Earlier this week I listened to an episode of the Real Science Exchange podcast titled Lessons Learned in Research on Nutritional Management of Robotic Milked Cows. The hosts shared a lot of good information based on research and practical experience. I was amazed at how many times they used the phrase, “non-nutritional factors” in a podcast with “Nutritional Management” in the title. The phrase “non-nutritional factor” was new to me. The concept was not. Most what I have learned and done in the past year involved feed management, barn workflows, and system settings – the “non-nutritional factors” that make robotic barns move.
Feed Management
Two of my earliest customers were unhappy with peak milk production before they contacted me. They had high quality forage and correctly balanced rations. Feed tables increased pellets quickly after calving to encourage frequent visits and provide required nutrients. But, when we took a closer look at what cows were really consuming, we found other settings that prevented cows from actually eating the pellets feed that the feed table allowed. New fresh cows responded quickly once the settings were corrected. Feed management includes monitoring what cows are actually eating in the robot and comparing to the desired intake. Feed management also involves presenting feed at the bunk to encourage frequent small meals and maximum dry matter intake.
Barn Workflows
Everything people do in the barn affects cow flow. On one farm, we discovered that system washes were interrupting a part of the day when cows naturally chose to visit the robots. We were able to adjust the schedule and wash the system when cows were less likely to visit the robot. On another farm, bedding, scraping, fetching and system washes were all combined in one part of the day. It was labor efficient, but the result was a block of time when robots were not available for cows to come voluntarily. Workflows were rearranged and cow flow improved. It is impossible to eliminate human interference in the barn. Structuring that interference correctly can make a difference.
System Settings
Everyone recognizes the importance of milking permission, or milk access. It's a common system setting and it’s how we make sure there are robots available for the right cows to be milked at the right time. I have worked with 3 guided flow barns with sort gate decisions which effectively (and adversely) extended the milking interval for eligible cows. We adjusted counters and simplified decisions to make the barn flow. Most system settings affect several other system settings. Changes must be made gradually and all the consequences must be considered.
Last month I spent 3 days on 3 farms with an excellent team of dairy nutrition consultants. We interviewed farmers, observed the cows and facilities, and dug through the software to understand what improved cow flow and what limited cow flow. At the end of the second day, we observed that, in more than 10 hours on 2 farms, none of the recommendations we made had anything to do with the nutrient content of the diets. (We did get into nutrient content on the third day) Make no mistake, nutrients must be balanced correctly to achieve top production regardless of where the cows are milked. But non-nutritional factors can be just as limiting. Contact me at Cow Corner to learn more about my experience with non-nutritional factors in robotic milking.
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