Dairy farms are getting bigger and bigger. In the ‘90s, a fifth of the U.S. dairy herd was on farms with more than a thousand cows. Now it’s two out of every three cows.
But one family in Wausau is proving small dairy farms are still viable, and spreading the word on social media.
![Wausau dairy farm embraces technology and TikTok 1 Ninnemann Enterprises, Inc.](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=150%2C84 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=200%2C113 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=225%2C127 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=300%2C169 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=400%2C225 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=540%2C304 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=640%2C360 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=750%2C422 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=990%2C557 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C582 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C675 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C750 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C830 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/c9/ec927c84-397d-11ef-9a54-8795e75422a6/6685b9d0dbbe4.image.jpg?resize=1920%2C1080 2008w)
Dairy Farmer Aaron Ninnemann’s TikTok following is growing, including a video with more than four million views. It all started when he was looking to modernize the farm a few years ago, but couldn’t find anything for small dairies like his.
“The reason I started putting it all on TikTok was to give other small farmers, 60, 120, 180 cow guys, an option where you can do something like this without spending millions of dollars,” said Ninnemann.
![Wausau dairy farm embraces technology and TikTok 2 TikTok](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=150%2C84 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=200%2C113 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=225%2C127 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=300%2C169 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=400%2C225 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=540%2C304 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=640%2C360 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=750%2C422 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=990%2C557 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C582 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C675 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C750 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C830 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wjfw.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/7f/07f8c33e-397e-11ef-9920-035e73f66f00/6685b9e464878.image.jpg?resize=1920%2C1080 2008w)
Ninnemann Enterprises, Inc in Wausau retrofitted a barn with using Lely milking robots, an investment that is paying off. Andhe robots don’t end there. Aaron uses another Lely machine pushing feed closer to the cows. He calls it a “Moomba” since it moves like a Roomba.
“So, every hour on the hour it runs through, to get rid of the task of going through four times a day with a broom or something like that. So, it keeps the feed close to the cows so they can continue eating,” said Ninnemann.
Proving that through technology small dairy farms aren’t going anywhere.
“It just makes it nice for a family farm that everything can get done in a timely fashion and yet it’s profitable enough to keep on going,” said Ninnemann.
Follow Ninnemann on TikTok: @ninny1083
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