Teat liners are the link between your cows and the robot. Choosing the right type of teat liner helps ensure all milk is quickly and carefully removed from the udder. The teat liner is designed to provide two things: removal of milk and reduction in congestion that can occur in the removal process.

Look, listen and feel – critical words and concepts you learn in first aid and CPR that are imperative to assess a person’s well-being who’s been traumatized.

Parlor expectations have changed. The goal of milking cows the best we can remains: to milk them safely, gently, quickly and completely. But the need for efficiency has changed how we milk cows, the number of cows we strive to milk per hour and how we approach milking labor.

In our previous article in the Feb. 7, 2019 issue of Progressive Dairyman, we discussed the history of milk filters and their importance in the milking process (Milk filters: The unsung hero of successful milking outcomes).

Milk yields are maximized when calm cows are milked with a consistent routine from one milking to the next and from one milker to the next.

Milking system optimization not only leads to better overall milk quality, but it’s also good for your cows and can have a positive impact on employee attitude and performance.

Progressive Dairyman recently introduced readers to our new group of editorial advisers (See “Meet Progressive Dairyman’s 2019 reader advisers,” March 12, 2019, issue).

Maintaining your equipment is key to maximizing its longevity. More often than not, maintenance of milking parlor stalls and gates is forgotten until something breaks down.

No one seems to think much these days about the role the milk filter plays in producing high-quality milk. It’s probably fair to say most farmers don’t think about it at all.