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The evolving robotic milker

Smink at the Lely assembly plant

Smink at the Lely assembly plant

The use of robotic milking machines is gaining popularity in the dairy industry.  Some see the robots as a way to keep their herd small yet not be tied to milking those cows every day.  Others see the robots as a reliable replacement for hard-to-find dependable labor.  There are farms with one robot and those with up to 44 machines in use.

Lely brought their first robotic milkers to the United States in 2000: two units were displayed at World Dairy Expo then installed at Knigge Farms of Omro, Wisconsin.  Pete Knigge had seen the robots in action in Europe and convinced his wife and son that this was the way to go.  At the urging of Lely, the Knigges replaced the original units with updated versions in 2010.  The original units were reconditioned and then resold.

Lely worked closely with the Knigges as they worked their way through converting the cows and their whole system to the robots.  One of the big challenges was finding the right feed to use in the milking stalls to get the cows to come in.  It was a long trial-and-error effort.  Today, Lely has an entire transition protocol for producers who are going to convert to robots.  Ben Smink is Farm Management Support Manager for Lely North America.  A native of the Netherlands, he moved to Madison, Wisconsin in 2008 and his current position.  “The procedure starts before they sign a contract,” says Smink.  They take potential customers to visit farms with robots to make sure they understand what is involved.  If they decide to go with robots, they start a year-long process to train themselves and prepare the cows for the transition.  “All of that is lined-up in a plan” which also involves the nutritionist and veterinarian for the herd.

Smink says the robots have proven to be a management tool that not only milks the cows but provides the farmer with a collection of valuable information to help keep the cows healthy and productive longer.

 

Smink talks about the process 7:44 mp3

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