Research project Alternatives for conventional concentrate supplementation in automatic milking systems for dairy cattle
General introduction
Flemish dairy farms with a milking robot see their variable cost on average 2.58 euros per 100 liters of milk higher than dairy farms with a conventional milking system. This higher cost is not always compensated by more milk. The proportion of concentrate feed, especially at the end of lactation, partly leads to this higher cost. Attracting cows to the robot with alternative (feed) means and thus with less concentrate feed seems an interesting route. Can cows also be lured to the milking robot without concentrate feed, in an alternative way? Can this be done by automatically providing fodder beets in the milking robot or by playing calf sounds? This question is being investigated in LOKROB.
Research approach
We are building an installation on a field farm to automatically feed, cut and dose fodder beets into the milking robot feeding system. In field trials we are testing and monitoring the impact of providing no, little or a lot of fodder beet in the milking robot on the criteria 1. number of robot visits, 2. milkings in the robot and 3. milk production. At the end of the project, it appears that providing fodder beets in the milking robot in the different field trials increases the number of milkings in the case of free cow traffic. A positive effect on milk production has not been observed. We conduct field trials with calf sounds played by a radio above the milking robots. Analysis of the results shows at the end of the project that playing calf sounds has no positive effect on the number of robot visits, nor on the number of milkings or milk production.
Relevance/Valorization
The project is producing quite clear and useful results: Automatically feeding, cutting and dispensing fodder beet into the milking robot is technically a viable option. The farmer at whose farm the experiments took place is very satisfied with the operation of the installation and the possibility it offers him to attract his cows to the milking robot in this way. Further research is needed on how the fodder beets in the milking robot can reduce the concentrate feed and/or stimulate milk production. Further research is also needed around the topic of calf noise. The profitability of a fodder beet extension of the milking robot was evaluated favorably.
Financing
Europees Landbouwfonds voor Plattelandsontwikkeling
