“If only the cows would milk themselves…,” could read the quote from any number of local dairy farmers, especially on those cold January mornings and muggy July evenings. For many farmers beholden to the twice daily, year round routine of milking cows, self milking cows are a pie-in-the-sky dream frequently muttered under their breath or used as a passing joke with the neighbors. For Doug Heintz and his family, it’s no longer a dream or a joke, it’s reality. One might go so far as to even call it a revolution.
December 29 the Heintz Badger Valley Farm introduced their 120 cow herd to the Lely Astronaut A3 milking system, a fully automated system that not only milks cows but cleans their udder, provides protein pellets based on nutritional energy requirements, identifies mastitis and monitors rumination (cud chewing), weight and the probability the cow is in heat. Cows wear transponders around their neck for identification and are allowed to be milked up to four times per day under their own will.
The A3 robotic system was developed during the early 90’s in Europe originally where labor costs are higher. Robotics are based on a higher initial investment but less labor costs while other setups are more labor intensive but do not require as much of an initial investment.
For the Heintz family the reasons for making the transition are many. Until December 29, Doug was milking cows in a tie stall barn, a method most consider “old fashioned” now that milking parlors have become the industry standard. Since he didn’t have the investment of a parlor, an upgrade to the A3 system seemed economically feasible. Secondly, he cited his age. At 43, he saw this as an opportunity to preserve his health. “My knees are good yet. My back is good. This will get me to retirement,” Doug said. Finally, his 16 year old son, Dayne, shows interest in taking over the farm after college, making the investment one for the future.
“Most people do it because of the lack of good help. We had real good help,” noted Doug in referring to a previous employee who decided to go back to school this semester, another factor playing into Doug’s decision to purchase the robots at the time. He was quick to point out, however, that the cost savings in employee wages will make the payment on the robots every month.
Cost can vary depending upon the bells and whistles included according to Greg Luebke at Dairyland Equipment in Plainview where Heintz purchased his system.
The purchase of the first robot includes one-time costs for computer hardware and software and other necessary equipment. Heintz, who operates two robots, expects the payoff for his setup to be about seven years while the robots are expected to have a 20-25 year life-span. Each A3 robot can milk 60-70 cows and works around the clock except for 15 minutes twice a day when it cleans itself.
The idea for installing the A3 system first came from his son. “Dayne’s been telling me about it the last couple of years,” Doug said. “In June we took a tour where we saw three farms in Wisc.”
Initially, Doug was skeptical of the technology but what impressed him the most was seeing the cows almost fighting to get into the system to be milked. It was then he started crunching the numbers.
“End of July and into Aug. we looked at prices. Sept. we applied for permits. They were approved in Oct. We poured cement in the middle of Oct. and Brickl Brothers showed up on Dec. 1.”
All the while, Doug continued to increase his herd size from his original 75-80 cows to 120. Thanks to the overtime put in by Brickl Brothers, Schultz Plumbing, and Brad and Pat Jilek, four weeks later the new robots were ready to start work.
Transitioning well
So far Doug described the transition as “real good.” “We couldn’t have asked for a better start up.”
Cell counts are down 50% while his production average increased 12 lbs./day/cow from historic averages. “I couldn’t imagine it would go up like that,” noted Doug.
Cows are enticed into the milking stall by the promise of protein pellets, a tasty treat. Initially, farmers have to continually direct cows toward the machine until cows learn the routine and realize food awaits them. Of Doug’s 120 cows, 100 of them currently enter the milking stalls themselves while the other 20 need a little prodding. Doug expects the others to improve as the desire for nutrients increases after their next lactation.
The system also monitors milk quality. Milk from treated cows is separated off into different containers. Everything is monitored on touch screens and a computer a short distance away in Doug’s office.
“I’m not real big on computers,” admitted Doug. “That was his biggest fear,” noted his wife Julie. Despite his hesitations, Doug agreed it was an easy system to use and showed me the detailed instruction booklet.
A second phone line was added to the house. If something goes wrong, such as a ripped milker hose or problems with a cow leaving the stall, a phone call is sent to the house to alert them. If nobody answers, the system proceeds to call Doug’s cell phone, and then Julie’s, and finally Dayne’s if necessary. So far, those calls have been few and for minor problems.
Major or even minor breakdowns could cause big problems for a system so reliant on the steady milking of cows.
“Dairyland being one hour away was a concern,” Doug stated. “They assured me that within two hours they would have me up and running if problems occurred.”
Additionally, a power outage would alert Doug by phone and allow him to fire up his generator. The machines worked well through the cold weather with the freestall barn staying above 20 degrees even on the coldest days.
Despite the challenge in getting the setup operating, Doug has found himself with more free time and flexibility. Six weeks in they are still in the setup phase and happy that it “keeps getting better and better.”
Doug and Julie attribute much of their initial success to the advice and help they have received from friends, family members, including Doug’s brother inlaw and father inlaw, neighbors and colleagues in the dairy industry. Both Dayne and their daughter, Jackie, devoted much of their Christmas break preparing for the transition. Even Doug’s deer hunting buddies lent a hand one December afternoon.
The future of dairy farming?
Doug believes this technology is good for the future of the dairy industry.
“I think it’s the perfect fit for the upper Midwest. I think it’s for the family farm. I’ve heard a lot of farmers say ‘I wish I wouldn’t have done that parlor.’”
“Everybody has said we have never seen the spike in interest in a product like the robots,” stated Luebke from Dairyland who currently has 14 A3 robots set up at 7 Minn. and Wisc. farms. “We have 93 names of people actively interested in this. Some are sitting back and watching at first. It’s a very busy time right now.”
Interest in this new phenomenon is evident firsthand by the number of visitors the Heintz’s find on their farm now days, often unannounced and sometimes when nobody else is around which is overwhelming and a bit nerve wracking from their perspective.
For the farmer interested in this technology Doug suggested, “do your numbers. What might be the right fit for one might not be for another.” He also suggested, “Don’t be afraid to ask advice. We didn’t know a lot of stuff so I tried to surround myself with people who did.”
I asked if there was ever a time when he imagined one day his cows would be milking themselves. “Absolutely not. Especially not here,” Doug laughed. “A year ago I’d have never dreamt it. It’s one thing to go watch somebody else’s cows go through (an A3 system) and it’s another to watch my own.”
While my generation is used to back-in-my-day stories of milking cows by hand as told by our grandparents, it seems a future in which I tell my grandkids “back in my day people used to milk the cows” is arriving faster than anyone imagined.
Now, if only the hay would cut and bale itself…
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