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Sneak peek: Wolf’s Legendairy
Robotic dairy one to be featured at Southwest Dairy Day

Three Archer County dairy farmers who have adopted robotic technology are opening their farms to the public for Southwest Dairy Day, set for Oct. 20 in Scotland, Texas.

One of those farmers is Adam Wolf, a fourth-generation dairy farmer who owns Wolf’s Legendairy in Scotland. Below, Wolf shares with the Dairy Dispatch why he decided to transition his dairy to a robotic one, and how it’s going.

Learn more about Southwest Dairy Day.

What made you decide to install robotic equipment on your dairy? And tell us about the process.

Maximizing the genetic potential of my cows was the main reason I decided to go the robotic route. Another major reason was to allow my work schedule to be more flexible so I would be able to spend more time with my family.

Tell us about the transition – how does your dairy operate now compared to before? How has it changed the way you operate your dairy farm? ​

We transitioned from a 40-year-old dry lot double 8 herringbone parlor milking 500 cows two times a day to a tunnel ventilated barn with 12 Lely A5 robots milking 750 cows 2.9 times per day. Close up dry cows are also housed in the climate-controlled barn to minimize the amount of weather stress. We had six full time employees at the old facility and currently have the same amount at the new facility. Labor costs have decreased $1/cwt in the new facility. Not only has my work schedule become more flexible, but there is also flexibility in scheduling my employees.  Employee turnover has dropped by a considerable amount due to less physically demanding labor.

What advice would you give to other dairy farmers regarding the implementation of robotic technology? 

​It is definitely not for everyone. You have to like technology and be slightly mechanically inclined. If one has interest in this technology, I recommend touring many dairies that have been utilizing this technology for five or more years.

What made you decide to open up your farm for Southwest Dairy Day? What do you want dairy farmers and other visitors attending Southwest Dairy Day to take away from their visit to your farm? 

​I wanted to give the surrounding communities and dairy farmers from all over the Southwest the opportunity to see other ways that cows can be milked through automation in a climate-controlled facility.

(Photo courtesy of Spectrum News 1/Lupe Zapata)

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