Adair County is second in the state in dairy cow population contributing significantly to Kentucky’s dairy industry. Milk is the eighth most valuable agriculture product in the state. Adair County is currently home to 19 dairy farms.
As with everything, the technology for dairy farmers has significantly advanced in recent years. The Compton farm in Adair is the only fully robotic dairy farm in the county.
Compton Dairy has four robots that milk approximately 23 hours a day. The machine shuts down three times a day for automatic cleaning.
Each cow has a collar that is read by a scanner as they walk into the milking stall. If it is time for the cow to be milked, the robot begins to connect. If it is not time, it releases the cow automatically back into the parlor.
The cow goes into the milking stall when she is ready to be milked. The robot cleans the cow’s teats then uses a laser and 3D camera to attach the robotic cups. If the cow moves while the robot is trying to connect, it automatically adjusts so that it properly connects to the teats.
This electronic system also monitors the cow’s health, heat cycle, milk production, etc.
“That computer tells you anything you want to know about them,” said Tony Compton. “We know she’s sick before she knows she sick.”
The cows always stay in the barn until they are dry. The stalls are cleaned twice a day and sawdust is replaced. There is also a foot bath that the cows use three times a week to take care of their feet to prevent hoof rot. There are alley scrapers that clean the aisles automatically.
The Compton’s average milking 200 cows a day with a milk production of 1800 pounds per day. If anything fails with the equipment, it automatically calls the Comptons to make them aware.
“It was tough for the first five years, seven years is when it really took off and we have been in it now for about 9.5 years,” said Tony Compton.
“When we were in the parlor, we could go and buy a load of cows and we could run them through and milk them. You can’t buy that many now or when you do, it’s a nightmare. You have to put them all in the computer and get everything set up,” said Pam Compton.
The Compton farm uses the most technology of any dairy farm in Adair County. However, there are other farms that use various levels of technology. Many herds today have a technology that tracks all the cow’s activity. It detects any changes in laying time, eating, standing and sickness. All the data is sent to a computer, which analyzes the data and alerts the farmer to any significant changes. This allows the farmers to manage their cattle better than ever before.
With this technology, the focus in dairy farming has become more centered around the comfort of the cows. When the cows are comfortable and healthy, they produce more milk.
“Where technology is going in the future as far as dairy is just the same as how artificial intelligence is becoming a part of our daily lives. It is used with employees to ensure proper procedures are being followed,” said Nick Roy, Adair County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources. “Another example of artificial intelligence use around cows is with birds. There are cameras that have been equipped with lasers, and the artificial intelligence is used to recognize the behavior of the bird and it shoots a laser, not to injure the bird, but scare the bird away from the barn.”
“This technology is not a requirement for farms to have. If anything, it can make family farms more sustaining. It can be more efficient not only with their labor but also efficient in terms of production per cow, which can make us more profitable,” said Roy.
“We have 19 dairy farms in Adair County, and 18 of those still have a person who is hooking the equipment to the cow. There is much more technology than just robots” Roy concluded.
As technology continues to advance, it will be interesting to see how it continues to impact dairy farms. All the technology that is available contributes to the overall well-being of the cows, the farms, and profit margins for the farmers.
By Amy Pike
amy@adairvoice.com
