Lely, the robotic milking manufacturers, will host a live milking exhibition at the 2015 Balmoral Show, the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) has announced.
RUAS says that the event will be the first live milking event at an exhibition in Northern Ireland. Tomás Cooney of Lely said that it is delighted to give the project the go ahead and that it has been in the planning stage for the last six months.
The live milking exhibition will be in association with Draynes Farm, the Northern Ireland milk producers, who will be providing forty cows to be milked with a Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking system.
Organisers of the Balmoral Show said that dairy farmers and the general public will have the opportunity to experience firsthand how the whole system works. A first for many, it says.
“The main revolutionary feature of the Lely Astronaut A4 cow box is the walk through design called the I‑flow concept. Thanks to this the cow walks straight in and out of the unit without making turns. This makes it easier for the cow which shortens the learning curve, increases the throughput and as a result of that the capacity of the robot,” Lely says.
Lely says that attachment speed and accuracy is a crucial factor for the capacity of the robot. Lely says its teat detection system (TDS) features three‑level scanning technology which ensures quick and accurate detection of the teats. It also eliminates unnecessary arm movements, is much gentler for the cow and allows the fastest possible attachment for all types of udders, the robotic milking manufacturer says.
The 2015 Balmoral Show takes place at Balmoral Park from May 13 to May 15 and it is the 147th running of the show.
Take a look at the Lely robotic milking exhibition that took place at the 2014 National Ploughing Championships in Co. Laois:
