World premiere: Robot milking of dairy cows directly in the field

Until now automatic milking with robots has taken place indoors. With the creation of the world’s first mobile milking robot cows can now be milked directly in the farmer’s field.

That is the idea behind the mobile milking robot that has been developed in cooperation between Aktieselskabet S.A. Christensen & Co., the organic farmers Niels Skou, and Anni and Brian Madsen, and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Aarhus.

Can milk up to 100 cows

The robot has been in action for the past three months and is a prototype still undergoing development. The robot can milk about 100 cows and stands freely in the pasture.

The mobile milking robot provides all dairy farms with the possibility of letting their cows graze in the summertime, including those farms that do not have enough land around the cow houses or where there is a long way from the pasture to the robot in the cow house, says Head of Research Unit Frank W. Oudshoorn from the Department of Agricultural Engineering at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Aarhus, who fostered the idea of having a milking robot in the field.

The idea was put into practice by robot coordinator Niels Dybdahl from S.A. Christensen & Co., who has stood for the design of the present

prototype.

Our milking robot RDS Futureline is built in a portable container in which the milk tank and all necessary equipment are situated, says Niels Dybdahl.

Organic farming and animal welfare

For the organic farmer Brian Madsen robot milking of cows in the pasture is an opportunity to improve animal welfare. The modern consumer wants a quality product that is produced with consideration for good animal welfare. In order to live up to that I want my animals to graze as much as possible, says Brian Madsen, who has invested a great deal of time and money in the project.

The project is supported by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries.

Press conference:

A press conference for the press and selected collaborators will be held in connection with the first presentation of the mobile milking robot on 24 August 2007 in Glud, Jensgårdvej 11, 8700 Horsens, Denmark at 10 a.m. local time. The leader of the project and the other project participants will be on hand to talk about the new invention. It will also be possible to see the world’s first mobile milking robot at work.

Open house:

The same day there will be an open house where everyone is welcome to visit the system. This will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. On Saturday 25 August from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. there will also be open house. The project participants and the farmers will be present on both days and will answer questions.

For more information please contact:

Kirsten Holst, project leader, Department of Agricultural Engineering,

Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Aarhus, telephone: +45 8999

3069 , mobile: +45 2093 0965, email: kirsten.holst@agrsci.dk

Claus Bo Andreasen, information coordinator, Faculty of Agricultural

Sciences, University of Aarhus, telephone: +45 8999 1035, mobile: +45

4079 8032, email: ClausBo.Andreasen@agrsci.dk

Marketing director Niels Erik Bendtsen, SAC, telephone: +45 7632 3743,

mobile: +45 2119 3252, email: neb@sac.dk

Robot coordinator Niels Dybdahl, SAC, telephone: +45 3041 2278, email:

ndy@sac.dk

For more photos please refer to the website www.agrsci.au.dk/mobilmalker/index.html