High-tech Baroda dairy farm robots even offer back rubs and treats to the cows
Even when you know what to expect, a first look at Bill Shuler’s robotic dairy farm in Baroda Township is flat-out astonishing.
For the most part, the cows themselves decide when they need to be milked. They amble over to one of the two DeLaval Voluntary Milking System robots, which reads the computerized tags in their ears, sanitizes their udders, connects the milking tubes to the udders – that part is especially like something out of science fiction – and records the time and exactly how much milk it gets from each cow.
And the cows have an added incentive. Once the seven-minute process is done, they automatically get some molasses pellets, which they love.
A small number of his 56 dairy cows could not be trained to go to the machines, but that’s not much of a problem, Shuler said Friday. Either he or one of his two sons, Bill Jr. or Wyatt, rouses the cow and leads or drives her to the machines. Those cows don’t object to the machines, they’re just not much interested in going by themselves.
How do the Shulers know if a cow is overdue for milking? Simple: The computer outlines their names in red.
The milk is pumped to a 2,700-gallon DeLaval computerized tank, which Shuler said cools the milk from its 101.2-degree starting point down to 37 degrees. The well water used in the cooling process then goes to the cows to drink, which works out because “they like warm water,” he added.
Shuler said he’s heard the new set-up, which went into operation this spring, described as a “cow hotel.” He said it’s an apt description.
The cows live in an enormous brand-new and ultra-modern barn that is 88 feet wide and 325 feet long. They sleep or stand around on a comfortably soft floor of sawdust, which also provides heat because it slowly decomposes. If they have an itch, they can walk over to one of the automated cow brushes, which turn on when they get near.
“Hey, it gives a great back rub,” Shuler said.
As soon as the pasture fences are up, the cows will also be able to head outside if they wish, but Shuler doesn’t expect them to do that very often. It can be hot outside, but the temperature inside is moderated by a system of fans and mists. Shuler said on a 90-plus degree day this summer, he measured the barn temperature at chest level and found it to be a pleasant 74 degrees.
(Shuler said he has other cows for a grand total of 150, and the other cows can and do go outside when they wish.)
The translucent roof admits light but not heat. The walls admit light but block ultraviolet rays, like treated eyeglasses, Shuler said.
Also, cows outside are pestered by flies, but the flies don’t like the air movement inside and not many venture in.
“There are more flies out here than in the barn,” Shuler said in the barn’s visitor reception area. That was true – two flies seen in the hallway, none observed inside the barn.
The cows can eat their hay and corn silage just about any time they wish. They stand on a special strip of floor to do so, and that floor is periodically cleaned off by an automated squeegee.
Clean cows
All that makes things unusually clean for a cow barn.
“Our cows have never been this clean before,” Shuler said. That’s important for the the cleanliness of the milk, and for the cows’ comfort and health, he said.
Cows are prone to an udder infection called mastitis, Shuler said. It’s a serious problem, but he’s only seen one case since the cows moved into the new barn.
It’s crucial that the milk stays absolutely clean, Shuler said.
“We’re not risking any contaminated milk,” Shuler said. “Milk that leaves here has no chance of having hormones or antibiotics. If there’s any trace of antibiotics, we just bought a semi load of milk. Milk is the safest thing you can buy, as long as it’s from the U.S.”
Adjacent to the cow barn is another new barn for “young stock from three months to two years,” Shuler said. He said he plans to increase his herd to around 120-130 cows, a natural increase from his existing herd.
The cows’ computer tags help with that, too, as the computers will even tell when a cow comes into heat and is ready for artificial insemination, Shuler said.
The Shulers also have a bull on hand, an irascible-looking fellow named Punk who weighs close to 3,000 pounds. But “he doesn’t see much action,” Shuler added.
The change from traditional to robotic dairy farming has been expensive. Shuler said it’s been a “multi-million dollar” investment, with the two milking robots and the computerized tank, all made in Sweden, costing around $500,000 all by themselves.
A necessary move
So why do it?
Dairy farming is a labor-intensive enterprise no matter what. The cows need to be milked regularly, no matter what else might be going on in the farmer’s life – weddings, funerals, Christmas, Cubs games.
Shuler is a fourth-generation dairy farmer and hopes to see the operation stay in the family, but “it wasn’t working,” he said. “We didn’t have time for anything else.”
There’s still a lot to do, but changing to a robotic dairy means no longer having to get up at 3:45 a.m. every day and working until evening, Shuler said.
The system is designed for easy and mostly online repairs, Shuler said. “It’s very rare that something goes wrong,” he added.
Despite the huge initial investment, going robotic is the future – “The wave has just started to crest” – and that’s significant in an uncertain economy for dairy, Shuler said.
Fifteen years ago, milk sold for $24 for 100 pounds, Shuler said. Two months ago, it was down to $13, and only recently has it come up to $16, he said.
“We’ve been taking it in the teeth for awhile, and it’s probably not going to get any better for awhile,” Shuler said.
There are about 1,800 dairy farms and over 420,000 cows in Michigan, according to the United Dairy Council of Michigan. Of those farms, 97 percent are family owned and many are owned “by multiple generations of the same family,” a council web site said.
A move toward tourism
But even going robotic isn’t enough, Shuler said. A big part of the change is moving into agri-tourism.
The new barn is designed to attract visitors, with a reception area and a catwalk over the barn floor, and Shuler hopes to attract a lot of visitors. Already he’s had numerous visitors, “literally from all over the world,” he said, including a group from Spain earlier on Friday.
Someday he plans to sell his own milk products, such as ice cream and cheese, on site.
“We have to have tourism,” Shuler said.
Shuler said has another motive – showing people “how it’s done these days” and countering the negative image that dairy farming sometimes has. “We think we can put a dent in that,” he said.
Shuler and his wife, Carol, have two sons, Billy, 29, and Wyatt, 26. The change to a robotic dairy means his sons are staying in the business, and that’s a huge part of an important legacy, a legacy to his parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, he said.
It’s a very old farm. The farmhouse he lives in was built in 1848, and the house has been recently restored back to its 1848 original appearance, Shuler said.
Shuler said the farm at 10823 Date Road is open for tours from 1-7 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, and added those who can’t make those times should call him at (269) 326-0366 to arrange other times. The cost is $5 per person, with children 5 and under free, he said.
Group and school tours are welcome and can be arranged by calling that same number, Shuler said.
Shuler is a 1972 graduate of Bridgman High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in dairy science from Michigan State University in 1976.
Source: The Herald Palladium
