VANKLEEK HILL — In 2003 the Allen family constructed a new barn with two robots to milk 120 cows. Four years later 42-year-old Kelley Allen , one of the four partners, reflects on the decision. "There are advantages, such as the reduction in manual labor," explains Kelley. "They (robots) create a more flexible time schedule. It is cutting edge. There is no need to hire additional laborers, meaning the family can manage it and, above all, it really treats the cows well by cleaning, disinfecting, and reducing bacteria in the milk."

Robots are very cutting edge as only 70 to 80 dairy farms in Ontario have them, says OMAFRA barn design specialist Jack Rodenburg. "That’s two per cent."

However, even the best management styles still have their drawbacks. The Allens have found that some cows do not visit the robots enough, which forces the Allens to chase down the defiant cows. This has been a major frustration and led to set backs in production as about 10 per cent of the cows, mostly the older ones, do not line up for milking.

"Right now we are averaging 2.4 milkings a day," Kelley says. "We would like to be at 2.7."

They are at 2.4 milkings in part due to the low traffic at night. "The cows have gotten used to being milked in the morning, after feeding, and in the evening, so they do not think about being milked at night," he says. "The idea behind the robots is to encourage as many milkings as possible."

In addition, the robots can encounter technical problems, such as not being properly aligned with the visiting cow. This means that the four partners must be on call 24/7 in case a problem arises with the robot or a specific part. Despite the drawbacks Kelley says the robots have reduced the physical workload that they used to face with their old tie-stall barn. What has increased is the management aspect of checking the status of each cow on the computer and ensuring cows are being milked regularly, which Kelley says he does not mind doing.

When asked if he would have done things differently, Kelley explains that they would have attempted to ease the transition from milking styles and have all of their milking cows in the same barn. When the new barn opened, they only moved in some of the cows, anticipating resistance. "Each system has its pros and cons and, yes, you always wonder if the grass is greener with another system. But we are content and with the continuous upgrades to the system we may even appreciate it more in a couple of years."