Robotic Milking
Can you imagine a robot milking a cow?
It’s a reality in Australia, thanks to the development of automatic milking systems that make the entire milking procedure free of human assistance!
The cow voluntarily enters the milking shed for milking and is recognised by an electronic transponder. The suction cups are attached to the cow’s udder by a robotic arm and are removed after milking has finished.
The Australian-designed technology has huge potential to reduce the amount of time larger dairy farms spend on milking, freeing up the farm staff to concentrate on other farm and business management activities, such as monitoring the performance of individual cows and the whole farm system.
Forty Australian dairy farms are already using the automatic milking system with great success.
Computer Technology
Many farmers use powerful computer databases to monitor paddocks and fertiliser use and to store detailed health, milk production and breeding information on each cow, work out how much to feed the cows and calculate how much it will cost. This information is often fed directly into the milking process to increase the efficiency of the milking shed.