Robotic Milking Systems seem to be the talk of all rural towns. Dairies are popping up throughout the Midwest with this new technology. The question that everyone is asking, is it worth the high costs?
The robots were first introduced in 1992. Since then, 8,000 dairies have adapted to this new technology. With the needed hand labor to milk dairy cows in a parlor system, the struggle for maintaining a reliable milking staff is growing for dairies. Using a robotic milking system reduces the number of employees and increases the flexibility of labor hours. By implementing a robotic milking system a family farm could eliminate a non-family workforce.
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| http://www.lely.com/en/milking/robotic-milking-system/astronaut-a4_0 |
Therefore, having multiple robots decreases the risk of malfunctions that can delay milking. According to Iowa State Extension, a financial statement on robotic milker costs $150,000 on average to purchase. With the addition of a robot, the barn is in need of restructuring to remove the parlor and position the robot. Total cost of the investment being $210,000. With this robot installed cows may be milked on their own free will as they do not have set times to be milked morning and night anymore. A 10% increase in milk production is anticipated with improvement of herd health and increase in milk production efficiency. With happier and healthier cows, the farmer can see an income increase of $55,000.
For more information on how a robotic milking system could benefit your farm: Iowa State University Extension
Sources:
http://www.lely.com/en/milking/robotic-milking-system/astronaut-a4_0
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/dairyteam/sites/www.extension.iastate.edu/files/dairyteam/Robotic%20Milking%20Systems%2011%20Tranel.pdf
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