David Trimner
John Seehafer
Miltrim Farms Inc. was established in 1988 with just forty cows. Now, more than thirty years later, they milk a total of 2,500 cows with the Lely Astronaut A5 milking robot and through a milking parlour. After thorough investigation of the possibilities of robotic milking, a new robot barn with 18 Lely Astronaut A5 milking robots opened recently. We spoke to David Trimner, General Manager of Miltrim Farms and John Seehafer, General Manager and Owner of Lely Center Seehafer, about this project.
HAPPY FARMER
1988, started with 40 cows
David Trimner, General Manager
Athens, Wisconsin, United States
2,500 milking cows,
950 through the Lely Astronaut A5 milking robot,
1,550 through a milking parlour
18x Astronaut A5, 1x Juno
Lely Center Seehafer
Since:
Owner:
Location:
Number of cows:
Type and number of Lely robots:
Supported by:
Miltrim Farms Inc.
Facts
Why did you invest in a new, modern robotic barn?
David: 'One of the major problems we face is labour. Labour is increasingly hard to find and more and more expensive. Cow comfort and free cow traffic have been the deciding factors for us. Instead of bringing the cows to the milking parlour three times a day, we have brought the milking parlour to the cows. They can go to the robot whenever they want, eat whenever they want, and we think that is really important.'
What is your first impression of the robots?
David: 'We were surprised how peaceful and quiet the barn was. The start-up for us was a very smooth process. We made the choice to pre-train the cows. We took a full week to “push” them through the milking robot once a day, without milking them. This way they could get used to being in an enclosed area, and it taught them that there was a tasty treat for them. When we started milking the cows for real, it was so much easier to get them in.
Of course, we also had some challenges during the start-up. Starting up nine robots at a time was quite a challenge. On the first day, we had more than 20 people working to make it happen. The final challenge was the grain mix. Due to the changing weather - very humid in summer and very cold in winter - we had to make sure the grain mix was flowing to the robots properly. We have made a few changes to the process, and now it works perfectly.'
What are your
future plans?
David: 'We will continue to look at robotics and other technologies to improve the efficiency of our farm even further. By the time we get round to investigating the replacement of our old milking parlour, we will have a lot of knowledge from this new robotic barn. We are also continuously improving the processes on our farm. Whether it is labour efficiency, improved milk per cow, better soil conservation, less water use or more milk per energy used, we are always striving to be better in all aspects of the dairy business.'
John, what was special
about this project for
your Lely Center?
'It was ultimately a combination of all the features Tom and David liked from the dairy farms they toured. We were with them on multiple dairy visits within the USA and Canada and partnered with Miltrim Dairy to find the best possible solutions to fit their needs.
We are extremely proud to have installed robots in, and currently support, the biggest robotic dairy farm in Wisconsin. It feels like our team is involved in a project that is making history in the dairy industry. I hope the success of this operation will encourage others in the area to seek dairy robotics.'
HAPPY FARMER
Miltrim Farms Inc. was established in 1988 with just forty cows. Now, more than thirty years later, they milk a total of 2,500 cows with the Lely Astronaut A5 milking robot and through a milking parlour. After thorough investigation of the possibilities of robotic milking, a new robot barn with 18 Lely Astronaut A5 milking robots opened recently. We spoke to David Trimner, General Manager of Miltrim Farms and John Seehafer, General Manager and Owner of Lely Center Seehafer, about this project.
Since: 1988, started with 40 cows
Owner: David Trimner, General Manager
Location: Athens, Wisconsin, United States
Number of cows: 2,500 milking cows, 950 through the Lely Astronaut A5 milking robot,
1,550 through a milking parlour
Type and number of Lely robots: 18x Astronaut A5, 1x Juno
Supported by: Lely Center Seehafer
Facts
Miltrim Farms Inc.
Why did you invest in a new,
modern robotic barn?
David: 'One of the major problems we face is labour. Labour is increasingly hard to find and more and more expensive. Cow comfort and free cow traffic have been the deciding factors for us. Instead of bringing the cows to the milking parlour three times a day, we have brought the milking parlour to the cows. They can go to the robot whenever they want, eat whenever they want, and we think that is really important.'
What is your first impression of the robots?
David: 'We were surprised how peaceful and quiet the barn was. The start-up for us was a very smooth process. We made the choice to pre-train the cows. We took a full week to “push” them through the milking robot once a day, without milking them. This way they could get used to being in an enclosed area, and it taught them that there was a tasty treat for them. When we started milking the cows for real, it was so much easier to get them in.
Of course, we also had some challenges during the start-up. Starting up nine robots at a time was quite a challenge. On the first day, we had more than 20 people working to make it happen. The final challenge was the grain mix. Due to the changing weather - very humid in summer and very cold in winter - we had to make sure the grain mix was flowing to the robots properly. We have made a few changes to the process, and now it works perfectly.'
What are your
future plans?
David: 'We will continue to look at robotics and other technologies to improve the efficiency of our farm even further. By the time we get round to investigating the replacement of our old milking parlour, we will have a lot of knowledge from this new robotic barn. We are also continuously improving the processes on our farm. Whether it is labour efficiency, improved milk per cow, better soil conservation, less water use or more milk per energy used, we are always striving to be better in all aspects of the dairy business.'
John, what was special about this project for your Lely Center?
'It was ultimately a combination of all the features Tom and David liked from the dairy farms they toured. We were with them on multiple dairy visits within the USA and Canada and partnered with Miltrim Dairy to find the best possible solutions to fit their needs.
We are extremely proud to have installed robots in, and currently support, the biggest robotic dairy farm in Wisconsin. It feels like our team is involved in a project that is making history in the dairy industry. I hope the success of this operation will encourage others in the area to seek dairy robotics.'