From Grass to Glass: Robotic Milking
For AgriTech Week 2022, run by AgriTech-E’s, the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association hosted a visted to Mill Farm Dairy in Tharston, allowing visitors to see robotic milking in action!
Mark Barnes is a third generation Norfolk dairy farmer with a herd of 180 Holstein cows. The farm has three Delaval milking robots, which have helped to improve cow health, reproduction and the volume of milk produced. The robots mean that rather than there being set milking times, the cows are able to come in to be milked when they want to.
Did you know… 10% of cows in the UK are milked robotically!
The robots are able to identify the cow through an ID chip in their ear tag. The robot can then provide the right amount of feed and decide if the cow is allowed to be milked. The robot makes that decision based on the time (depending on stage of lactation) and individual milk yield. It then cleans the udder and stimulates the flow of milk using warm water and compressed air.
The robots are able to monitor information about the cows including, the milking status and yield and this can be accessed remotely using a smartphone app. It is also possible for the robots to identify peak fertility periods and to identify health problems such as mastitis.
Not all breeds are suitable for robotic milking. The udders need to be pointed down to allow the robot to attach correctly. Due to the saving in man-power and the increased productivity that the robots provide, breeding efforts are now focused on producing cows suitable for robotic milking.
You can learn more about dairy farming here from Countryside Classroom.
