PLANNING SUCCESSFUL ROBOTIC MILKING START-UPS

The first article in my startup series borrowed the second of Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “Begin with the end in mind.” The article emphasized that start up is not a day, it is a process, and focused on realistic goals and expectations. This article is all about planning successful robotic milking start-ups. Planning will include people, cows, and facilities. Each of them fits with another of Covey’s habits: synergize, be proactive, and sharpen the saw. The 3-part series will conclude with executing the startup – or carrying out the plan.

Synergize – people

You are going to need some friends who will volunteer to help with your startup. If you don’t have any friends, it is time to make some. Once you identify your volunteers, you need to get

them organized. That's synergizing. Covey describes synergize, "Combine the strengths of people through positive teamwork, so as to achieve goals that no one could have done alone." Your team will include cow pushers, robot operators, and support people. Cow pushers move the cows into the robots. Robot operators make sure the robots are attaching properly and cows are milked out. Support people fill in during breaks and handle any other surprises that come up. Work with your dealer and advisors to determine how many people will be needed in each role, for your facility. Plan to operate around the clock for the first 96 hours and taper off from there. Create a schedule and find a person for each spot on the schedule. Everybody – even the owner – will need to sleep. And, everybody will need to eat. Plan meals and snacks to keep your crew engaged.

Be Proactive – facilities

Look at your facilities and determine the best way to use them during the startup. Do not overcrowd the robots. Remember that stall times will be longer during startup. There will probably be some downtime for adjustments. Getting the cows milked is important, but remember that startups are also about training. Plan to get the cows through the robots 3 times each day for 3 days so they learn by repetition. The first milkings will take 9 to 10 minutes, as cows learn the robots. At that rate, it will take 7 hours to milk 45 cows, which leaves an hour between milkings for washing and adjustments. Divide the cows so you can move them through the robots efficiently. Half of the cows will be a milking group. In the milking group, keep the milked cows separate from the unmilked cows, and allow as much access to feed, stalls, and water as possible. The other half will be a resting group. The resting group can eat and rest without being disturbed by the milking process. Cows will be tired after 3 days of pushing so resting time is important. Provide sturdy gates to direct cows through control points like robot entrances, and smart gates, for efficient cow handling. Think about your most stubborn animals. Remember, if they escape even once, it will be harder to get cows into the robots the next time.

Sharpen the Saw – cows

Sharpening the saw is all about learning. What can your cows learn before the first milking? The transition to robots involves big changes for your cows. Whenever possible, give them a chance to adjust ahead of time. Move them into the barn and walk them through the robots if you can. This won’t be possible if cows will be transported to a new facility. Expose cows to the pellets by sprinkling them on top of freshly delivered PMR. Topdressing is better than mixing because cows put their noses in the pellets. Review cattle handling skills with your whole startup team, and establish clear expectations to make sure each cow has a pleasant experience every time she enters the commitment pen, fetch pen, or robot.

Speaking of sharpening the saw, an old carpenter’s adage says, “Measure twice, cut once.” It’s hard to fix a board if you cut it twice and it’s still too short, and it’s not easy to retrain cows after a poorly planned startup. Cow Corner has years of experience with startups. Let us help you plan yours.