Most U.S. dairy operators milk cows twice or three times a day. But, what if the cows were left to decide when they wanted to be milked? Aòasteinn Hallgrímsson and his brother Gardar run a dairy outside of Akureyri, Iceland. They found out what happens.
Source: Quartz, September 24, 2018. Link.
In 2007, the Hallgrímsons rebuilt their barn from the ground up, spending kr 160 million ($1.46 million) on technologies such as milking robots, an automatic feeding system, and cleaning robots. . . . Within a year, their 80 cows were producing 30% more milk and the rate of infections had plummeted, cutting the farms veterinarian bills from kr2 million a year to under kr0.5 million.
INSIGHTS: While these brothers’ approach to self-milking may not be applicable on large operations, it is worthwhile to find out more of what they did to increase milk production and improve cow comfort. This article can also be an effective conversation starter for the right managers and representatives.