Even though the technology has been around for quite some time, some dairy operations do not use robotic milkers. It is something researchers at Wisconsin’s Dairy Innovation Hub wanted to better understand.
Jalyssa Beaudry tells Brownfield Ag News that 75 percent of the dairy farmers she interviewed do not use automated milking systems on their operations. The two main reasons are the cost to purchase and the cost to maintain.
She found younger farmers, and those over the age of 60, are more likely to use the systems. Their research shows younger farmers understand the technology because they grew up with it, and older farmers rely on it because their bodies physically need the help.
