Automatic Milking System (AMS)

Each cow on the farm has an electronic identification tag on her collar that not only allows the robot to keep track her milk production but also monitors cow activity (used for breeding management) and rumen function (to detect health problems).

As a cow enters a robot her tag is read and the robot determines if she is due for milking. If she is not due for milking the front gate opens and the cow exits the robot to return to the barn or pasture. If she is due for milking the gate remains closed, a feed reward is provided, and the mechanical arm moves into place to begin the milking process.

Before milking, a brush cleans the udder to remove dirt and other materials that might contaminate the milk.  The brush also stimulates the cow to 'let down' her milk.

Following cleaning, lasers locate each of the cow's teats to attach teat cups and milking begins.  Cleaning of the udder, teat cup attachment and milking requires 5 to 8 minutes each time a cow is milked.

As milk flows to the collection jar it is analyzed for quality using colorimetric and conductivity sensors.  This helps to ensure healthy milk for consumers and allows the farm staff to identify cows that may be sick and require treatment.  If milk from an individual cow is not fit for human consumption (for example the cow is being treated with antibiotics because of an infection) the robot discards that milk and the milk jar is washed to prevent contamination of milk from other cows.

Sensors measure milk flow from each quarter of the cow's udder to determine when milking is complete.  When milk flow from one quarter of the udder decreases the teat cup disconnects from that quarter, while other quarters continue to be milked.  Individual flow sensors for each quarter ensure that the cow is neither over nor under milked in any quarter of the udder. Following milking the udder is sprayed with disinfectant and the cow is allowed to return to the barn or pasture.

Data collected by the robot can be accessed at a monitor on the robot or from the farm computer.  Information can be viewed for individual animals, groups of animals, or the entire herd.  The farm staff uses this information to make management decisions that ensure the health and productivity of the herd.

The robot cleans itself between cows and shuts down three times each day for a more thorough self-cleaning.  This ensures sanitary milk collection.

On average, cows are milked about three times per day and are rejected by the robot once per day, with some cows milked up to six times per day.  Typically one robot is used for 60 lactating cows.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

The pasture dairy barn is the first livestock building in the U.S. to receive Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design (LEED) certification; receiving Silver Level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in spring 2010.  Typically, LEED certification focuses on design and construction of office buildings in urban areas; however, the process is flexible enough to be applied to schools, homes, laboratories, and manufacturing plants.  The LEED certification process encourages practices during construction and use of a building that promote energy conservation, water-use efficiency, improved indoor environmental quality, and natural resource stewardship on six general categories: 1) Sustainable Sites, 2) Water Efficiency, 3) Energy & Atmosphere, 4) Materials & Resources, 5) Indoor Environmental Quality, and 6) Innovations & Design.  Achieving LEED certification for the Pasture Dairy Barn allows KBS demonstrate its own commitment to sustainability and ways that farmers can conserve natural resources and reduce costs.

Several practices during its design and construction helped the KBS Pasture Dairy Barn receive LEED certification, these practices included:

1. Energy Conservation - All LEED certified buildings must be at least 15% more energy efficient than building codes dictates.  The dairy barn exceeded this requirement by including practices that enable the facility to be 38% more energy efficient than industry standards.
2. Construction Waste Recycling - Over 11 tons of concrete, wood, and metal were recycled or redirected to prevent them from going to a landfill.  Additionally, concrete waste was used as the base for the parking area and driveway to the barn, preventing this material from going to a landfill.
3. Long-term Recycling - A recycling plan is required for all LEED certified buildings to reduce the amount of paper, plastic, and other wastes going to landfills.
4. Use of Regional Materials - Over 34% of construction materials were recovered, harvested, or manufactured within 500 miles of the construction site.
5. Protecting the Ozone Layer - The use of refrigerant management systems that do not use Ozone depleting Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) or Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) are required for all LEED certified buildings.
6. Internal Air Quality -Paints, sealants, and adhesives used during construction were selected from a LEED approved list of compounds producing a low level of volatile organic compounds (VOC).  A no smoking policy is in place to reduce exposure of building occupants to second hand smoke.
7. Innovations in Design - Green Housekeeping Policy - The LEED certification process encourages the inclusion of innovative ideas that go beyond the LEED requirements.  A Green Housekeeping Policy was developed at the dairy to reduce the exposure of building occupants and maintenance personnel to potentially hazardous chemical contaminants.
8. Working with LEED Accredited Professionals - Because LEED is primarily used in urban area; some parts of LEED did not fit well with the construction of a dairy barn in a rural area.  For example, LEED points are available for facilities built with easy access to public transportation and built within urban centers, points clearly not appropriate for a dairy barn.  To ensure that LEED appropriate design and construction principals were included in the dairy barn the design team (farm staff, other MSU and KBS staff, and building designer) worked closely with LEED Accredited Professionals throughout all phases of the design and construction process.

Pastures

The pasture dairy barn is surrounded by a 160 acre pasture.  This pasture plus a 35 acre pasture are used to graze about 100 lactating cows, 25 dry cows, and 60 heifers for 6 to 7 months each year.  Pastures are seeded to two contrasting pasture mixes.  The smaller pasture and about 120 acres of the larger pasture are seeded to a five species pasture mix which includes alfalfa, red clover, white clover, orchardgrass, and tall fescue.  Forty acres of the larger pasture are seeded to perennial rye grass and white clover.  Pastures are subdivided using permanent and temporary fencing for rotational grazing of the cattle.  Both pastures are irrigated using a k-line irrigation system.