@conference {41833,
	title = {Factors influencing milk harvesting efficiency in an automatic milking system},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {65},
	year = {2005},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {271-275},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	address = {Christchurch},
	abstract = {Maximising milk harvested per robot is an important goal of pasture-based automatic milking systems (AMS). Results are presented from an analysis of 2937 cow milkings in a year-round milking system during January 2003 at the Dexcel Automatic farm (average herd size = 75 cows). Each cow milking was classified as OK (yield > 80\% of expected yield, EY), Yield Carry Over (YCO, 20\% < yield < 80\% EY), or Failed (F, yield < 20\% EY). The time and duration (from entry to exit from crate) of each cow milking was determined, as well as milk yield, and from these milk harvesting rate was calculated. There were an average of 95.8 cow milkings/day, average milking frequency was 1.13 milkings/cow/day (range 0.9 {\textendash} 1.9 milkings/cow/day). Eighty-four percent of milkings were classified as OK, 8.9\% as YCO and 7.1\% as F (after which the cow was returned to the yard for another attempt). Milking times {\textpm} SD (F = 3.76 {\textpm} 2.57, YCO = 7.63 {\textpm} 3.31, OK = 10.07 {\textpm} 4.09 minutes/event) and milk harvesting rate (F = 0.09, YCO = 0.76 and OK = 1.37 kg/minute) suggest that failed milkings were costly in terms of time. The data show potential for improving the 24 h milk harvest per AMS through cow selection, a more consistent flow of cows through the AMS and technological improvements.
KEYWORDS: milk harvesting efficiency; automatic milking systems; grazing; dairy cows. },
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Davis KL and Jago JG and Wieliczko R and Copeman PJA and Bright K and Woolford MW}
}
@conference {41513,
	title = {Remote automatic selection of cows for milking in a pasture-based automatic milking system},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {64},
	year = {2004},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {241-245},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	address = {Hamilton},
	abstract = {New Zealand pastoral dairy farming presents unique challenges for combining automatic milking systems (AMS), including long walking distances, large herds, year round pasturing and a predominately fresh pasture diet. This paper describes a system designed to minimise walking, maximise the efficiency of AMS utilisation and enable control of individual cow milking frequency by remotely selecting cows for milking up to 400 m from the dairy. Cows report to a selection unit (SU) located in the centre of a block of pasture and linked via raceways to the AMS. Entry is via one-way gates and exit via a computer controlled drafting gate, which directs the cow either to the dairy or the paddock depending on time since last milking. A communication cable connects the SU to the AMS server in the dairy. Cows wear an electronic identification device. Water and pasture access act as incentives for cows to enter the SU. Cows readily learned to use the SU and were observed visiting the unit at every hour over 24 hours. Twenty-seven cows were assigned to either a 6h or 12h minimum milking interval (MMI). On average, cows visited the SU 4.5 and 5.5 times/d for the 6h MMI and 12h MMI groups, respectively, and achieved a milking frequency of 1.9 and 1.4 milkings/d, respectively. Results showed that milking frequency can be controlled via a system for remotely selecting cows for milking and that access to fresh pasture is a strong factor in motivating cow traffic through the SU. },
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Jago J and Bright K and Copeman P and Davis K and Jackson A and Ohnstad I and Wieliczko R and Woolford M}
}
