"The time it takes to milk has dramatically decreased from 11 hours to 4, allowing us to go to 3x, while reducing our labor costs."

Located in McBain, Michigan, Yonkman Dairy Farm LLC got its start milking 13 cows in 1944. The dairy internally grew to their current size of 750 Holstein cows by honing in on superior genetics, excellent cow comfort, and good land care.

In 2016, the Yonkman family began milking in their DeLaval 40-stall parallel rotary PR3100HD, and the benefits from the upgrade are highlighted daily. "In addition to the increased efficiency, we have seen more milk per cow and our somatic cell count has decreased due to consistencies provided by the new milking parlor," says Sam Yonkman, co-owner.

Yonkman Dairy chose DeLaval because of its heavy duty material and high quality product. "Cow comfort is at its highest level," says Yonkman. "The equipment will last many years, and the service has been very good over the years. DeLaval has taken the next step in technology and innovation to fit the world of today's dairyman."

In addition, the Yonkmans also use the DeLaval DelPro™ herd management system and emphasize the great knowledge gained from the system that helps the dairy make important decisions every single day.

Yonkman Dairy is a third generation farm owned and operated by Sam and Denise Yonkman and their two sons, daughter and son-in-law. They have 12 full-time employees caring for cattle and land.