North
West New York
Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops
Team
Dairy, Livestock & Field Crops
Team
By Collin McCarthy
In July of 2008, MapleLawn Dairy abandoned their double-six flat barn parlor to become the first large dairy in the state of New York to rely completely on robotic technology to milk their cows. This courageous step was taken after a four year process that began with a tour of a dairy that was using one robotic milker. John Wolf, who runs Maple Lawn Dairy with his parents, identified a list of goals that led them to the decision to adopt robotic milking system:
• Improve efficiency
• Improve cow well-being
• Accommodate growth
• Improve lifestyle for labor and management
Recognizing that an aging flat barn parlor was not going to help accomplish these goals, the Wolfs looked at building a new pit parlor facility. They felt that a new milking center of this sort was going to force an expansion rate that was not immediately sustainable. “We’d have to expand just to pay for the shell!” points out John. After seeing robotic technology in action, the Wolfs began a dialogue with the Lely Group, manufacturers of the Astronaut A3 robot. The company invited the Wolf family to Holland to tour some dairies that had been using the technology for many years. John’s father, Dan, came back from that trip convinced that the milking robot was a viable system to help the Wolfs achieve their management goals. In 2008, five Lely Astronaut A3’s were “hired” to milk the herd of 325 cows at Maple Lawn Dairy.
When asked about any differences in herd health, John answered without a moment’s hesitation, “Healthier feet, and better heats”. Taking the holding area out of the milking routine has eliminated a lot of unproductive standing time, and lowered stress levels on the cows. Instead of standing in line, cows go eat or lie down until their turn comes to be milked. Dan agreed with his son and added that he’s observed cows actually watch for the robot’s availability before rising in their stall.
“Come on, let’s go see cows be cows”, said John, as he led me from an observation room to the freestall barn. A herd manager’s goal is to have bored cows; bored cows are happy cows. The barn at Maple Lawn Dairy is full of bored cows, doing what bored cows do: eat, drink, lie down, get milked, and socialize. While many parlor dairies can boast bored cows, the robot-milked cow’s day is not interrupted by the holding area. She is the master of her own time budget day and night.
The cows are not the only ones who benefit from this type of schedule. John and his barn staff enjoy flexibility once unheard of on dairy farms. “When we have something we have to do (with our family), we go do it”, says John. There is a sense of partnership with the herd. Cow work is done when it suits both the cows and people, rather than squeezed in between milking.
The robotic system offers many of the same information technology as many modern parlors: milk weights, conductivity, and activity, all of which are very useful in the early detection of sickness, lameness or estrus. The Wolfs utilize all of these features, but are particularly keen on the robot’s ability to record daily body weights (the robot uses weigh cells to help it determine where the cow’s udder is). This information is used to detect acute and severe illnesses, as well as to track fresh cow weight loss, first lactation heifer growth rates, and other herd-wide trends in weight gain or loss.
John relayed that there are over 20 new installations planned across the state, including two more at Maple Lawn. Though a cost-intensive investment, the annual operating costs are similar to parlors of similar capacity. The benefits to both cows and humans are evident and attracting attention from dairies large and small.
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