Jolly Good Soda – now that’s cool!
‘Walking the walk’ for more than a decade
January 5, 2026
DORCHESTER – From North Central Wisconsin to farms around the world, Reese Ewert – head of sales and service – said Westar LLC’s Udder Gun has become a global staple since its debut around 2014.
“It’s a safe, air-operated design to clean and stimulate cows before you milk,” Ewert said.
The Udder Gun, Ewert said, streamlines pre-milking preparation, saving time and improving efficiency on farms of varying sizes.
Per uddergun.com – which features demonstration videos showing the device in action – the Udder Gun uses “exclusive elastomer teat belts” with flaps that conform to each teat and automatically adjust to their size and shape.
Ewert said the stimulation “increases milk let-down,” so the process of milk out is typically faster.
“You also have cleanliness then, too, which is a big thing in modern dairy,” he said.
Ewert said the Udder Gun can also reduce labor needs on some farms.
“A lot of people started going to our gun because they had three workers and they wanted to reduce it to two,” he said.
Milking a market need
Ewert said the Udder Gun has been Westar LLC’s (westarmfg.com) primary product for the past decade, forming the core of the company’s business.
“Our shop does a lot of stuff… a lot of custom machining and helping other companies fix their stuff,” he said. “Really, that’s how it came about.”
Ewert said that hands-on experience is what led to the creation of the Udder Gun, developed from scratch after repeatedly repairing and modifying existing systems.
“This dealer kept coming in, bringing their system, having us fix it and modify it and things like that,” he said. “We said, ‘well, it’s easier to just make the thing from scratch.’”
Responding to market demand, Ewert said the Udder Gun grew quickly and steadily.
Today, he said the product is used around the world, with a website map showing dealers in more than a dozen countries.
Most Udder Gun dealers, Ewert said, are concentrated in the Midwest, primarily in Wisconsin and Michigan, with some in Canada, while many systems are shipped overseas.
Regardless of location, Ewert said every Udder Gun is manufactured in Dorchester – a village just shy of 850 residents in Clark and Marathon counties.
Udder value
Ewert said the cost of an Udder Gun system varies depending on the setup.
A single-gun system, he said, is currently around $11,000, while a two-gun system runs about $18,000.
The type of system a farm needs, Ewert said, depends largely on its size and milking configuration.
For example, he said a double-20 parlor could benefit from a two-gun system, which can cut prep time in half compared with using a single gun.
“It might take one worker five minutes to prep all those cows, whereas if you do two, now it’s only two-and-a-half minutes to do all those cows,” he said.
According to the website, each system includes a prep station, an Udder Gun hose, primary hoses and a flush holster.
Positives of the system, per the website, include:
- Lower chemical usage
- Reduced towel and laundry costs
- Faster, consistent prep
- Better stimulation for let down
- Long product life, even when using sand bedding
- Ergonomic, balanced pistol grip design
- Powerful air motor driven
- Narrow design for better udder access
The future
Looking ahead, Ewert said he and his team are keeping an eye on technological advancements.
While Westar currently focuses mainly on combat robots, he said the company is considering potential applications for the dairy industry, including milking robots that could operate the Udder.
“You don’t want to fix what’s not broken, but there’s always room for improvement, as well,” he said. “I think robots are probably going to be the future, so we would like to assimilate with that at some point.”
Visit the aforementioned website for more on Udder Gun.
