Clemson University’s LaMaster Dairy Farm unveils new robotic milking system
The cows wear activity monitors that track daily movement and alert dairy managers when activity is high for improved reproduction and when activity is low to identify possibly sick or lame cows.
Clemson University’s LaMaster Dairy Farm, Clemson, S.C., unveiled a new robotic milking system.
“We started [designing the dairy] about 5 years ago, and it was designed for total cow comfort,” says Steve Waggoner, dairy farm manager. “It milks the cows individually, and you can get individual information on each cow. The robotics run 24/7. It will milk a cow now, two hours from now or 10 hours from now, without having to use manual labor in shifts.”