WHAT’S THAT COW DOING IN YOUR ROBOT?
- Nov 13, 2025
- 2 min read
I was reviewing low yield-per-milking cows with a farmer and a nutritionist on a recent farm visit. This analysis provides some insight as to whether milking permission is set correctly, and robots are being used efficiently. We came across a pregnant cow that not only had an extremely low yield per milking, her total daily production was well below the level needed to cover her feed cost. On further investigation, we realized that she wasn’t even covering her feed cost at the time she was inseminated. I bit my tongue, and thought to myself, “What is that cow doing in your robot?” The farmer provided a few different rationalizations for breeding and keeping the cow. The real reason didn’t hit me until a few days later. The bottom line – he kept her because there wasn’t a heifer to replace her. This example is extreme, but with high beef prices and low heifer inventory, it is not unusual to have a marginal cow in the robot because there is no heifer to take her place. Ultimately, this is often the result of a reproductive management decision.
