An academic paper you can actually read!

The dairy business is a global industry, a staple within agriculture and food comprised of interlocking biological, ecological, social and commercial systems. Therefore it has always commanded a fairly vast body of research to advance the science and business of dairying to new levels of efficiency, quality and social responsibility.

With great amounts of research come great numbers of scientific papers and peer-reviewed, controlled trials. That's what good science is all about. Yet it's refreshing to be able to read a piece of academic writing that doesn't focus on technical minutiae, control variables and hairsplitting methodology. Instead, the paper talks clearly about experiences and outcomes of robotic dairying, relying on interviews, observations and performance results from farmers using robotics as the driver of the content and analysis.

The paper, by University of Minnesota Extension Dairy Educator Jim Salfer, is a great summary of on-the-farm experiences and takes an unbiased view in describing current issues and achievements in robotic milking systems. An excerpt from the conclusion provides a good taste of this paper:

"AMS (automatic milking systems) clearly have demonstrated they have the ability to harvest high quality milk successfully. It has the opportunity, especially for smaller herds, to reduce labor, milk more frequently and provide flexibility of hours of labor. Surveys of producers show AMS users tend to be satisfied to very satisfied with their decision and flexibility of their time (de Jong et. al, 2003).

Anyone who wants a copy of this paper should email craig@akcmarketing (Lely USA's marketing agency) and he'll be glad to send one to you. Or call him at 515-331-1700.