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MAN: Well, it depends.
It is very expensive to install, but there are advantages.
Robotic dairies operate 24 hours a day
and staff don't need to be there all the time.
So you can milk more cows with less staff.
That means farmers can save money on labour costs,
the money they have to pay staff.
But a robotic dairy can be more expensive
in electricity and maintenance because it runs all day
and there is more expensive equipment.
Another advantage is that farmers have more time
to concentrate on other important farm jobs.
They can plan ahead and make better decisions
about what pastures to grow
and decisions about herd reproduction.
Being able to plan better
can mean that farmers are more environmentally sustainable.
But this can certainly be the case on non-robotic dairies as well.
The big advantage to dairy farmers
is that they don't need to stick to two milking sessions a day,
and they can plan their day around other demands on their time,
including family and friends.
There's still a lot of work to do on a robotic dairy,
but the timing can be more flexible.
Robotic milking is the right choice for some dairy farms,
but it is a decision that needs to be made
based on individual circumstances.