Skyline Dairy in Grunthal

 

Skyline Dairy has over 200 cows that are each milked three times by robotic arms.  One cow can produce 12L of milk per session, or up to 36L of milk per day. 

 

Cows are fed a blend of grains such as alfalfa, corn, soybean, to optimize nutrition and milk production.  All feed, other than the soybeans, is grown locally on 1800 acres of field.  As the cows mature, they are kept indoors with proper ventilation and temperature control, on rubber flooring, and a quiet setting, to keep the cows as comfortable as possible.  The more relaxed the cows, the better their milk production.

 

The robotic arms are highly intelligent.  All cows are given their own number stored in a transponder, and as each cow passes through the "robot milker," the computer reads which cow is passing through.  It records how much milk it normally produces and if its level fall, this is documented as well.  It records the temperament of the cow, and so if the cow kicks off one of the hoses, this is noted, and it tried again.  If a cow has an infection, this is recorded and that cows milk is diverted, so as to not infect any of the main milk supply. 

 

The robot takes roughly 2-3 minutes to milk one cow.  Using the robots can produce 15% more milk than the traditional method.  The milk is filtered before it is stored in large tanks.  These tanks are emptied daily, taken to a processing plant, and finally distributed to our local supermarkets.

 

A huge thank-you to David, the owner, for hosting us!

 

 

 Chef Joe Lindhorst

 

 Calves

 



 The Robot Milker

 

The robot's computer display