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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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WHAT FORM OF ROBOT FEED IS RIGHT FOR YOUR DAIRY?
There are many different ways to present feed to cows in the robots. Systems can be configured for 1 feed or 2, or more. Robots allow a choice of feeding a pellet, meal, or liquid. When margins are tight, producers may want to reduce the cost of the robot feed. That won’t improve profits if too much production is lost. Choosing the right form of feed for your robots starts with why. What is the purpose of the robot feed?
Feb 1, 20243 min read
4 MORE COWS EVERY 10 SECONDS
I was watching cows go through the robots as I was completing an initial farm visit last December. My mind wandered, and I started calculating how many extra milkings you get from a robot if you can save 10 seconds per milking? I did the math in my head with some conservative values. At 155 milkings per robot per day, saving 10 seconds per milking yields 1550 seconds per day. With a 6 ½ minute milking duration, 1550 seconds is about 4 milkings. What would 4 extra milkings per
Jan 25, 20242 min read
THE BUTTERFLY AT THE FEED BUNK
In his book, The Essence of Chaos, Edward Lorenz described the butterfly effect as, " The phenomenon that a small alteration in the state of a dynamic system will cause subsequent states to differ greatly from the states that would have followed without the alteration ." That's a mouthful. In more simple terms, the theory is that a butterfly in India could flap its wings and start a chain of events that could cause a tornado in Iowa. The parallel in robotic milking is, eve
Jan 18, 20242 min read
HOW MUCH ROBOT FEED IS SHE REALLY EATING?
Feed tables get a lot of attention when we discuss pellet feeding in robots. Feed tables are important, but it is just as important, if not more important, to know how much a cow actually eats. There are a few factors that affect what a cow eats in the robot, regardless of the brand. WHAT IS REALLY MEASURED? Remember that the system does not weigh the feed. It counts turns of the auger. Accuracy depends on calibration. If the bin is empty or the system is plugged, and the aug
Jan 11, 20242 min read
THE RIGHT FEED TABLE FOR EACH STAGE OF LACTATION
If you multiplied the number of robot manufacturers by the number of robot farms and the number of nutritionists, you might have an approximation of the number of ways to control pellet feeding in a robot barn. There are a lot of ways, and they don’t all involve feed tables. If feed tables are used, the most basic variable is whether the table is controlled by days-in-milk or milk-yield. A days-in-milk feed table adjusts robot feed according to how long a cow has been milking
Jan 4, 20243 min read
WHAT DO THE PACKERS HAVE IN COMMON WITH ROBOTIC MILKING?
My son and his wife gave us tickets for the Packer game last weekend. Lambeau Field is always a great experience, and my wife and I had a great time, but it was clear that this is a rebuilding year for the Packers. In some positions, they don’t have the players they would like to have on the field. In other positions, they have the right people, but those people are still learning. The coaches have to develop a game plan that works with the players they have. Sometimes roboti
Dec 21, 20233 min read
IN ROBOTS, ONE MORE MEAL CAN MEAN ONE MORE MILKING
One more meal, one more trip to the feed bunk, one more mouthful of feed – all of these mean more milk – especially for high producing...
Dec 14, 20233 min read
THE COW CORNER GLOSSARY OF DAIRY REPRODUCTION KPI’S
There is no single metric that fits every farm’s goals, and there is no single metric that covers every aspect of any farm. This guide...
Dec 7, 20234 min read
MORE VALUE FROM ACTIVITY MONITORING
Activity monitoring systems have gained wide acceptance as tools to monitor cows 24/7 and find cows in heat that might not be found by other means. In some cases, this has allowed reduced use of synchronization protocols for cows that cycle normally without intervention. In other cases, first service synchronization protocols are still used, but open cows are reinseminated more quickly because more are found in heat with activity monitors. Stefan Borchardt’s presentation sugg
Nov 30, 20231 min read
USE THE RIGHT PROGRAM FOR THE RIGHT COWS
Julio Giordano’s presentation showed us how to use records to choose the right reproductive protocols for different groups of cows. Many herds have applied his principle in a very basic way by using one synchronization protocol or voluntary waiting period for first lactation animals, and a different one for mature cows. Those groups are based on very basic and easily accessible data about how many calves an animal has had. As we gather more data about each animal, our groups
Nov 30, 20231 min read
STRESS AND STRAIN AFFECT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Matt Lucy’s presentation began by defining the difference between stress and strain. Stresses are the external factors that impact animals. Strains are the animal’s response to those stresses. Stresses that might affect reproductive performance include heat and humidity, disease, and negative energy balance. The strains resulting from that stress might include elevated temperature, metabolic and hormonal imbalances, and reduced immune function. Each of those strains can affec
Nov 30, 20231 min read
GREAT REPRODUCTION LEADS TO MORE GREAT REPRODUCTION
I took in a great presentation by Richard Pursley titled, “Importance of the High Fertility Cycle in Reproductive Management Decisions of Dairy Cows.” When talking fertility, I am usually thinking of an estrus cycle 18 to 24 days long. Richard was thinking of a longer cycle. His point was, cows that get pregnant on time do not have extended lactations or prolonged dry periods. Cows that don’t have extended lactations or long dry periods are less likely to become over-conditio
Nov 30, 20231 min read
DEVICES FOR TRAINING NEW COWS IN MILKING ROBOTS
There are some tools we can use to make training heifers easier. Some are very inexpensive while some are a little more involved. Some can be adapted to almost any barn, others won’t work with some barn designs. Anything we can do to get heifers ready for the robot barn will make the transition easier. Some of these can also be used before starting a new barn.
Nov 16, 20232 min read
STRATEGIES FOR TRAINING NEW COWS IN MILKING ROBOTS
Almost everyone involved with robotic milking agrees that training new animals is a key to making the barn flow, and achieving the desired milking frequency. Almost everyone involved with robotic milking has a different way to do that training. Without a doubt, there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
Nov 16, 20232 min read
GATE PASSAGES MEASURE COW FLOW IN GUIDED ROBOTIC MILKING SYSTEMS
Are your cows visiting the feed bunk and the milking robot often enough to meet your goals for milk production? Cow flow describes whether cows are moving around the barn as much as we would like them to. Cow flow is affected by feeding at the bunk and the robot, barn design, cow training, and the things people do in the barn.
Nov 9, 20233 min read
REFUSALS MEASURE COW FLOW IN FREE FLOW ROBOTIC MILKING SYSTEMS
Robotic milking systems are often installed with the hope that more frequent milking will result in higher production per cow. Certainly, more frequent milking is possible. It goes without saying, that cows need to get out of their free stalls and move around the barn to get those extra milkings. Cow flow is the term used to describe how much cows move around the barn. Feeding, barn design, cow training, and people all affect how much cows move around the barn. In order to ma
Nov 9, 20232 min read
WHAT IS FREE FLOW ROBOTIC MILKING?
Cows in a free-flow barn can move around the barn anytime, in any direction. Cows can enter the robot anytime it is empty. If the cow has milking permission, or milk access, the entrance gate will close behind her, and she will be held in the robot, fed, and milked. If the cow does not have milking permission, the exit gate will open and she will be allowed to leave the robot. When she leaves the robot, she can go to a free stall, feed bunk, waterer, or anywhere else in the p
Nov 2, 20232 min read
WHAT IS GUIDED FLOW ROBOTIC MILKING?
Cows in a guided-flow barn can move about the barn anytime, but gates control the direction of the movement. Movement from stalls to robot to feed bunk is controlled by gates. The gates do not limit how often the cow can go to the feed bunk – only how she will get there. Cows leave the free stall area through a selection gate. If a cow has milking permission, the selection gate sends her to the robot. After milking, she is routed to the feed bunk. If a cow does not have milki
Nov 2, 20232 min read
WHAT SHOULD ROBOTIC MILKING PERMISSION DO?
As I work with farmers, I see a wide range of attitudes towards milking permission. On the one extreme are those who think of milking permission as that mysterious place, deep in the software, where nobody should ever go, because nobody really understands it. On the other extreme are those who just wish there were more settings available because they have developed mathematical formulas to evaluate the right setting for each barn. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. Where
Oct 26, 20232 min read
HOW MUCH MILK PER MILKING?
Previous articles covered, “How many cows per robot?” and “How many milkings per robot?” The next step in that discussion is, “How much milk per milking?” 2 variables affect milk per milking – milking frequency, and daily production per cow. Robotic milking systems can milk cows as many times, or as few times, as desired. More frequent milkings in early lactation can result in more milk – as long as feed quality, transition management, cow comfort, and other factors are not l
Oct 19, 20232 min read
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