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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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MIXING ROBOTIC MILKING AND PARLOR MILKING
Using robots with your parlor gives you more than one way to milk a cow. Not to “Beat a dead horse,” – redundancy can be a good thing. There are some good reasons to keep the parlor going after the robots come online.
Oct 23, 20253 min read
STRATEGIES FOR CREATING REPLACEMENTS TO KEEP THE ROBOTS AT CAPACITY
Many farms unintentionally trend towards seasonal calving. A herd might become semi-seasonal if a large group of springers is purchased to populate after an expansion. Breeding challenges associated with hot weather can also create seasonal highs and lows. Once a seasonal trend is started, it will continue because calves born during peak times enter the herd as cows 2 years later during peak times, and their calves accelerate the cycle.
Oct 16, 20253 min read
REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY TO GENERATE REPLACEMENT HEIFERS
All of these combined for a surplus of heifers. Eventually, dairy farmers realized it was expensive to raise heifers they didn’t plan to milk, and started producing crossbred beef calves. More recently, the beef herd has gotten smaller, the value of beef calves has skyrocketed, and we have come full circle, with dairy heifers in short supply again. Once again, reproductive efficiency is critical to maintaining a steady supply of replacements.
Oct 8, 20253 min read
ROBOTIC FARM FEATURE: ROLINDA ACRES
Rolinda Acres maximizes production per cow by providing extra robotic milking capacity.
Oct 2, 20252 min read
HOW MANY REPLACEMENTS DO YOU NEED?
The right number of replacements is important. Raising replacements is expensive, but not having enough replacements to maintain the milking herd is even more expensive.
Sep 25, 20252 min read
CULL RATE CONSIDERATIONS
Cull rate is an essential tool for managing future herd size. You need to know how many cows are leaving the herd in order to determine how many replacements will be needed to take their place.
Sep 11, 20253 min read
CULL RATE CALCULATIONS
This article will discuss the cull rate calculations for monitoring culling in your herd. The next article in the series will deal with interpretation and application of those metrics.
Sep 4, 20253 min read
HOW FAST SHOULD FEED BE DISPENSED IN MILKING ROBOTS?
Dispense rate is a simple setting. Be sure to consider the form of the feed, the milking speed of the cows, and the behavior in the barn. The right rate will keep the barn moving and ensure that cows are neither overfed nor underfed.
Aug 27, 20252 min read
TROUBLESHOOTING LOW MILKINGS IN ROBOTS - PART 3
This is the final installment of a 3-part series on trouble shooting low milkings in robots. Part 1 covered herd management factors that apply in all barns. Part 2 addressed feed factors that are specific to free flow barns. Part 3 is about managing the commitment pen in guided flow farms. Recently, I have visited a few farms that switched, or considered switching, from guided flow to free flow, or free flow to guided flow. I wrote this series to offer some food for thought,
Aug 22, 20253 min read
TROUBLESHOOTING LOW MILKINGS IN ROBOTS - PART 2
Frequent milking starts with healthy, well-trained cows, that have PMR available 22 hours a day, and breed back on time. That was part 1 of troubleshooting low milkings. The feed that is offered in the robots is equally important in free flow barns. Guided flow barns feed differently. If what you are doing is working, keep doing it. Do not change anything! If you think there is room for improvement, get input from your nutrition consultant and your robotic milking advisor. Th
Aug 14, 20253 min read
TROUBLESHOOTING LOW MILKINGS IN ROBOTS – PART 1
Most farmers would be concerned if the herd averaged less than 2.5 milkings for an extended period of time, regardless of how often the fresh cows are milked. This first article, of a 3-part series, will explain how herd health, reproduction, bunk management, and training affect the average number of milkings in all robotic systems.
Aug 7, 20253 min read
ADDING ROBOTIC FEEDING TO ROBOTIC MILKING
For some producers, a robotic feeding system is the next logical step after adopting robotic milking. Robotic feeding systems make feeding more flexible in the same way milking robots make milking more flexible. Robotic feeding systems can mix, deliver, and push up feed. They can also monitor intake, and adjust batch size and feeding frequency as needed. Robotic feeding systems can save labor, allow more flexible time management, and facilitate more frequent feeding, as compa
Jul 30, 20252 min read
MANAGING INCOMPLETE MILKINGS AND FAILURES IN ROBOTS
An introspective question that comes up periodically in the Gerbitz family is, “What were you pretending not to know?” It implies that ignoring a small problem has resulted in a bigger problem. Incomplete and failed milkings can be like that. Incompletes and failures are DeLaval and Lely’s terms for milkings that did not harvest all of the milk that was expected to be harvested. There are many reasons for a cow to have an incomplete milking. It may be that all the milk was h
Jul 24, 20252 min read
SYSTEMATIC COW MONITORING IN ROBOTIC MILKING
This article describes how different technologies work together to monitor cow health in robotic milking.
Jul 17, 20252 min read
WHERE DO HIGH OLEIC BEANS FIT IN ROBOTIC MILKING?
The decision to feed roasted high oleic beans in robots will depend on availability, feeding system, and cost.
Jul 10, 20253 min read
HOW REPRO PERFORMANCE IMPACTS ROBOT UTILIZATION IN ROBOTIC MILKING
The 65-cow group with 30% over 200 DIM had over 200 pounds more milk per robot per day, as compared to the same number of cows in the 45% group.
Jun 21, 20253 min read
FREE FLOW OR GUIDED FLOW ROBOTIC MILKING?
Choosing between free flow and guided flow starts with the forages. In a guided flow barn, cows have to go past the robot to get to the bunk. Every time they go to the bunk there is an opportunity to milk them. Most of their motivation to move around the barn can come from the feed bunk. In a free flow barn, cows can choose whether they will go to the robot or to the bunk.
Jun 19, 20252 min read
ROBOTIC MILKING STARTUP STORIES
True stories about robotic milking startups with tips for future startups.
Jun 12, 20253 min read
COOLING COWS WITH SPRINKLERS IN THE ROBOTS
Here are some things to consider when using sprinklers in the robots to cool dairy cows.
Jun 5, 20252 min read
IS A FRESH COW PEN RIGHT FOR YOUR ROBOTIC DAIRY?
Fresh pens can allow more robot time for fresh cows. They can also improve labor efficiency by concentrating the training and monitoring of fresh cows in one place.
May 29, 20253 min read
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