Hobart to welcome Midwest Livestock Systems

Judith Munson

Contributor

February 23, 2026

HOBART – A new tenant is set to join the Hobart Centennial Business Park later this year.

Midwest Livestock Systems recently announced plans to construct a 20,000-square-foot facility in Hobart.

With construction expected to begin soon, Pam Hendel – dairy division general manager at Midwest Livestock Systems – said the company anticipates opening its new Hobart facility by the end of the year.

Founded in 1971 in Beatrice, Nebraska, Hendel said the company has grown to include 10 locations across Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

About half of its sites, she said, focus on serving the dairy industry.

In Wisconsin, Midwest Livestock Systems currently operates facilities in Weston and Menomonie.

Hendel said the Hobart facility will be the company’s largest in Wisconsin. 

Bayland Buildings of Hobart is serving as the design/build general contractor, with the project aimed at improving operational efficiency and supporting the livestock industry’s growing needs.

Total farm support

Hendel said Midwest Livestock Systems supplies, installs and services a broad range of farm systems, including milking parlors for dairy farms, egg production systems for poultry operations and feeding, watering and plumbing systems for various livestock facilities.

“We work with many different types of livestock, but primarily dairy, swine and poultry,” she said.

Hendel said the business begins its relationship with clients by consulting with them regarding their farm system needs.

From there, she said the team handles equipment installation and provides ongoing, regularly scheduled maintenance.

Hendel said Midwest Livestock Systems also serves as a hygiene specialist and chemical supplier for farms, and offers design, construction and remodeling services for livestock barns.

New home, new opportunities

Hendel said the new Hobart facility reflects changes that began last year, when Midwest Livestock Systems acquired Kozlovsky Dairy Equipment of Kaukauna, a company founded in 1955.

A few years ago, Hendel said a fire destroyed Kozlovsky Dairy Equipment’s building, forcing the business to relocate operations to a dairy barn.

While functional, she said the barn was far from ideal. 

Hendel said the Hobart location will replace the current Kaukauna site, a move she described as a welcome upgrade for staff.

“It’s a much-needed upgrade,” she said. “We’ve outgrown our current location, so it will be nice to have a new home in the Hobart area. The new building will help us meet a growing demand for our services and accommodate staffing growth needs. We’re excited about it.”

Many of Kozlovsky’s employees, Hendel said, remained with the business after the sale, with the Kaukauna location currently employing 28 people.

Employees, she said, are especially looking forward to the upgraded amenities at the new facility, including “nice bathrooms and a paved parking lot.”

Branch Manager Emmie Hansen said the new facility will feature a warehouse, office space, a parts department and meeting and training rooms, with a primary focus on dairy products and services.

“We work with customers to help them choose the right milking parlor for them,” she said. “After installing the equipment, we transition into maintaining their facility and their equipment, providing the hygiene and chemical services they need and keeping up with system  maintenance to keep them running optimally.”

Hansen said Midwest Livestock Systems’ clients span the full spectrum of Wisconsin’s dairy industry, from small farms with six head of cattle to larger operations with 60.

The Hobart branch, she said, serves a territory roughly 150 miles in radius, stretching from Rhinelander to Oshkosh.

Hansen said staff visit farms based on their size, with the branch providing regular maintenance for more than 100 farms. 

“We visit some of the larger farms weekly or biweekly, and other farms are visited monthly, every six months or annually,” she said. “It depends on what the farm is comfortable with regarding service. Some farms prefer to handle most of their maintenance in house, while others want us to handle everything for them.”

Hansen said the installation team is currently very busy, so a separate team handles other aspects of the work.

“Once the install is done, [they] transition into preventative maintenance and service routes,” she said.

Hendel said the Hobart facility represents Midwest Livestock Systems’ commitment to upgrading its operations across the board.

“We want our employees to have a good working environment and a welcoming place where we can greet customers,” she said. “It’s going to be beautiful.”

Hansen said the facility will feature a dedicated customer service area where clients can collect parts or consult with sales staff and technicians about new milking system installations.

‘A great spot’

After evaluating multiple sites, Hendel said Hobart was selected for the new facility because the Centennial Business Park offered available land, a central location for the branch’s customer base and proximity to supporting businesses, such as vehicle maintenance providers.

“We looked at a lot of different locations, and it was kind of hard to find the right area with enough land to build,” she said. “This is a great spot. It is right off of Highway 29, so it won’t be a difficult drive for our existing employees.” 

Hobart’s village administrator, Aaron Kramer, said the expanding community looks forward to welcoming Midwest Livestock Systems.

“On behalf of the village board and residents, I extend a hearty welcome to Midwest Livestock and am very appreciative of their decision to locate their operations in Hobart,” he said. “It speaks well of the opportunities that exist in that area of the village, and I know they will add to the diversity of our vibrant business park. We look forward to the ribbon cutting and being able to call them neighbors.”

For more information about Midwest Livestock Systems, go to midwestlivestock.com