The Rural Voice, 2006-05, Page 20Dairying -- the
automated way
Robotic milkers and an automatic calf feeder
create more time for the cows and the kids, but
the workload remains the same
Story and photos by Keith Roulston
n fields where they use fancier
words than farmers do, they'd call
it counter -intuitive. While it
seems to make sense that dairy
farmers who spend hours milking
their cows every day would know
more about those animals than those
who use a robotic milking system,
Frank and Ella Kieftenburg know it's
just the opposite.
The Kieftenburgs have milked
both in a tie -stall operation and with
a milking parlour, but they're
convinced they know more about
their cows, and that those cows are
healthier, on their fully -automated,
Listowel -area farm which features
not only two Lely robotic milkers but
also an automated calf feeding
system.
But, if you're considering moving
to a robot, choose it for the right
reason, says Ella. Don't get a robot
because you don't like milking cows.
It's a management tool.
"Sometimes people think robots
are for lazy farmers," adds Frank.
"It's a management tool. If you don't
16 THE RURAL VOICE
like working with computers. don't
buy a robot. If you enjoy working
with the numbers you get from the
computer and let the robot milk the
cows it's a great tool.
"You use a computer quite a bit,"
says Frank. "All the information is
on the computer and the more time
you spend on the computer the more
you get out of it. You have to look it
up in the computer and work with the
figures you get from the computer."
"You have so much information
on the cows," says Ella. "The quarter,
the milk, the quality. It's amazing."
While people think they are
spending more time with their cows
if they milk, Frank maintains that if
you're milking in a double -10
milking parlour you're not spending
much time with each cow. "You've
got so many cows waiting, you just
put the milker on and (take it) off and
(the cow) go(es) out again. You don't
have time to think what's going on
with her. Later when (farmers) look
up on their computer they find out."
"But every morning when I'm on
Frank and Ella Kieftenburg (seen
on cover with daughter Christy)
grew from a 40 -stall tie -stall
operation in a bank barn the
Kieftenburgs have built a
thoroughly modern, automated
operation.
the computer for about 15 minutes
(there's a terminal in the house), 1
know everything there is, like heat.
or a cow with a sore leg, or she's not
coming (to the milker) or she's sick. I
have all the information I want. Then
it's for me to decide to go to the cow.
I know my cows a lot better now than
I ever did before."
"We spend just as much time with
the cows," says Ella noting they're in
the barn morning, noon and evening.
Frank always looks in on the cattle
before going to bed, even if he comes
home at two or three in the morning.
In between, they can make a quick
check on the state of things at the
barn through three closed-circuit
video cameras: one trained on each
robot and one on the calving pen.
"Now you can walk through the
cows because they're so tame,"
Frank says. Even his vet has noted
that the cows are so relaxed. "There's
Tess stress to them, I'm sure."
While the Kieftenburgs may seem
to be on the leading edge of dairying
now, they didn't start out that way in
1989. Frank had come to Canada
straight out of school in Holland. His
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