It’s natural and understandable that most of us are instinctively risk-averse. Our challenge sometimes may be to accurately determine our risk versus reward. When lacking facts or experience, we’re unsure and tend to be more cautious, yet by doing so we may unknowingly overinflate our risk or undervalue our reward.

Just like any substantial project for your dairy operation, a robotic milking facility will represent a significant capital investment. Considering that you will utilize what you buy and build every day for the next 20 to 30 years, the payback for the time you spend researching is substantial.

Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Achieving any significant accomplishment is not the result of luck or chance. The winning Super Bowl team is not surprised they won. They know their reward is the result of great teamwork, good communication and, most importantly, from having a plan that was followed exactly as practiced.

For dairies considering robotic milking, one common question often asked is whether it is best to build a new barn or retrofit an existing one. The answer, typically, is: “It depends.” I suggest your answer be based on which scenario offers the best return on investment, meets the goals of the dairy (especially for tomorrow) and satisfies the budget.

When working with dairies that are learning about robotic milking equipment, we always discuss maintenance costs. People tell me they’ve heard this cost is high. They want to know if this is true and, if so, why.

Since I sell milking robots as well as parlors, I often have the opportunity to discuss the differences with dairies considering a change. The motivation to upgrade milking equipment or facilities can be to milk more cows, add beneficial technologies, reduce labor, improve quality of life or enhance the owners’ quality of work (freeing up their time to do more valuable activities).