ACE Expo ’99
Robotic milking systems have been successfully developed and are being used commercially in Europe at this time. I had the opportunity this past August to tour the first commercial unit in operation in Canada. The fact this unit was working well for this dairyman for the previous six months encouraged me to find out more about robotic milking technology so that I can help my dairy clients use this technology when it becomes available here. In this session, I discuss the current state of affairs of robotic milking technology, show videos of three different commercial units in operation, and discuss what the future may hold for robotic milking in the U.S..
There are several reasons why dairymen consider the use of robotics to harvest milk. These include labor savings, elimination of a highly repetitive task from their daily routine, the chance to gain better control over their lifestyle and schedule, the chance to focus more effort on management of the dairy, and the possibility of expansion without increasing labor requirements. Every dairy operation is unique and must decide what their goals are and how they will reach them. Robotic milking is one more option to allow them to reach their goals.
At the present time, there are over 400 commercial robotic milking units in operation. The vast majority of these are in Europe, although Canada now has at least two different manufacturers installing units. In Europe, robotics are no longer just a novelty, evidenced by the fact that 25% of new milking operations installed in the Netherlands last year were robotic units. The main units in operation at this point are the Lely Astronaut and the Prolion units.
The exact time frame for U.S. adoption of robotics is not set in stone. Much will depend on FDA and milk sanitarian response and adaptation of existing rules and standards. This process has been initiated to some extent with positive signals. From my discussions with the various manufacturers, it appears the following availability estimates are reasonable. In the year 2000, both Lely Astronaut and Prolion (AMS,Miros) systems will probably be placed in operation in the U.S.. They will be introduced in "pockets" so that there will be adequately trained service people to keep them functioning. The Prolion system will be marketed in the U.S. by Universal Dairy Equipment. Lely will probably market their own system.
Projections indicate that two more systems may be available in 2001, Westfalia’s Leonardo unit and a DeLaval unit. At some point, Boumatic may be offering a robotic unit, but I have been unable to learn much about it. There are a lot of questions about the specific timing and availability of the different units, but it is safe to say they work and they are coming to the U.S. in the coming years.
Next, I will describe the basic technology used by all the manufacturers and then delve into some of the differences between systems. Critical to all robotic milking systems is the importance of an accurate and dependable cow ID system and computer management software. The systems vary in the specifics, but this is critical for any system to perform. It is through the computer software system that criteria such as setting milking eligibility, discarding milk, and monitoring electrical conductivity of the milk ,which indicate mastitis problems, are accomplished.
Once a cow is recognized and enters the stall, all the units go through an udder prep procedure, application of the teat cups, monitoring milk flow, teat cup removal, and post-milking teat spraying. Again, the units vary in the specifics, but all units accomplish these tasks in some way. All units also have a built-in alert system to notify the dairy personnel and/or service people if any malfunctions occur.
The unit that I saw operating in Canada was the Lely Astronaut. The specifics on this unit are that it is a single stall unit capable of milking 60 — 65 cows 3X. It preps teats individually with a rotating towel system, monitors milk flow by quarter, removes teat cups individually, allows discarding of milk by individual quarter, and washes the unit between cows. There is also an optional test day sampling kit available as an add-on. U.S. price will be in the $125,000 - $150,000 range.
The other unit that will be available soon in the U.S. is the Prolion/AMS/Miros system. This is an expandable multi-stall system with up to 4 stalls. It will milk 65 — 160 cows 3X depending on the number of stalls you add. The cost will be $175,000 for the first stall, with each additional stall costing $55,000 each. This unit washes the teat in the teat cup, discards the wash water, and removes the unit as one. It can discard milk, but not by individual quarter. One of the advantages of this type of system is that it is expandable, if needed, up to a certain point.
Westfalia’s Leonardo system will be another multi-stall system with similar cow capacities. This unit uses a separate prep stall where all 4 teats are cleaned at the same time with a spinning brush system. The cow then moves to a milking stall where the units are applied, entire cluster is removed at one time, and a backflush system operates between cows.
The only thing I have been able to find out about the DeLaval system is that it will be an individual stall system like the Lely unit described above. I have no information about the system that Boumatic may be marketing in the future.
Design of the animal housing and feeding systems, milk quality issues, and the economics of robotic milking will be discussed during the panel discussion. There is not room here to develop these topics, but anyone interested may contac me, the other panelists, or the various milking machine manufacturers for further information.