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• Commercial robot milker systems are finding a place on a few dairy farms in other countries
• Advanced management technologies for monitoring individual cows and to assist management are continuing to develop as an advanced system designed for the robot milker

INTRODUCTION

Active development of a milker robot system is being conducted in Japan and western Europe, but not in the U.S. Are we missing something that could be important? The U.S. dairy industry is very different from both Japan and Europe. In Japan, food production, including milk production, is important for domestic food security. Labor cost is higher in Japan than in the U.S., providing many opportunities for their young population. Many herds in Japan are 40 to 70 cows, but the dynamics of food production in Japan needs to be attractive to new people, or to maintain operation with low labor. In Western Europe, a main difference from the U.S. is that quotas are in place, basically preventing expansion of dairy herds. A political goal connected with the development of the robot milker system started with the desire to stabilize the rural farm population, to help the small farmer to continue to live in the rural area. In the U.S., from a national standpoint, we have plenty of area and places that milk can be produced for the national need. Most of the discussion about a robot milker in the U.S. has simply been dismissed due to our ability to keep the cost of milk low by economies of size in the herds of several hundred cows. However, especially in the Midwest, many of our dairy herds are the size for which robots are being designed, and the producers may want to continue at their current size while reducing labor.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

After substantial early publicity in the U.S. about a robot milker system five or so years ago, little information about a robot milker system has been in the dairy news in the U.S. A number of scientific reports about the research has been published, and several engineering advances have emerged. A major event was that the Kubota company in Japan acquired the rights about five years ago to continue develop the Prolion (the most publicized unit from Netherlands) unit. There are about 25 of Kubota or Prolion units operating on farms. The European brand, Lely, is the most widely sold brand with installations on about 45 farms.

I was asked at the Japanese automatic milking system in August, 1997 to speculate for a potential market in the U.S. for a robot milker system. I visited six Japanese dairy farms (two on which cows were routinely milked by a milking robot system), talked with several of the Japanese dairy leaders, and I came home with a feeling that we needed to rethink the possibility of a milking robot system.

The main reasons that I think will affect the outlook for an automatic milking system in the U.S. are: 1) Will the U.S. dairy producers be convinced that a milker robot will perform technically nicely? 2) How can a producer justify a robot milker? 3) Are there substantial U.S. dairy producers exist with desirable scenarios that fit the situations for which automatic milking systems work well?

1. Opinions about an automatic milking system. Producers must be convinced that an automatic milker system will technologically perform well. To transform the robot milker from a laboratory, or a prototype unit, is very challenging to be accepted at a farmer facility. Will the robot consistently conduct a good job of milking well? Will the robot result in high quality milk (low bacteria counts, no debris in milk), and result in low incidence of mastitis? As well it should be, skeptical producers should question if a robot can milk a cow (remember when we questioned the use of the first automatic detachers?). I was expressly impressed with the commercial farm that I saw while I was on the field trip in Japan. It was like a one-half of a side opening parlor, operated with one robot to attach the milking units on all three stalls. I viewed the progress reports for robots for milking cows in barn stalls, to operate in typically milking parlors, and for improvements in the currently specially designed milking facilities.

New technology, in the form of sensors and software, is likely to be part of the system, in contrast to simply being a robot. Sensors are being developed for mastitis detection (milk conductivity or abnormal on-line milk composition by NIR), detection of estrus (pedometers, modification of milk and smart software), milk yield with on-line milk composition (NIR), detection of sick cows (milk temperature), automated body weights after every milking, and advanced individual animal decision aids (what is the optimum number of milkings). The perception must be of low maintenance (easy diagnosis, service and repairs readily available). The opinions of the first U.S. users will be important of first users.

2. Paying for the automatic milking system. The first reports in the U.S. dairy reports have indicated that the cost for installation is high, and the reported prices have been caused many people to dismiss the idea of an automatic milker system out-of-hand. Benefits versus costs must be carefully analyzed in individual cases. Increased milking per cow is expected to increase 12 to 20 percent by milking 3 or more times daily routinely controlled by the management software. A major question is what the manager will use with his time that is reduced (of course, not totally replaced by the robot). Many of the sensors and a computer management program may help to upgrade his management level (not a surety).

A goal in the thinking of providing a method that would help save the family farm of the typical family dairy farm in western Europe is considered to be something worth to be saved in the rural culture. A goal is to help a rural lifestyle to retard a move by farmers to move to cities by providing an incentive by assisting the maintenance of an improved lifestyle. If U.S. producers decided that a robot milker system was attractive, perhaps cost sharing for installation could be approved in a method similar to cost sharing for waste management equipment.

The idea of a decision to commit for an automatic milking system for economic reasons should allow a shift from labor-to-capital in management resources. But reduced drudgery and tedium may be the main reason to entice the operator to continue dairying in his lifestyle even if there is little or no economic advantage. A shift to an easier lifestyle may be particularly attractive for family considerations.