Overview

Strutz Farms, an award-winning member of the Land O' Lakes team, has been using innovations to make more time for family since the beginning. Located on Lake Michigan, the farm relies on innovation daily to improve the quality and quantity of milk produced for local cheese.

Electrical

New time saving devices are nothing new to the Strutz family. The farm uses automation to simplify the operation of the farm, including milking, pumps, and other time-saving devices. Safety is paramount when using electricity for these items, so proper disconnects and code-approved apparatus is a must. Backup power is an important thing on the farm, as the utility can't be ready for every contingency. The farm relies on a 250 KW generator, rigged to an Automatic Transfer Switch just in case of an outage. Second use pumps take care of a large degree of water handling, ensuring water is reused as much as it can be before being released back to the environment for purification.

Networking

Strutz farms communicates with all of its employees at an enterprise level, which is neccesary to operate together as a whole rather than seperate parts. Facilitating this, the network consists of a server posessing several central data stores, as well as an inter-farm email system, connected from side to side with both wireless and wired networking. Further enhancing this communication apparatus are cell phone repeaters to improve cell phone reception in troublesome areas of the campus. High-speed Internet connectivity is also available campus-wide, drawing from a local wireless ISP.

Automation

Sand seperation and reclamation is an important facet at SFI, with an automated sand seperation system taking care of the bulk of the work. An automatic dialer is in place to alert operators of problems proactively, with the idea to solve an issue before it becomes catastrophic. Operator-adjustable processes are the rule rather than the exception, making the system operate to the tightest constraints possible. Panel meters, sensors, and other apparatus ensure that various parts of the equipment operate smoothly, reporting to the central automation system.

Surveillance

SFI closely monitors its campus for procedure in high-value areas, as well as for security's sake across the campus. Cameras in sensetive operating areas give the Strutz family an enhanced picture of procedure, allowing them to consistently suggest and improve various dairy processes. Other cameras give the family a good idea of who's coming and going at the farm, ensuring a tight operation and peace of mind when it comes to figuring out the chain of events after an incident.

Presentation

The conference room at Strutz Farms is state of the art, including a large screen display, wireless presentation controls, and other advances. This provides a splendid setup for meetings, as well as a great place to provide training via various methods including video and other presentation methods.