Milking cows by hand is a practice as old as time, but with cutting-edge technology making its way into the barn, the dairy industry is entering a new era.
“The newest technology in the dairy industry is a stall that a cow can enter at her own leisure to have herself milked,” Executive Director of TAD, Darren Turley said.
These automated milking systems allow each cow to operate on her own schedule. On average, cows enter the stall every eight hours to be milked, though timing can fluctuate depending on when each cow is ready to release its milk.
“In that stall is a robotic milking arm. They will clean the cows out with brushes and water, sanitize, and attach the milker. [The arm] will milk that cow until she’s done, it will remove that milker, it will place sanitizer on her again, and it will release her back out into the barn,” Turley said.
Automating the milking process on a dairy farm is no small task. The high cost, and the need for specialized infrastructure and management has deterred many farmers from making the switch.
“We’re still having more built, but by far that is not the norm. We’re not even at 10% of the herds being milked by robots…but it’s definitely the direction that the industry is moving across the nation,” Darren Turley said.
You can now read the most important #news on #eDairyNews #Whatsapp channels!!!
🇺🇸 eDairy News INGLÊS: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaKsjzGDTkJyIN6hcP1K
