Which system optimally records pasture hours?

Within the Robot & Grazing project, a key priority is to objectively determine and register grazing during robotic milking.

The aim is to explore how to develop a modern and flexible registration system that can be guaranteed. A system that aligns with practical reality (hours per cow per year) and ensures the pasture premium is retained. In this regard, it is important that a registration system is also practical and user-friendly for the dairy farmer.

Registration systems for grazing

Discussions have been held with a number of dairy farmers regarding their registration system for grazing in combination with robotic milking. Experiences vary. Some dairy farmers are satisfied with their digital gate system, while others experience bottlenecks. For instance, there are farms with multiple robots where cows can only go outside via one robot. Not all animals use that single robot, meaning that some cows do not reach the pasture. It is also mentioned that older or dominant cows may remain standing at the gate, holding up other animals and restricting flow.

Based on these initial discussions, there also appears to be interest in systems without gates, such as registrations using GPS or Bluetooth. This is being explored further within the project. In addition, dairy farmers indicate that the registration system is not the only determining factor for the extent of grazing. Farm-specific circumstances, such as the size of the home plot, the soil type, and the dairy farmer's motivation, play an important role. One application specifically mentioned is virtual fencing. This can increase ease of use, as plots can be easily configured via an app.

Field Tests

The first registration systems (Collie and Moniott) have now been put into use within the project for field tests. Both systems work with sensors on the cow's collar and a receiver inside or just outside the barn. The receiver registers when a cow leaves the barn heading out to pasture and when it returns (Moniott), or registers the exact location of the cow (Collie). These systems will be monitored and evaluated in the coming period. More will become clear soon regarding the accuracy of the registration. To be continued!

Call for Participants

For the Robot en Weiden research, specifically the section on registering grazing hours, we are looking for dairy farmers who use the Gallagher eShepherd system on their farms to measure grazing time. Do you know a colleague, or do you have this system yourself? If so, we would like to get in touch for a telephone interview. Please send an email to Yvonne.