Automatic Milking Systems: An Exploratory Study of Wisconsin Dairy Farms

Automatic milking systems (AMS) are seen as an alternative to manual milking using agricultural labor and have been shown to decrease labor dependence while improving milk yield. This study is based on a survey mailed to 500 randomly selected Wisconsin licensed herds in January 2022. The study shows that although AMS are still in nascent stages, they are already the second most common type of primary milking facility used by respondents. Our survey also shows important implications for adopting AMS on dairy farms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, AMS dairies opted for reducing herd size to reduce milk production, whereas non-AMS dairies used a combination of smaller herd sizes and less animal feed. AMS farmers also claim price risk is the most significant barrier to grow their business, but non-AMS farmers consider labor recruitment and management as the most crucial adversity. AMS adopters also seem to have a more positive attitude toward the future outlook of the dairy industry relative to non-AMS farms.