Nowhere in my original plans for this issue are the words “robot” or “automatic,” yet when I page through this magazine I’m about to present to you, I find it weighs heavily on the topic.
I learned long ago you can’t time the news. In the magazine business, we try to plan out what we can. In fact, our schedule for 2014 has already been established. However, we also remain flexible to include timely information.
It just so happens that a number of topics relating to automation came about recently. Starting back in March, I received a press release about a farm that set a new production record for the DeLaval automatic milking system. Interested in how this was achieved, I contacted Jake Peissig to hear more about his story. You can read it for yourself, click here to read.
The article on Peissig was originally published in our Extra e-newsletter. It was read by Brad Romyn of Notch Hill, British Columbia. He contacted me to let me know his cows are producing quite well in a new robot facility, too. Romyn agreed to tell us more, and you can read his story by clicking here.
In June, I attended the Precision Dairy Conference in Rochester, Minnesota. At the conference, I met Peissig in person after he participated in a panel discussion featuring users of each of the five automatic milking systems on the market. click here to read.
Around the same time, it was growing apparent that an article on footbath options in robotic milking facilities would be of interest to a number of people.
As the number of dairy operations implementing milking robots continues to grow in North America, the topic of hoof health specific to their unique cow flow had yet to be addressed. Read the article to discover three options to consider. Click here to read.
In addition, Francisco Rodriguez takes a look at automatic milking system options for larger dairies. He provides examples of how to implement this technology into existing farms. Click here to read.
Last year at this time, Lely was introducing its automatic feeding system at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show. This new technology warranted a feature, but I wanted to wait and hear from a producer who was implementing it on his farm.
I was able to speak with Nicolaas Zeldenrijk a month ago about his experiences with it since he began using it in March. I also learned of two similar technologies offered by DeLaval and Trioliet. An article highlights all three systems. Click here to read.
While there has been much to say about automation, I certainly hope it doesn’t overshadow the topics that were already planned and their importance to the daily operation of dairy farms.
Herd health, milk quality, and feed and nutrition are key areas for any dairy, whether they employ automation or not.
I am also excited to bring you our first edition of the Canadian dairy statistics. I encourage you to take a look at the numbers pertaining to Canada’s dairy industry.
From the number of cows, farms and milk produced to the value of that milk and quota, we’ve broken the numbers down by each province.
Purposely placed in the centre of this issue, you can pull it out and hang it on your office wall for reference. We’ll also make it available to download from our website, click here to download.
