Dairy farmers get to sleep in.
This week heralds a new era in dairy farming with the revelation of the robotic rotary, a world first, developed by DeLaval in collaboration with Australia’s FutureDairy project. Designed for Australian grazing herds with more than 300 cows, the robotic rotary automates most milking tasks, enabling the job to be performed as a background activity, without the presence of a human operator.
FutureDairy researchers have discovered that cows can be trained to respond to sound, opening up
possibilities for teaching cows to come to the dairy in response to a particular call.
Dairyfarmers sowing brassica – or forage rape – can save on seed costs this season, with FutureDairy’s latest research showing that a lower sowing rate results in a crop density that cows prefer to graze, with similar drymatter yield and feed quality to crops sown at higher seeding rates.
Victor and Denise Rodwell are living proof that it is possible to expand a dairy business and end up with a better lifestyle.Over the past six years, their herd has grown from 490 cows to 820. It’s a stark contrast to the 45‐cow operation Victor joined in 1985.
FutureDairy research has revealed new insights into risks for clinical mastitis in dairy cows, and particularly those milked in a robotic or automatic milking system (AMS).
Planning, preparation and practice – these are the keys to adapting to an automatic milking system (AMS), based on the experience of Western Victorian dairy farmers Terry and Danila Kavenagh who installed a robotic dairy last year. “It took a few weeks to get the hang of the robotic system but Lely was very supportive. However, real success relies on adapting your farming system to ensure cows move voluntarily to be milked and onto fresh feed. We’ve gotten better at that as we’ve built up experience,” said Mr Kavenagh