Robot Tough love

“It's fascinating to the younger generation. We see younger kids want to come back to the family farm and get involved with Dad

where it's a little more interesting because they love the technology, they understand and they get it.”

 

Meet milk producer Mike Garner of Hagler Creek farms. His operation opened a 750 cow robotic dairy last November and so far…“This is phenomenal what this technology can do with the cows. They're quiet. They're content. They don't know if it's raining or shining, they have feed. They have air blowing across them, they’re comfortable.”

 

The dairy also operates a conventional milk barn where a strict daily schedule is followed. Not so with robots milking.

 

“We just don't push them. In the other barns we push them. They’re on a schedule milking three times a day no matter what. And up here, the schedules theres. In fact, most of them, they come in more times than they get milk. We average about 2.7, 2.8 refusals a day per cow in the barn, which means they've been milked too recent. And the robot just kicks them out.” Tough love from a robot.