Farm adopts robotic milking

EAST CANAAN, Conn. — The dairy herd at Freund’s Farm is in charge.

A brand new dairy barn  features robots for milking. It is designed to be fully automated, but farmers will be watching from the wings to make sure it goes smoothly.

“Someone will be in the barn 24/7 for the first few months to make sure all goes well and the cows are acclimating,” said Amanda Freund, a third-generation farmer there. “The cows will be able to milk on demand. 

“Even though they get used to a schedule of being milked two or three times a day, they produce at different rates, so letting them milk when they feel the need will reduce their stress.”

During the week prior to starting the new operation, part of the herd was brought over to the red barn to check it out. From the outside, the only thing of note is its sprawling size. Inside, things look pretty routine. It is bright and airy. A row of cows munch contentedly on feed. A pair gets into a tussle over a scratching brush. One lingers near a Lely Astronaut A4 milking machine with its bright-red, flush-mounted panels. There are five along a barn wall.

When they feel ready to be milked, the cows walk into a fenced-off area in front of the robot. Gates slide closed. A small mechanism at udder height goes to work. Guided by laser lights, it uses roller brushes to disinfect the teats and attach vacuum pumps. When the job is done, the gate swings back open.

The farmers can monitor the operation with a full view of the robotics, and get data on a computer monitor. The milk is, of course, tested, temperature controlled and properly stored, as is always the case. Freund said no other product for human consumption is so closely monitored.

The robots have been used in Europe for the last 20 years or so. They are the innovation of Lely, a second-generation company in the Netherlands. It was started by two brothers looking for ways to make life easier on their family’s and others’ farms. Their first patent came in 1948 for a finger wheel hay rake, and they did not stop there.

At Freund’s, diversity and innovation are what it’s all about, from a farm market, a catering business and being part of the Cabot cooperative to innovations such as repurposing manure into methane for heating, and the highly successful CowPots.

The roof of the new barn will be outfitted with about 800 solar panels, much like the installation along Route 44 that was used to power the old milking parlor. The Freunds received a Rural Energy for America Program matching grant for the panels. Otherwise, the new barn and robotics are an investment the family is making on its own.

“We have four or five members of the next generation who want to be involved,” Freund said. “We believe it is worth it at this point to invest in the future. There is so much new energy and excitement.”

They are the children of brothers Matthew and Ben Freund, who took over dairying from their father, Eugene. Theresa Freund (Matthew’s wife) runs the farm market and catering.

This is the first robotic milking parlor in Connecticut, according to Freund. But there is one not far away in Ashley Falls, Mass., on Twin Rivers Farm. Freund said they are grateful to farmer Bob Kilmer for his help in their decision.

Farmers typically are not bothered by the long hours and hard work. It is truly a labor of love. At the end of the day, what might cause them to lose sleep is how they are perceived. Freund said the general public has bought into hype, and wants assurances that the meat and dairy products they consume were raised or produced under “humane” conditions.

The new milking approach is not about appeasing anyone, but about taking efforts further.

“Of course we care about our cows. It’s not just a business, but happy, comfortable cows are going to produce more milk. They get stressed out easily. Keeping on a milking schedule means rushing them in and out of the milking parlor. There are a lot of management things we need to be conscious of, too. With technology, we can feed and put down fresh bedding all at once and then be out of the barn, disturbing them less.”

The barn is full of technology, including robot-controlled rotating brushes, misting fans and manure pushers. Cows lie on water-filled mats and can walk through foot baths. Their feed is pushed back automatically while they eat.

Computer chips in their collars monitor their body heat, every step they take and every time they chew.

Freund’s sister, Rachel, will be poring over data, looking for flags that indicate a cow is in heat or ill.

The goal is not to increase the herd, but do what they are doing better.

For the farmer, it doesn’t necessarily mean less work, but that they are not tied to the milking parlor 12 hours a day, Freund said. About 270 cows are currently being milked, making it pretty much an around-the-clock process.

It’s a safe bet the Freunds will use the extra time to work on other projects and ideas.

Among them is public outreach. Theresa Freund is amazed at all that her daughter finds to do in that arena, and is grateful for her energy.

Amanda Freund blogs, manages a farm Facebook page and travels to training, such as twice to Phoenix, Ariz., for the Holstein Foundation’s Young Dairy Leaders course. In between, she did a year-long media advocacy project.

“The average consumer is three generations removed from where their food comes from. I want to be a resource. I want people to come to me with their questions instead of thinking, for example, it’s not safe to drink milk because a friend posted that on Facebook.”