More Light, More Comfort, More Milk

Ten years ago, Jake and Jen Reimer decided that a lifestyle change was in order. For nearly 15 years, Jake owned and operated a tandem truck which required a work schedule of early morning hours and late evenings. Jen was also busy as a full-time mom. “Both Jen and I grew up on a dairy farm, so we always had a love for dairy farming but it took us fifteen years to realize that,” says Jake. When the Reimer’s made the decision to start Roshae Dairy, they saw a Cover-All® building and knew it was what they wanted for their dairy business.

The transition from driving truck to dairy farming happened over a three-year period. A few cows and milk quota was purchased from Jake’s father but it didn’t take long for the dairy operation to grow. A hired hand, Terry, also invested in the operation and their dairy farm had quickly doubled in size.

Currently the Reimer’s are milking between 45 and 50 cows. The Reimer’s purchased two Cover-All® buildings; a 30 foot wide by 54 foot long SAS building model for their calf barn and a 72 foot wide by 144 foot long Legend® building for their loafing barn. “The amount of calves we had drove the need for the Cover-All® calf barn. The second Cover-All® went over our existing feed bunk area to provide the cows protection from the elements and a more productive milking environment,” says Jake.

The natural light inside a Cover-All® building was one of the main reasons why the Reimer’s chose Cover-All® for their dairy operation. “The natural light and comfortable interior environment are ideal for our dairy operations,” says Jake. The Reimer’s are also impressed with the level of cow comfort and increased milk production as a result of their new barns. “The stress on the cows has decreased and milk production is more consistent with the reduced temperature fluctuations.”

Since their change in lifestyle, the Reimer’s enjoy spending more quality time together. “Jake can’t imagine doing anything else and we have much more time with our two kids,” says Jen. And with their two Cover-All® barns, they’ve noticed that the cows are now happier too! “With this building, we’ve achieved our goal of producing more milk and the cows are happier. We also have less feed spoilage, and our breeding program has definitely improved. We already have our sights set on a future expansion,” says Jake.