Episode 313 -Robots, Rotaries, or Both? Jim Salfer on Where Dairy Automation’s Headed - UMN Extension's The Moos Room

Today, Brad brings on University of Minnesota Extension colleague Jim Salfer to talk through the state of dairy automation. Robots are still going in across the Upper Midwest, but they’re also coming out—and the “why” depends on farm goals, labor, barn design, and cash flow.

Highlights

• Adoption reality: Robots are spreading, yet many farms are re-evaluating fit. Large herds often lean toward automated rotaries (pre- and post-sprays) for sheer throughput; small to mid-size herds may benefit most from box robots—especially when barn flow and labor fit the model.
• Repair costs that pencil: Plan for $10–12k per robot per year once out of warranty, with $500–$1,000 annual increases as units age. Under warranty is lower; 24/7 equipment inevitably costs more to maintain.
• Troubleshooting visits: Dips from ~2.7–2.9 milkings/day to ~2.2–2.3 crush production and are hard to diagnose (cow behavior, nutrition, traffic, hardware hiccups).
• Feeding in robots: Trend has shifted from “all pellets through the robot” to less robot feed overall. Pellets remain reliable; meals can work but often require hardware tweaks (vibrators/lines) and some herds struggle with consistency. Multiple feeds can help target fresh cows but isn’t mandatory.
• Used robots are viable: Dealer-refreshed, recent-model used units can be half (or less) the cost of new. Expect less warranty and potentially higher repairs, but they’re a solid on-ramp for younger or capital-tight producers.
• Rotaries & partial automation: Pre/post sprayers are getting better and can deliver impressive efficiency. Full robotic attachment on rotaries remains complex due to eye-hand coordination challenges, but incremental automation keeps improving labor per hundred cows.
• Batch milking with box robots: A compelling middle path for pasture-based or capital-limited farms—bring cows up 2–3× daily, run them through multiple boxes, and send them back. You won’t maximize 24/7 robot utilization, but you may optimize labor and cash while managing cows like a traditional system.
• Capital strategy matters: Highly automated, all-robot barns can tie up capital and slow growth; retrofitting modest parlors can free cash to grow cow numbers. Match the system to your growth goals.
• Crystal ball: Expect three lanes to coexist—(1) retrofit parallels, (2) large new rotaries (increasingly automated), and (3) robots for small/mid herds—plus combo herds (rotary + a robot barn for elite “robot cows”).

Bottom line: There’s no one “right” technology. Choose the milking system that fits your labor pool, barn flow, capital plan, and temperament for tech and troubleshooting—not what worked for your neighbor.

Chapter markers

• 00:00 – Cold open, guest intro & breed banter (Red Angus; black-and-white Holsteins)
• 03:21 – Why talk robots now? Installs vs. removals and what that means
• 04:56 – Large-herd calculus: automated rotaries vs. box robots
• 06:22 – The visit-rate problem: when milkings/day drop and why it’s tricky
• 07:48 – Real repair numbers and how they climb after warranty
• 09:38 – Feeding through the robot: pellets, meals, and what’s working now
• 12:47 – Should you buy used robots? Costs, warranties, dealer refreshes
• 16:13 – Robotic rotaries, parlor automation, and what’s practical today
• 20:08 – Labor reality: making jobs people actually want to do
• 21:33 – “All-automated” dairies, cash flow, and growth constraints
• 23:55 – Jim’s outlook: three lanes + hybrid herds
• 26:00 – Batch milking with boxes: where it shines (esp. pasture herds)
• 28:13 – Tradeoffs: robot idle time vs. labor/capital fit
• 30:02 – The cost elephant: margins, risk, and decision discipline
• 31:41 – Wrap and contact info

 
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