Agvancement
/How new technology allows these ladies to live their best lives.
From Washington to Florida and Maine to California, dairy farmers across the country produce a wholesome product to feed a hungry world, just like they’ve done for generations.
You might find a tie-stall barn in Wisconsin, where a farmer milks 60 registered Holsteins, while in Colorado there’s a dairy home to several thousand ladies that get milked in a robotic rotary parlor. And while those farmers implement technology differently on their operations, they share a focus on creating efficiencies, improving herd health and increasing milk quality. Technology helps them do this easier, faster and more sustainably than ever before.
Many of these farmers not only milk cows, but they also farm crops and hay, using those commodities to help feed their herds and sell them for use in foods for humans.
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), due to advancements in technology, “farmers no longer have to apply water, fertilizers, and pesticides uniformly across entire fields. Instead, they can use the minimum quantities required and target very specific areas, or even treat individual plants differently.”
The sensors, devices and information technology that has evolved over recent years to make this possible have brought numerous benefits, according to USDA. From higher crop productivity and reduced impact on natural ecosystems to less chemical runoff into waterways and increased worker safety, ag technology has helped make our world better. Additionally, decreased use of water, fertilizer and pesticides has helped make food more economical.
On the dairy side of farming operations, technology is connecting farmers and their cows to create opportunities for healthier cows, more production and less labor than ever before.
And it all started more than 110 years ago. According to the Smithsonian, one of the first major innovations in dairying came in 1892 when the Mehring Company developed mechanized milkers as a way to improve the speed and sanitation of cow milking. Previously, the farmer would sit on his stool next to the cow and hand milk her into a bucket. These Mehring Company milkers were foot-powered and enabled farmers to milk two cows at once, with less exertion. This made it easier for spouses and kids to milk cows as well, so the whole family could play a part — all while building their herd to milk more cows.
Today, automatic milkers make it possible for thousands of cows to be milked on their own schedules, no buckets or foot pedals required. Companies have designed options for cows on grazing operations or in barns to use these robotic milkers, and cows have free choice to be milked when they please, while still in sight of the rest of the herd. Since they are herd animals, being with their friends while milking reduces stress and can increase milk yield. With the ability to eat, milk and rest whenever they choose, these ladies are calm, comfortable and producing more milk.
With robots handling the normally labor-intensive job of milking, it means dairy farmers can milk more cows without hiring more people. This leads to better work-life balance for farmers (although let’s be real, dairy is still a 24/7 job). It also allows them more time to study their herd and ensure each and every cow is getting exactly what she needs to live her best life — like a glorious neck scratch whenever she desires (page 42).
Automatic milkers collect data on each cow when she’s milked. In fact, they can collect information on each quarter of the udder every time a cow is milked, helping achieve higher milk quality and lower mastitis levels. Every time a cow enters the robot to be milked, it scans a tag, alerting the robot to which cow is there. If it’s not time for her to be milked, the robot will open the gate without milking her and she will be on her way. If she is ready to be milked, the robot will dispense some feed and get to work. After cleaning the udder thoroughly, it connects and starts milking. Since the robot reads data from each quarter, it can disconnect at the best time and not overmilk her.
With farmers interpreting this data as it comes in, they can make adjustments to feed and care before a cow ever gets sick. They can also have more informed, better detailed conversations with their veterinarians, finding the right solutions for each cow according to the information collected throughout the day.
GPS trackers also provide data to help farmers monitor cow behavior and health. Just like a Fitbit for humans, cows wear a device — sometimes in their ears, sometimes around their necks or legs — that tracks movement and fertility cycles. This technological jewelry provides insight into biometrics and activity for individual cows, and it’s generally transmitted to a mobile phone or tablet, so dairy farmers know at a glance exactly what’s happening with their herd.
Another technological innovation that supports happy, healthy cows is the robotic feed pusher. These R2-D2 look-alikes roam feed lanes at specified times, pushing feed within easy reach so the ladies are less likely to strain their necks and front legs while reaching. Frequent feed pushing not only keeps cows satiated with better rumen health, it increases production and reduces stress and aggression at the fence among herd mates. It also reduces feed waste and allows farmers and their employees to spend more time in other areas of their operation, while robots perform a labor-intensive chore.
While dairies have always been environmentally conscious operations, recent innovations have allowed them to make the most of what has been considered waste in the past. Over the years, farmers have employed new innovations to make farming more sustainable and productive, including the use of anaerobic digesters to transform waste from their dairies and communities into energy for use on the dairy and in the towns and cities around them.
Anaerobic digestion is the process where waste is converted into energy by microorganisms in the absence of air. Often, this waste is manure from the dairy, but many farmers have partnered with grocery stores or restaurants in their communities to recycle food scraps in their digesters as well. The conversion occurs in large, covered lagoons — generally double-lined to prevent groundwater seepage. One of the end products is biogas, which is combusted to generate electricity, or can be processed into renewable natural gas and transportation fuels.
Many dairies also incorporate recycled water, electric feed mixers and other innovations — like biodigesters that turn waste into watts — that make farming more profitable and sustainable, enabling the next generation to carry on for the future. Innovators in agriculture will keep finding new ways to evolve the technology our farmers use to feed the world, and as the original recyclers, farmers will continue striving to perfect their stewardship practices. The next evolution of technology is right around the corner, and the dairy industry will be using it in parlors and fields across the country.