Thinking about robots? Start here by measuring yourself against these 4 traits which make up a successful robotic dairyman or woman:
1. Technology-minded
When you picture the owner of a robotic dairy farm, you probably picture a younger person with a smartphone in-hand who knows how to Zoom his cousin in the next state over. Surprisingly enough, this is not always the case. Many prospects who consider robots may be technology adverse in their day-to-day life even though they are considering advanced technology on the farm. Whatever category they fit into, the most successful robotic dairyman is one that is quick to adapt to the technology that comes with the robots and adjusts his or her management style accordingly.
2. Efficiency-minded
If you tend to picture your weeks by the hours in each day and not the days in each week, robots may be a good fit for you. Successful robotic dairywomen and dairymen understand that a 75-lb. cow milking 3x a day with a 9.0 milk speed and an 8:30 box time is better than a 120-lb. cow milking 4x a day with a 3.0 milk speed and an 18:00 box time. On paper, that may make sense to you, but do you have the guts to get rid of the 120-lb. cow when the time comes? The top robotic dairy owners do.
3. Cow-minded
Robots are a great magnifying glass. If you want robots to stay in the field and away from the cows, robots are not for you. The best cow people make the best robot people. If you are someone who thrives off creating the best environment for your cows to succeed, you will likely make a great robotic dairy manager.
4. Equipment-minded
While not a critical factor for a successful robotic manager, it does help the overall success of the operation to be equipment-minded. Each year we analyze the average maintenance cost for our customers. We always see a separation in yearly spending when we look at customers who can handle problems by themselves versus the ones who need a service call for almost all issues. Successful owners can handle the small issues themselves without needing to pay for a service visit.
So, how did you stack up? Are you on the forefront of technology? Do you thrive off making your operation efficient? Are you a cow person or a field person? Can you understand the basics of equipment? If so, robots may be a good fit in your future! Learn more at here!