In honor of the Christmas count-down, I decided to ask Lely farmers what they are most thankful for regarding robots. See below, for our Lely Center Mid-Atlantic, 25 days of robot-thankfulness!
“Flexibility in my personal life and schedule.”
“It has made me a better manager; I am more technical minded and data driven.”
“I don’t have to worry about unreliable labor.”
“Cow health and comfort.”
“Having reliable support with FMS and an entire team behind me.”
“Being able to better manage my employee’s, juggle my schedule, and keep everyone happy.”
“Increased information availability.”
“You can reorganize your entire schedule to focus on your top priorities for that week without milking getting in the way, especially with cropping and cheese production for our farm.”
“We’ve been happy with the wellbeing of the herd. Cows are noticeably more comfortable with their life now.”
“Less stress and more time with the family. I.e. flexible schedule which allows us to make the kids events and not have to worry about employees.”
“Robots have allowed me to create a better life for myself and my cows.”
“I am thankful for the extra time I get to spend on herd health, feeding and breeding.”
“I am most thankful that the job of milking is done!”
“My husband and I are away for the week and one hired man and the robots are doing all the work at home. We can check into the computer to see how things are going, dictate if any treatments need to be performed or if cows need to be bred. It’s amazing!”
“I am grateful for the impact on our labor situation. They are more reliable and have allowed us to reduce the labor demands on our farm.”
“Increased production!”
“I can manage cows individually, while managing them as a group.”
“Not just my flexibility, but my cows also have the flexibility to do whatever they want, whenever they want. This has allowed them to reach their full potential.”
“I am grateful that it has made my business more appealing for the next generation.”
“From the FMS perspective, sometimes I take for granted the amount and availability of information robots provide. It is a completely different world of managing cows than what we see on a conventional dairy.”
“To see the cows be able to dictate their schedule each day and not being constantly pushed. And also, all of the data that is available on each animal through T4C.”
“Our reproduction program has improved thanks to the technology as well as the cow comfort.”
“Having robots has allowed us to focus on other areas of our farm and become a more diverse operation.”
“It is too difficult to choose just one thing!”
“From an industry prospective, I think it is important to recognize how robots have revolutionized the industry and helped us take another step in the advancement of milking technology.”
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