching.

Set on 2,000 acres in the town of Rosendale in Fond du Lac County, Rosendale Dairy is being developed as one of Wisconsin’s most environmentally sound, modern and efficient farms. In the process, it will create 70 permanent local jobs, support hundreds of construction jobs and purchase $40 million per year from local contractors and vendors.
 
The investment by partners Jim Ostrom, John Vosters and Todd Willer also is significant because of its beneficial ripple effects on the state’s rural economy. Wisconsin agriculture is at a crossroads and large farms such as the proposed Rosendale Dairy will play an increasingly important role in sustaining the state’s agricultural infrastructure, including dairy processing plants, agricultural supply cooperatives, veterinary services, grain and livestock marketers, implement dealers and more. Such businesses are a critical source of jobs and the foundation of Wisconsin’s rural communities. Approximately half of the 70 jobs at the farm will be highly skilled positions, providing opportunities for dairy science graduates and experienced herd managers, while half will be considered lower-skilled positions.
 
The site in Fond du Lac County was chosen because of its central location and the fact that it is home to an exceptional base of crop farmers. These farmers will benefit from purchases of up to $4.8 million worth of feed products each year. In addition, the crop farmers will benefit from a Rosendale Dairy manure processing facility designed to convert the dairy’s waste products into solid and liquid soil nutrients that will reduce fossil fuel-based fertilizer use in the area by 90 percent.

Ostrom’s two existing large farms, Tidy View Dairy near Kaukauna and Omro Dairy near Omro, have performed well and the partners view the Rosendale project as a win-win for the economy and the environment. Large farms must comply with an extensive series of regulations including plans for manure management, stormwater runoff and more, and Rosendale Dairy, like Tidy View and Omro, will meet or exceed all state and local environmental standards. The project team has spent more than two years on environmental research and engineering design the farm's location and technological features will help minimize its carbon footprint. Rosendale Dairy will be one of the lowest carbon footprint dairies in the nation.

Rosendale Dairy also will be a model in terms of its commitment to animal health. The modern free-stall barn architecture features a high-efficiency ventilation system and natural sand bedding that not only minimizes odors but allows the cows to move around freely. Extensive information technology infrastructure not only tracks the health of individual cows but ensures that the custom feed mixture developed at the farm maximizes nutrition for the herd.