The capabilities of today’s automated milking systems to provide an ideal milking for an individual cow make them an excellent tool to enable those more senior members of the herd to meet their genetic potential. Here are four reasons milking robots are a great option for older cows.

We can categorize automated milking system data into tools for detecting new infections in individual cows and tools for monitoring the herd level of existing infection. The tools will be more valuable if we use them correctly.

Clean, well-maintained equipment doesn’t just look better but performs better, lasts longer and costs less over time.

They say football is won and lost in the trenches with fundamentals like blocking and tackling. The fundamentals of automated milking systems are monitoring performance and completing maintenance.

Labor shortages, rising input costs and growing expectations around animal care are forcing producers to think differently about how they manage their operations, not just for today but for the next five to 10 years and beyond.

Six automated milking dairies share their success stories here. Each of them have that adaptation mindset. All of them identify net profit as an important measure of success. Each of their stories highlights a specific strength that successful automated milking dairies have in common.

Two dairy producers shared insights into how a no-feed approach to milking with robots has shaped their management and long-term outlook on dairy farming during a Tanbark Talk Oct. 2 at World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.

A modern dairy building with automated systems and a viewing corridor will soon replace the aging dairy facilities built in 1972 at Waterman Dairy at Ohio State University in Columbus. Initial conversations about renovating the facilities began in 2019 while working on the master strategic plan for the college.