Unlocking Cow Potential Through People, Precision and Purpose at Rosy-Lane Holsteins
How leadership, data and environment come together on a Wisconsin dairy
Jordan Matthews has grown alongside Rosy-Lane Holsteins, starting on the farm as a teenager and returning after college to help guide ownership and management decisions. In a conversation with Uplevel Dairy host Peggy Coffeen, Matthews reflected on how people, cows and technology intersect to drive performance, from calf care to parlor efficiency.
A Culture Built on Early Adoption and Trust
Matthews said Rosy-Lane’s willingness to try new ideas traces back decades. Long before he understood the farm’s reputation, the dairy was already known for pushing boundaries in genetics, cow comfort and facility design.
“If we want to be the best, we have to try things and not be afraid,” Matthews said. He credited former owners Lloyd and Daphne Holtermann for establishing a culture where calculated risk and research-based decisions were encouraged.
People Come First, Always
At the center of Rosy-Lane’s vision is a focus on people. Matthews said employees are sacrificing time with their families to be at the dairy, which makes leadership responsibility clear.
“People need to be number one,” he said. “If they’re going to sacrifice time at home to come work here, we owe it to them to create the right environment.”
That mindset extends to listening. Matthews said ideas can come from any level, and being heard creates buy-in across the team.
Designing Systems That Support Cow Performance
Recent investments reflect Rosy-Lane’s emphasis on environment and early-life care. Matthews highlighted the new calf barn, which features group housing without robotic feeding, improved ventilation and designs borrowed from other dairies.
“We went and saw 10 or 15 different barns,” he said. “People aren’t shy about telling you what they don’t like, and that helped us design something better.”
While still early, Matthews said calf performance and cleanliness have improved, and the team continues to refine protocols.
Feed Efficiency and the Rumen Microbiome
Matthews described feed efficiency as one of the dairy’s most closely tracked metrics and a strong indicator of profitability. That focus led Rosy-Lane to explore rumen microbiome technology through Native Microbials.
Matthews noted improvements in feed efficiency and energy-corrected milk while also reducing the farm’s overall footprint.
Parlor Performance as a Hidden Advantage
One of the most impactful technologies at Rosy-Lane was almost overlooked at first. Milk weights were the original goal, but parlor data also revealed milking speed differences that reshaped cow grouping.
“We cluster cows by milking speed,” Matthews said. “The goal is that when you put units on, they all come off at the same time.”
By reorganizing cows rather than expanding facilities, Rosy-Lane nearly doubled parlor throughput without adding infrastructure.
Matthews’ perspective reflects how consistent attention to people, precision and performance allows incremental improvements to compound over time.
For more from this conversation with Jordan Matthews, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or watch the full episode below.
