From hand milking with a metal pail and wooden stool to tie-stall and parlour systems, the methods dairy farmers have used to milk their cows has certainly evolved over the years. While the most recent milking system introduced to the dairy industry may help free up a bit of time for dairy farmers, there is still no shortage of hard work.
A number of farmers are now adopting an automatic milking system and with it comes a few questions, especially around the environmental impact of the new system.
From hand milking with a metal pail and wooden stool to tie-stall and parlour systems, the methods dairy farmers have used to milk their cows has certainly evolved over the years. While the most recent milking system introduced to the dairy industry may help free up a bit of time for dairy farmers, there is still no shortage of hard work.
A number of farmers are now adopting an automatic milking system and with it comes a few questions, especially around the environmental impact of the new system.
Allan Thomson, a PhD student at Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture, explores questions about an automatic milking system and with it comes a few questions, especially around the environmental impact of the new system.. Allan’s research area is energy conservation and under the supervision of Dr. Kenny Corscadden, he is exploring which milking systems have the largest water footprint per kilogram of milk and evaluating energy use and changes in labour requirements.
“The research objective is to provide a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the different milking systems within Nova Scotia in relation to water use, with a focus on Robotic Milking Systems, or Automatic Milking Systems and how they compare to traditional systems,” Allan explains.
Continue reading at Dalhousie University.
Photo via Dalhousie University.
