TECHNOLOGY

Automatic milking systems have been around for some time now. In Canada, their number continues to increase, with different companies now operating in the market. This is an exciting technology, more and more accurate and reliable, but it brings with it some new and interesting challenges.

Over the past few years, the adoption rate of activity monitors for heat detection has grown significantly in herds where cows are able to move about freely.

Heifers are generally the most fertile animals on a dairy. Research shows that the mean U.S. conception rate for dairy heifers is 57 percent, so it’s not unusual for dairy heifer reproductive performance to be taken for granted while focusing on the lactating herd.

Since the invention of the automatic milking machine, dairy producers have been milking in the dark.

Every producer thinking about or already purchasing a robotic milking system has heard all the stories that can go with a transition – the drama, the tall tales, the truly rough experiences. These sagas usually are the only stories that get re-told over and over, making it seem like every robotic milking startup will have an epic story to tell.

A new app is changing the way dairymen track milk quality. The Milk Quality app allows an instant, cowside somatic cell count using an iPhone.