Robotic Milkers Provide A Variety Of Advantages, Says 4th Generation Producer

Larry Stap is a 4^th generation dairy farmer, working on the same property established by his great grandfather.  But things have changed incredibly since 1910.  Stap has joined a growing number of dairy farmers that have turned to robotic milkers to meet his employment needs, as well as the needs of the herd.  Stap said for his 200 head, robotic milkers make great employees.

“Swat it with a tail, whatever you want, it will never retaliate, it never has a hangover, it never gets to work late, it’s never in a hurry to get out of there, it’s the same every time when that cow walks into that little station.  And cows love consistency.”

Not only can robotic milkers save on labor costs, he says they provide a plethora of detailed information  He said each individual cow gets special attention, and perhaps special care, that could not be provided with human eyes.

“For example, every time a cow gets milked the total pounds of milk get accumulated, the butter fat content gets accumulated, the protein gets accumulated, the temperature of the milk gets accumulated, and they do what they call a connectivity test so if a cow has an udder infection or something, it will show up in the milk quality.”

Stap said in a current dairy operation, that kind of information is not available on a daily basis.  He acknowledged that robotic milkers are not for everyone, or every operation.  But he said he’s very happy with his long-term investment.

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