“Robots make you lazy.”
“Having robots will just make you as a farmer lazy.”
Haha haaaaa…..this is actually a comment that Michael and I received on a TikTok we created when we announced that we were going to be putting Robotic Milkers in. The truth is, the exact opposite is true. That being said, Michael and I are going to work to debunk a few of the most common misconceptions related to robotic milkers.
Q: If you have a robot, then what are you doing since you aren’t spending 4+ hours a day milking?
A: Having robots allows you to spend more time caring for the health and quality of your cows and calves. Having robots allows you to track and improve nutritional needs for each cow to improve their milk production, as well as overall health. Nutrition is so important when it comes to milk production and as producers, we want to be able to create the best product possible for our consumers.
Q: If you have robots doing your work, are you really dairy farming?
A: Yes. Yes we are haha. Again, the addition of robots allows us to better focus on overall health and comfort of each cow. It allows us to spend more time on calf care, farm maintenance, and the most important, time with our families. Lastly, if you have ever met a dairy farmer, you will notice 2 things: 1) they are tired, and 2) their bones/joints are worn out. Dairy farmers are some of the hardest working people on the planet and their bodies definitely take a toll on it. We are really excited for our Dad especially to be able to better care for his own body with the addition of robots.
Q: When you have robots you can just leave the yard whenever you want, right?
Robots do open up the door for more flexibility. However, that doesn’t mean that you are essentially off duty. The robot will send you an alarm on your phone if something isn’t quite right. Especially in the first few months, you may actually loathe your robots…purely because just like learning to walk, your cows, your family, is getting used to this new system. It’s a learning curve!
Q: Aren’t robots only for small farms?
Michael works with a variety of dairy’s that range from 2 robots to the largest in the country, 48. Robots are for any dairy that want to make that step. Personally, I would argue that if I had a farm that had several thousand cows, money aside, I would definitely lean towards getting robots if I could.
Q: You must be a rich farmer if you can afford robots, right?
Robots are expensive-we won’t deny that. However, just like choosing to invest in a home to fit your family, robots are similar. It’s an investment. When you put in a robot, you do end up dropping costs to pay for hired milk help. You may also drop costs in a few other areas, but that depends on your dairy. So, no, we are not rich, but we see the future that the robots can give our family.
