RUMINATIONS
By Tom Wright
Worth the money
Spanish study to determine automatic milking system efficiency shows how unit can help boost your bottom line
etting maximum efficiency from your automatic milking system can help you recoup the unit’s costs sooner and boost your bottom line by increasing the time it spends milking cows. Robotic or automatic milking systems are increasingly becoming popular on Canadian dairy farms. Producer interest in this newer technology has grown rapidly since the First North American Robotic Milking Conference in Toronto in 2002. The first AMS unit was installed in Europe in 1992, and in North America, in Ontario, in 1999. Recent studies have identified five factors that influence producers to switch to an AMS from a conventional milking parlour:
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Ruminations is prepared by Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs livestock technology specialists to provide information you can use on your farm.
Robotic milking offers labour-saving advantages related to handling and cleanup compared with milking parlours with similar herd sizes.
36 | May 2012 | MilkPRODUCER
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - May 2012