Connections - October 2009 - 9

milk and cattle, the high suicide rates and the expensive overhead, “this will turn around. We will survive this.” Armed with this belief, Hershey looks to take a calculated risk to try out cutting-edge ideas to update the efficiency of his farm. “I need to be more efficient than my competitors so I can stay in business, so the supply and demand flips back in my direction,” said Hershey. “I live in an ugly industry. My survival depends on someone else not surviving.” In the past, efficiency meant he decided which cows went to the beef market, how to harvest hay so less is squandered and how to rent out the land so he can purchase crops back. Now this isn’t enough. His biggest plan is to overhaul the herringbone parlor, which is “a kind of an old fashioned milking center,” into a robotic milking process to tend to 275 cows. However, this newfangled efficiency will come at a price. The robot will cost $250,000 and can handle 50 cows. To tackle the colossal responsibility of daily milking, he’ll need six robots. To see a video of automatic milking, click here. The robot would automatically milk the herd with the aid of a microchip embedded in the cows’ collars. Prior to milking, the cows’ teats would be sanitized. Then a robotic arm would milk the cows as they As an experienced business and food writer, I focus on the copy details so you can focus on your core business. Companies rely on me to address target audiences with a consistent, recognizable voice, and editors value my schedule-driven nature and the distinctive quality I give to articles. High-caliber work delivered on deadline is what my clients can count on. I invite you to visit my website, read my writing, and see how I can give your written communications the professional polish they deserve. Call 717-284-8968 M-F 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., , or email anytime to lbaer@lbaer.com www.lbaer.com August 2009 | Connections | 9

Connections - October 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Connections - October 2009