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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
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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.
15 hours ago3 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 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
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
BATCH MILKING WITH ROBOTS
With batch milking systems, robots are installed in a separate area, outside the free stall barn, and cows are brought to the robots, in batches, for milking. The result is a blend of parlor and robotic milking that incorporates some of the advantages of each system.
May 213 min read
WHICH COMES FIRST – MORE MILKINGS OR MORE MILK?
Sometimes robotic milking conversations in farm meetings sound a little bit like, which came first, the chicken of the egg.
May 143 min read
ROBOT COWS NEED A FAST START
Getting robot cows off to a fast start, early in lactation, keeps them moving to feed which supports more frequent milking and higher peak production. A 26,000-pound Holstein herd should expect the average heifer to peak at 90 pounds and the average mature cow to peak at 115 pounds.
May 73 min read
A TALE OF TWO FEED BUNKS
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” I must admit, I have never read the Charles Dicken novel, A Tale of Two Cities, which opens with those phrases. But I am familiar with the contrast described. I do believe, in all my years of farm visits, I have seen the best of feed bunks and the worst of feed bunks.
Apr 303 min read
ROBOTIC FARM FEATURE – HEEG FAMILY DAIRY
This dairy has drawn a lot of attention because they were the first to start a robot barn with no feed in the robots. That’s an exciting innovation, but it’s only one example of Jay’s herd management focus. You won’t listen to Jay very long before you hear him say his cows are, “Living their best life,” and he wants to “Set cows up for success.”
Apr 203 min read
LESS PELLETS AND MORE MILK – IN A FREE FLOW BARN
The feed in the free-flow robot cannot be eliminated, but there may be opportunities to feed less. The strategy for feeding less depends on the demographics of the herd or pen.
Apr 162 min read
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