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Robotic milkers big draw on Wisconsin dairy tour Tuesday, June 24, 2008
By Heather Carlile-Thorstensen
Agri News staff writer
TURTLE LAKE, Wis. -- Everyone wanted to see robotic milkers during last week's bus tour that took approximately 100 dairy farmers from Minnesota to Wisconsin.
"Robots were the reason to come here," said Minnesota Milk Producers Association executive director Bob Lefebvre. MMPA organized the June 17-18 event with University of Minnesota Extension. There are three dairy operations working with robotic milking systems around the Turtle Lake area; two of the tour's five stops were to farms incorporating robots.
Lefebvre said overall the program focused on dairies that exhibit or are moving toward ways to be more efficient and profitable. Tour participants had a chance for hands-on learning and to ask questions.
The first stop was at Duane and Nancy Kodesh's farm in Rice Lake. The family has been through many expansion projects in recent years that's included a new calf facility, a herd expansion from 70 cows to 250 cows and a move from a tie-stall barn to a 180 stall sand-bedded free-stall barn. Last year they purchased 80 acres, bringing their acreage up to 450.
"It's been a long haul, but it's finally starting to go smoother," Nancy said as she addressed the crowd.
The family said if they were to do it again, they would plan more and hire help sooner.
"We were really understaffed to begin with," said Duane.
This week they plan to start moving dirt for a manure pit, which should help them with their biggest challenge: daily manure management. An expansion on the milk house is waiting for a floor; the new bulk tank could be in any day.
The next stop on the tour took the group to Greg Barfknecht's dairy farm, also in Rice Lake. He is constructing a 110 stall, four-row sand bedded free-stall barn that will use two Lely A3 Astronaut robots. One was inside and drew a crowd even though it wasn't yet in operation.
"I looked at the robot as pre-paid labor," Barfknecht said.
Rick Rugg, a Lely Midwest marketing representative, said the No. 1 reason people buy robots is to solve their labor issues. The machines are marketed as reliable "employees" that milk around the clock. One can milk about 60 cows per day.
The robots can be leased or financed for $50 to $80 each per day. According to Rugg, one robot may be purchased and installed for about $180,000. Subsequent robot purchases would be less expensive because the first purchase includes technology that the other robots can use. They are engineered to last 20 to 25 years.
According to Dairyland Equipment Services sales representative Gregg Luebke, robotic milking systems are approved to milk without any special permitting in the United States.
But besides labor issues, Barfknecht wanted to use robots because they offer consistency for the cows.
"It's unreal," said Cindy Thompson of Lewiston as she and other tour participants watched cows get milked in four Lely robots at Kevin and Sarah Herrman's dairy farm in Barron.
Visitors had their video and digital cameras out as the machines went to work. Peach and white brushes swirled to clean and stimulate the cows' teats before a laser beam found the exact spot where the cups should attach and begin milking.
A computer tracks information for each cow and creates an attention list when one needs to be checked for a problem or hasn't been milked for a specified period of time.
The Herrmans were the first dairy farm in Wisconsin to install robotic milkers and Kevin said he's happy with their performance. He's gone from seven employees to three and has a long term-goal to add four more robots.
"It's pretty easy to get along with and use," he said of the system.
The tour concluded the next day with stops at Valley Vu Farms in Cumberland and Norswiss Farms in Rice Lake.
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