At the heart of the approach of harvesting high-quality milk is ensuring farmers have a thorough understanding of key milk quality parameters, including milk composition, somatic cell count (SCC), bacterial count and the absence of contaminants.

Both JTP Farms and Haas Dairy approach dairy farming in a way that maximizes facilities, technology and manpower. These dairies are meeting – and surpassing – production goals in automated milking systems by pushing the limits of pen space while not compromising cow health.  

Nearly 150 years ago, in 1879, New Jersey dairy farmer Anna Baldwin invented the first milking machine. Today, dairy producers have had access to safe, efficient automated dairy systems for 30 years, and the pace of advancement and innovation is increasing rapidly.

Are you utilizing and optimizing all you have already paid for? Is there untapped potential and ways your existing milking equipment can help you out? Many milk point manufacturers have a stimulation function on their equipment.

The operation has grown to 400 Holstein cows milked with six robotic milking systems, as well as a new retail store where they also sell local products from their community. The farm has a beef community-supported agriculture (CSA) program and also provides hay wagon tours and farm tours throughout the spring and summer and four weeks of Kids Farm Camp.

Just as the line at the concession stand depends on what is happening on the baseball field, the line at the robot depends on what is happening in the barn.

While it is possible to have SOPs for many important tasks on a dairy farm, there are few more important than milking parlor procedures. 

Robotic batch milking was introduced some years ago, but interest in this type of milking setup started gaining serious traction in the last year or two. Here’s what you need to know.

As the market for dairy robots has increased, so has the availability of used equipment. For producers interested in making a switch to automation, considerations around buying used or new do not differ greatly from traditional equipment.