A farm in Dubuque County, Iowa, is showing how improvements in technology are helping to make dairy farming more efficient.
Mark and Karen Hosch of Round Hollow Farm live on their 400-acre dairy farm. In early December 2012, they made a significant technological investment by transitioning their dairy to robotic milking. The many years of hunching to milk the cows was eased by the help of two Lely Astronaut robots. One robot can handle 60 cows a day, and each robot costs about $200,000.
Multiple cameras monitor each robot. This process allows the cows to operate on their own schedule, and not solely when the farmer is available. It also helps the farmer spend fewer hours milking and more time supervising the dairy.
Mark Hosch can even use his smartphone to track cows, watch live video feeds, and he is alerted with any problems that arise.
“The robot will call me with a voice and tell me what the problem is, and I can check to see which one is shut down or in a cage,” Mark Hosch said.
