CONSULT CORNER

Robotic Milking Resources from John Gerbitz

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IT MATTERS MORE IN ROBOTS

What matters more in robots? In some respects, almost everything. Some robot farmers complain that they cannot maintain the consistent...

WHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK IN ROBOTIC MILKING?

There are 3 primary physical limitations on production in robotic milking systems. The first is milking capacity, or the number of...

EVALUATING HERD PERFORMANCE BY PARITY AND STAGE OF LACTATION

Robot herds are unique in that there are management changes built into the system for different stages of lactation. In most parlor herds, once cows leave the fresh pen, they stay in the same pen, get milked the same number of times, and eat the same ration throughout the lactation. Robotic milking systems can be set to adjust the milking frequency and pellet feeding according to milk production and stage of lactation. It makes sense to group data by lactation number and stag

ALL RESOURCES

ROBOTIC FARM FEATURE – TER WOERDS FARMS LTD.

All of this technology does make the system more complicated, but it allows the farm to operate on family labor. Stan says, “It’s not like we’re spending tons of time in the barn. The way we have things set up is pretty efficient. Everything is designed for labor efficiency.”

Oct 223 min read

A cow at a one-way gate in a guided flow barn.

ROBOTIC MILKING WITHOUT FEED - WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

Do you need feed in the robots on your farm? Start with why. There are many reasons to feed pellets and many reasons not to feed pellets. This article will cover 3 examples of each.

Oct 163 min read

NEAR PERFECT PERFORMANCE IN BASEBALL AND ROBOTIC MILKING

What does it take to harvest 7,000 pounds of milk per robot per day? The math provides some perspective. It could be 70 cows averaging 100 pounds per day, 65 cows at 108, or 75 cows at 93 pounds. None of those scenarios has much margin for error. It is a tremendous accomplishment, and since it is October, it seems appropriate use the analogy of a major league pitcher throwing a no-hitter.

Oct 83 min read

MILKING WITH ROBOTS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Most of the robotic installations are configured like batch milking. Cows are moved from the pasture, to the robots, in groups, and returned to the pasture as a group. True batch milking installations graze their cows in 2 or more groups. Multiple groups allow milking in shifts to make better use of the robots, while returning groups to the pasture quickly after milking. Most cows in batch milking installations are milked twice daily.

Sep 243 min read

MANAGING PMR TO OPTIMIZE ROBOTIC MILKING TRAFFIC

If energy balance is the problem, a change in the PMR should be expected to change cow behavior in a matter of days. If it does not, it is a good idea to determine how closely the diet the cows are eating matches the diet that was formulated.

Sep 222 min read

EXECUTING SUCCESSFUL ROBOTIC MILKING STARTUPS

Spoiler alert, even with the best plan, things will go wrong. Cows will kick the robots. Gates will be left open. Groups will be mixed. The plan will need to be adjusted. General Eisenhower said, “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable” That’s not to say your startup will be a battle. It is to say that the plan might have to change, and preparation will make those adjustments easier. Covey’s third and fifth habits ap

Sep 163 min read

PLANNING SUCCESSFUL ROBOTIC MILKING START-UPS

This article is all about planning successful robotic milking startups, which is the first step towards that end. Planning will include people, cows, and facilities. Each of them fits with another of Covey’s habits. The 3-part series will conclude with executing the startup – or carrying out the plan.

Sep 103 min read

WHAT IS A SUCCESSFUL ROBOTIC MILKING STARTUP

Success will be different at different stages – we often talk about 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months, and 3 years. This emphasizes the fact that a startup is a process. Yes, there is a moment in time when we flip the switch, push the first cow in, and watch the cups attach. But it begins long before that and ends long after.

Sep 23 min read

EVALUATING ROBOTIC MILKING BARN DESIGNS

Barns are an intersection between people, cows, and processes. When you add up all the variables that those 3 things include, the variety of barns seems inevitable. At the same time, there are some barn design rules to follow – or at least understand before you break them.

Aug 273 min read

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN YOU TOUR A ROBOTIC DAIRY

In my experience, if you ask to 10 farmers with robots how they decided what they needed in their barn, at least 9 of them will say, “Tour a lot of barns.” I don’t think there are very many questions I could ask and expect such a high level of agreement. It’s clear that seeing the barn, and talking to the people that work there, can help to visualize what would be the best fit for your goals and management style. You will make the best use of your time, and your host's time,

Aug 203 min read

Robotic milking barn at Mason Dixon Farms

ROBOTIC FARM FEATURE - MASON DIXON FARMS

Mason Dixon Farms is located near Gettysburg, PA. The farm is named for the historic Mason-Dixon line, which actually goes through the farm. The farm is now operated by the 9th generation of the Waybright family. Doyle Waybright is a member of the 8th generation. Doyle has been a true pioneer in the development of large-scale robotic milking.

Aug 123 min read

USING MARK AND MOTIVATE TO TRAIN FRESH COWS

It was a least a year before I caught up with that dairyman again. By then, he had the execution figured out. He began writing the date on each cow’s hip when she entered the robot pen. This made it easy to identify cows that were new in the barn. Anytime anybody walked through the pen for any reason, if they found a cow that had been in the barn less than a week, they got her out of her stall. That’s where motivating cows starts. I call it “Mark and motivate.”

Aug 63 min read

Analyzing the data is part of the decision

TEAM MEETINGS FOR ROBOTIC DAIRIES

Team meetings are even more important on robotic dairies because everything intersects at the robot. Everyone is involved. Nutrition, cow comfort, reproductive performance, health and lameness, robot performance, and more, all affect cow behavior and visits to the robot, so everyone needs to be at the table.

Jul 233 min read

WHAT YOUR LENDER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR ROBOTIC MILKING PROJECT

A couple of years ago, I consulted on a farm that was planning a robotic milking project. More than once, emphasizing the importance of conservative budgeting, I mentioned “The number you would share with your banker.” More than once, I was corrected – “I am doing this project with my money, and it really doesn’t matter what the banker thinks.” More power to you! Wherever you get the money, it is important to know there will be a return on the investment.

Jul 163 min read

ROBOTIC FARM FEATURE – NANGKITA DAIRIES

Jake emphasizes that the robot is a management tool, which helps him to use his cows to effectively and efficiently harvest the grass. Confinement farms can learn a lot about robotic dairy management from this grass-based farm.

Jul 83 min read

HOW MANY COWS PER ROBOT? REVISITED

Progressive dairies are looking for ways to maximize income from beef-cross calves. Recently, I was asked whether it makes sense to crowd the robots with more cows, to produce more calves, even if some milk production is lost. This article will compare some possible scenarios.

Jul 23 min read

MILKING WITH ROBOTS - WHAT EMPLOYEES NEED TO KNOW - PART 3 - SOFTWARE

Basic software operation can be divided into entry, and monitoring. Recording calvings, dry-offs, inseminations, and pen moves are examples of entry. Monitoring, or troubleshooting, could apply to cow performance, cow health, and robot performance. Begin by deciding who will be responsible for each of these tasks on your farm.

Jun 253 min read

MILKING WITH ROBOTS - WHAT YOUR EMPLOYEES NEED TO KNOW - PART 2 - COWS

Whether you are transitioning to robots from another milking and housing system, moving employees from another role to the robot barn, or hiring someone who has never worked on a dairy, your need to make sure your workers have certain skills to work with automated milking. This is the second article in a three-part series designed to help you measure and teach those skills.

Jun 183 min read

MILKING WITH ROBOTS - WHAT DO EMPLOYEES NEED TO KNOW - PART 1 - ROBOTS

Whether you have an experienced employee moving into a new role in the robot barn, or have just hired someone new, you need a plan to set that person up for success. This is the first article of a three-part series to help build your employee training plan. We will start with the essential things to know about the robots.

Jun 113 min read

ROBOTIC FARM FEATURE – WINCH’S PINE GROVE FARMS

Winch’s upgraded from DeLaval classics to new V300’s during April. As the number of cows increased, more milking capacity was needed. Peter also wanted to add progesterone monitoring for reproductive management and that could not be added to the classics.

May 293 min read