THE MILKING ROBOT DAIRY FARM MANAGEMENT: OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS AND CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

A herd of 29 dairy cows which voluntarily attended a milking robot site was milked for eight weeks by a robotwhich was available for 24 h a day. Milking frequency varied between two and five times a day. The daily milking andconcentrates routine was automatically controlled by a DCMS (dairy control and management system) developed at IMAGDLO.On-line milking and concentrates allocation decisions were made as the cows voluntarily visited a selection unitbefore the milking robot site. The herd was automatically milked and fed almost as planned. The DCMS succeeded inadjusting cow visits to the milking unit at relatively equal intervals throughout the day. On a dairy farm with two selectionunits, one milking unit and unrestricted voluntary cow traffic, about 120 milkings a day can be achieved. Cow visits to theselection unit and milking unit were sufficient to allow the supplementation of high yielding cows with a large amount ofconcentrates. Based on the herds visiting profile, the number of cows and the individually planned milking frequency, thefarmer can minimize his physical involvement in bringing cows to the milking robot.