Why a robotic dairy? The farming industry has changed drastically over the course of decades. New and innovative ideas have been brought to the table to make farming more efficient. We have a desperate need to feed more and more mouths with fewer and fewer resources. How do we produce more nutritious food without taking away from natural resources, protecting our environment and keeping animal welfare at the top of our priorities?
Fair Oaks Farms’ Robotic Dairy has been a project that has been in the works for more than a year. After 8 months of construction, the farm is now fully operational. With over 800 happy cows, the robotic dairy is providing up to 10% more milk than traditional dairy farms.
Robotic Dairy History
You’re probably wondering when the idea of robotic dairies first started. The first robotic dairy was launched in 1990 in Europe with the use of robotic milking machines. The process made the milking industry more efficient by controlling labor costs, ensuring milking consistency, increasing milk production and being able to manage the herd through more accurate data analysis.
Unique Architectural Design
You’ll notice that the design of the robotic dairy barn is much different than those of our traditional barns. One of the main features of the structure is the translucent walls – looking very reminiscent of the Louvre museum {Moovre Museum?}. The translucent walls were specifically picked for this building to encourage natural light throughout the facility. The barn is temperature-controlled and is designed to keep cooler in the summer months and warmer in the winter months. The barn contains industrial-sized fans called VES fans. These fans help regulate the temperature and humidity in the barns. The air is cycled every 4 minutes and because of this, there are fewer pathogens in the barn.
This barn is referred to as a “Guided Traffic Barn.” This means that the cows are always going in a directional circle. This gives the cows the freedom to choose to go to the milker, the feeding alley or sand beds whenever they feel like it.
Fun Robotic Dairy Facts
One of the cool things about the robotic dairy is that the milking process is completely individualized for each cow. Each cow wears a collar the has a transponder code to identify each cow and her milking history. This collar knows how many times the cow has been milked, her production and even the placement of her teats down to millimeters! The individuality of the milking process not only helps us maximize milk yield but also helps increase udder health.
Whether it’s traditional farming or robotic farming, we are all working simultaneously to feed the world.
For even more information about the Robotic Dairy, visit us today!