The labor shortage facing the dairy industry today has created new urgency for producers to be efficient. Automation is no longer nice to have; it is necessary to stay competitive.

Harvesting high-quality milk as quickly and efficiently as possible is more important than ever for large dairy farms. For this reason, rotary parlors have become a popular option for farms looking to transition from milking cows in straight parlors.

The definition of efficiency is “the ability to do something or produce something without wasting materials, time or energy.” Upgrading milking equipment – whether adding a new element to an existing system or an entirely new parlor – is one way to make efficiency gains. This article looks specifically at methods used by three farms to milk more cows in a day.