Mosida Farms named 2024 Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year

In January, the Bateman family in Mosida, Utah was recognized by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) as Innovative Dairy Farmer of the Year. As the largest dairy farm in the state, the Bateman family manages a 12,000-cow dairy farm spread across four sites, 2,000 beef cows, and 3,500 acres of cropland. They also tend to numerous sustainability ventures and practices.

"Sustainability is important because it is looking with hope to the future,” Brad Bateman told Farm Journal’s AgWeb. He and his three brothers, Steve, Jason, and Lance continue to push the farm forward by looking for new opportunities.

In 2022, Mosida Farms installed a new, climate-controlled robotic dairy barn milking 820 cows with 12 DeLaval VMS™ V300 units. They originally adopted automation because of a shortage in labor, however, this operation has several high-producing cows consistently giving more than 200 lbs. of milk a day.

“At some point, we plan to implement phase two and add another 16 robots and 1,200 cows to the facility,” Brad shared in the article.

In addition to the DeLaval robots, Mosida Farms has twin-pit double-40 DeLaval milking parlors. NorthStar Dairy Service supports the farm with routine weekly performance visits on top of the service and scheduled maintenance they provide.

Mosida Farms has implemented numerous sustainable practices, including:

• Solar panels. The Bateman’s 600-kW solar array produces clean energy for their dairy and the surrounding area.

• Controlled environment agriculture feed center. The Olympus Tower Test farm produced 5,000 to 6,000 lbs. of feed in less than 900 sq. ft—the equivalent of 35 to 50 acres. The Bateman’s partner in this venture backed out of the project, which forced the family to shut down the test facility, but they still believe in the potential of the technology.  

• Vertical integration. The family acquired a meat processing facility in 2021, allowing them to distribute fresh meat locally at their two Mosida Market locations.

• Utah’s Agricultural Voluntary Incentive Program. In 2022, the Bateman’s enrolled in a state program to help them follow all State and Federal water quality regulations for the 3,500 acres of land they farm.

• Effective waste management. The Bateman’s are upgrading and expanding their waste storage facilities to include a centrifuge and earthen structures to prohibit groundwater contamination. 

• Leadership. The family continues to look for new ways to improve their operations and educates the community about the industry and their work. 

To learn more about Mosida Farms, read the full article and the press release.