When 70 dairy producers from the Midwest United States and Canada recently got together to learn about managing with robotics, they got deep into the significant positive changes that DeLaval VMS milking robots have made to their farms.The discussion about robots has evolved. It's no longer about nuts and bolts, equipment and software features. It's about management, and cow health and flexibility. This VMS PRO meeting dealt with all of those topics with a particular emphasis on transition cow health and nutrition.
"We focused on both the technical details of milking robots, and the bigger picture of overall management of robotic-milked herds," says Francisco Rodriguez, manager of Robotic Milking for North America.
Producers heard from:
- Dr. Trevor Devries of the University of Guelph on optimizing feed intake
- Dr. Charles Gardner, a vet and nutrition consultant, also on transition management
- Dan Davis of Big Gain Inc. on choosing the right pellet for your robot
- DeLaval experts Dr. Francisco Rodriguez and Dr. Lizzy French on herd management, key performance indicators, cow traffic and transition cow management.
- DeLaval technical experts Derek Zepp, Ryan Weis, and Justin Roske, on critical maintenance every robotic operator should know
- Their fellow farmers as part of a producers' panel
The two-day event took place Feb. 26 and 27 in Madison, Wisconsin and is part of DeLaval's continuing commitment to the increasing number of their customers using DeLaval VMS milking robots. As transition cow health and nutrition is essential on every dairy, it was important to discuss this topic as it relates to robotic dairies.
It was also announced that next year a VMS PRO North American conference will be held in Cancun, Mexico from Feb. 22 to 26, 2016.
3.20.2015