PROGRESSIVE dairy farmers in the United States are reportedly turning to automated dairies as a "big part of the equation" for the future of commercial milk production

Fair Oaks Farms in Indiana, one of the biggest dairy operations in America, has just signed an agreement for 12 DeLaval voluntary milking system robots, for installation at Prairie’s Edge Dairy Farms, one of the nine partnerships that comprise Fair Oaks' farm tourism experience, which attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually.

The Fair Oaks dairy operation is represented by nine families milking 36,000 cows, including Mike and Sue McCloskey, well-known visionaries of progressive and sustainable dairy farming.

“These DeLaval robotic solutions are unbelievably productive and efficient,” said Mike McCloskey. “On top of that, the level of cow comfort that robotic milking brings is very attractive.

“All of these things are coming together at the right time. It’s pretty exciting. The team has gone above and beyond by assisting with the design process and implementation, helping our people – and eventually our cows – approach this new way of farming."

The decision to add to Fair Oaks Farms’ rotary-based milking systems with an automated one is rooted in the 'grass to glass' ethos of its Fairlife milk brand, a nutrient-dense, lactose-free drink that the McCloskeys co-created with their Select Milk Producer partners.

Fair Oaks Farms operates as a closed-loop system where they grow their own feed, never mix milk from other dairies, and process and bottle the milk at their dairy cooperative’s facilities. The twelve VMS machines will help harvest enough milk to fill one tanker truck a day, helping to control milk quality and traceability.