It is not only the milking systems that have been renewed in recent years.
Farmers also use feed pushers, mechanical scrapers and ventilation systems to facilitate daily operations.
Feeders serve both cows and farmers, said Marcia Endres, Ph.D., a professor of animal science at the University of Minnesota.
“A feed pusher is like a giant Roomba and pushes the feed closer to the cows,” Endres said. “Cows are usually fed once, maybe twice a day, but as they start to eat, their food gets further and further away from them. Feeders help cows access feed and in turn produce more milk.'
Dr. Lindsey Borst, a veterinarian and farmer in Rochester, Minnesota, said feed boosters are a big help in boosting productivity on her farm.
“By the time you come back at 4 in the morning, those cows haven't been fed since the night before,” he said. “We saw an increase in fat and protein in the milk when the feed was also pressed overnight.”
Farmers also use automatic scraping systems to remove manure and other waste from the barn.
Farmers even control their ventilation systems to maximize not only cow comfort but also productivity. Cows are most comfortable at 45 degrees and ventilation can be used to regulate temperature.
“Smart fans can be installed above the cows. …They automatically turn on and off based on the temperature and humidity in a certain area of the barn,” Endres said.
Kristin Quist of Minglewood Dairy in Deer Park, Wisconsin, focusing on ventilation in her barn. Some harsh winter weather in Wisconsin showed its benefits.
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“We are able to make the environment very cow-friendly,” he said. “The polar vortex at the end of January 2019 caused -32 degrees outside temperature, but our robot barn never went below 32 degrees with the use of proper ventilation. Our living room barn was between 0 and -10 degrees.”
In general, cows welcome these automated technologies.
A Study 2021 — involving Douglas Reinemann, Ph.D., a professor of animal science at the University of Wisconsin, focused on the social interactions of cows while part of an automated milking system.
“A steady flow of cows presenting for milking is required to keep the AMS fully engaged in the milking process, and cow movement can be affected by social grouping structure,” the study noted.
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