Robotic Milking System: Milking of the Future
Robotic milking systems have made their way to the USA and rapidly being implemented across the country. This technology allows cows to milk flexibility at their own time as well as providing farmers more time for other tasks.
Advantages
- Reducing total labor costs, improving the comfort of the cow during milking, and an increase in overall production (Rodenburg et al., 2017).
- Reduction of labor costs can be attributed to the amount of human labor is replaced by the AMS.
- The AMS also allows adjustments of the bedding, machinery, and room for the cow to milk, making a less stressful and more comfortable environment.
- Cows that go through the AMS spent less time waiting, making more time to eat and rest also contributing to an increase in wellness (Malacco. 2022).
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Cows choose whether to enter the milking system. Each cow wears an ID collar to identify health, diet, and milk production. |
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Robotic/automatic milking systems clean teats, attach, and stimulate to produce milk. |
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Requires less manual labor, allowing more time for farmers, and overall saving money over time.(2) |
Why has AMS been adopted in farms?
Challenges
- Planning and limited flexibility on the system for operation. With the installation of the AMS into a dairy, the time it takes out of production as well as the limited room for expansion can discourage farmers from adopting the system (Malacco. 2022).
- The primary investment in the system can discourage the use of the AMS despite the overall production increase it may have later on in the farm. With the capital investment of “$150,000 to $200,000 per robot that will milk 50 to 70 cows a day”, it is something to think about as these systems become more popular (Dairy-Cattle, 2019)
What factors impact AMS production?
- Number of cows per machine
- Milking permission settings
- Palatability and quality of mixed ration and robot box feed
- Robot free time
- Cow fetching policy
- Barn design and walking distance
(Dairy-Cattle. 2019)
References:
This article appears on December 2023, in Volume 4, Issue 3 of the Maryland Milk Moos newsletter.
Maryland Milk Moo's, December 2023, Vol. 4, Issue 3
Maryland Milk Moos is a quarterly newsletter published by the University of Maryland Extension that focuses on dairy topics related to Nutrition and Production, Herd Management, and Forage Production. To subscribe to this newsletter, click the button below to enter your contact information.
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