Robotic Milker Discussion Group & Facility Tour

Date:
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Time:
10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Location:
Oakleigh Farm
Address:

7100 Renninger Road
Mercersburg, PA 17523

Directions >
Event Host:

Center for Dairy Excellence

Are you a robotic milker owner or considering installing a robotic milking system on your dairy operation? You are invited to join our first Robotic Milker Discussion Group meeting on Thursday, August 19th, at Oakleigh Farm, owned by Glenn and Karen Brake, in Mercersburg, PA. The Brakes have recently installed a Lely robotic milker system and have the first fully automated Lely Red Barn in Pennsylvania. They milk 115 cows and have two A5 Milking robots, a Vector feeding robot with silos, and two Discovery Collector Barn Cleaners. If you plan to attend the free event, you must pre-register below.

The discussion group meeting will be facilitated by Dr. Charlie Gardner, a consultant with the Center, with the following agenda for the day:

  • 10:00 – 10:30 a.m. Registration and welcome
  • 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Farm and Facility Tour
  • 11:30 – 12:30 p.m. Lunch
  • 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Roundtable Discussion with Group Members, facilitated by Dr. Gardner
  • 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Managing Milk Quality & Mastitis in an Automated Milking System, presented by Dr. Marcia Endres, University of Minnesota Department of Animal Science

The roundtable discussion will include a conversation about your goals for participating in this discussion group and what you would like future meetings to include. Dr. Endres has done numerous research studies on free-flow automatic systems and its impact on milk production and milk quality. Since the group identified milk quality as a key topic area for the discussion group, Dr. Endres’ perspective on managing mastitis in a robotic barn should be a relevant topic to kick off the discussion.

There is no cost to join this discussion group, but you must pre-register below to let us know you plan to attend. If you have any questions regarding the meeting or the group, email Jayne Sebright or call 717-817-1376.

Registration is now closed.