The Rural Voice, 2006-02, Page 21similar herds of 100 cows in free stall
and tie -stall barns show a labour
saving of 20-30 per cent in free stall
barns. This shouldn't be surprising
when milking is 30-40 per cent of the
labour on a dairy farm, he said.
He urged producers to look at
their real needs for equipment.
"We've invested a lot of money in
high-tech, small parlours," he said.
There's not enough time saving from
a double -eight parlour with all the
bells and whistles over a simpler
low-end swing parlour.
n fact that simple parlour will be
more efficient in time
considerations than a robot but
the robot gives the advantage of
greater record keeping. 'In fact,
Rodenburg predicted that as herd size
grows, robots will give producers the
ability to give greater cow care
through complete record keeping.
"I think we're on the threshold of
the adoption of new technology," he
said. "There's a new generation of
technology out there."
Robots can monitor not only each
cow's production but also milk
colour, milk conductivity, body
weight, activity and feed
consumption. They offer the option
to alter grain amount, milking
frequency, vacuum level, pulsation
rate, detach delay and can sort cows
into lanes or pens.
"This kind of 'sensor -based'
ability to identify cows, collect
information and even alter inputs like
changing feed amounts or altering
milking parameters, are the first steps
toward 'labour free management',"
Rodenburg said. Ontario's dairy
industry has a strong tradition of
individual cow care, he said and
"technology can give us lower labour
and individual attention in feeding. I
think there is something on the
horizon I call precision dairy
management."
Another labour saving technology
from one of the companies that
introduced robotic milkers to Ontario
was described by Talo Tamminga,
general manager of Lely Canada.
Automatic calf feeders can cut labour
and give precise feeding control and
record keeping for the labour-
intensive job of feeding young
calves, Tamminga said. To use the
system requires a group -housing
situation rather than individual calf
hutches. Ventilation is a key factor
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