Robotic System Manages Grazing

Robotic System Manages Grazing DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS Dairy Equipment & Ideas 31-4-25 A system of robots and guide wires is now available to move cattle between pastures - no humans needed. The automatic grazing system is called Voyager, and it was recently introduced by the Dutch company Lely for just under $30,000. The system consists of two mobile robots powered by solar panels and connected by an electrified wire. Solar charged batteries ensure continual power, and side wires serve as guides for the robots that have four-wheel steering and drive. The units can handle turns of up to 45¦. Solar panels can be rotated for maximum solar gain. Each day the operator can set how much pasture should be released, and the robots calculate when to move. The robots communicate by Bluetooth wireless to travel in unison. As they move ahead down a paddock, cows graze fresh grass in a line behind the wire, a practice called frontal grazing. The Animal Science Group, a Dutch research organization, has demonstrated frontal grazing can improve grass utilization by 12 percent over full-access grazing. The advantage is that grass doesn't get trampled or soiled before it can be grazed. The digestive process also benefits from fresh grass regularly being made available. This translates into increased milk production and reduced feed costs. While it may be hard to imagine a robotic grazing system catching on, the same was thought about robotic milkers, which Lely first introduced in 1992. Today, the company has more than 4,000 robotic milkers in place around the world. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lely USA, Inc., Hwy. 301 S, Wilson, N.C. 27893 (ph 252 291-7050; fax 252 291-6183; info@lelyusa.com; www.lelyusa.com).

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