Milking-robots (AMS) - curse or blessing for dairy herds and veterinarians?

Milking robots are the result of decades of technological progress in agricultural engineering. They make it possible to automate milking processes and are now so sophisticated that "modern" dairy farms are increasingly making use of the benefits of AMS. Automatic milking systems (AMS) are now the "measure of all things" on modern dairy farms with the corresponding animal numbers.

If the dairy farm opts for an automatic milking system, it knows that although the physical work for the animal handlers will be "easier", the demands on management will be considerably higher.

The requirements for the veterinary practice looking after the AMS farm will also become more demanding and "more difficult". The veterinarian must be required to be "familiar" with the automatic milking systems and to include "abnormalities" and "findings" in the care task of keeping the herd healthy. This is by no means about technical data. Other technical supervisors are responsible for this.

The milking robot can work around the clock, which leads to more flexible and efficient milk production. The technology includes precise sensors and software that not only control the milking itself, but also collect a wealth of data on the health and productivity of each individual cow. This data enables farmers and supervising veterinarians to make informed decisions and optimize and therefore increase the efficiency of the dairy herd.

How well the benefits of this modern technology can be utilized while at the same time controlling and managing the risks depends largely on the people in charge. If the production manager, vet, feed and other production advisors work closely together, the robotic milking system will also work well in the herd. However, there are large differences between farms, mostly due to varying degrees of management and veterinary care.

Although there are many advantages to implementing robotic milking systems, there are also a number of challenges that farmers and vets have to face. Both have to deal intensively with the technology; for the vet, however, the interpretation of the collected AMS data for cow health prevention is even more important. This raises the question of which data (and there is more than enough of it) is of great importance and how it should be integrated into veterinary herd management.

In the future, it is expected that AMS technology will continue to improve and become more cost-effective. Advances in robotics and artificial intelligence will further increase the efficiency and reliability of milking robots. And the herd veterinarian is "in the thick of it" and must be able to use this new technology for animal health assessment.

Where can herd veterinarians gain their knowledge of AMS systems?

In March 2025, the Agricultural and Veterinary Academy (AVA) is offering veterinarians who are already looking after dairy farms with automatic milking systems (AMS) or who want to get to grips with AMS more intensively two absolutely practical AMS workshops based on the latest agricultural and veterinary science on the subject, in order to ultimately be able to draw greater veterinary benefits and success for veterinary herd management from the multitude of AMS data.

Agricultural engineer Ulrike Stibbe from Prosselsheim, who can draw on many years of herd management experience with AMS (training programs, use of AMS evaluations for production optimization, individual AMS problem solutions, support, etc.), will be available as an AMS speaker. The agricultural management consultant knows the weaknesses and strengths of the milking systems available on the German market. She acts in an absolutely neutral and company-independent manner (without having to take into account the corporate philosophy of a manufacturer).

The veterinarians participating in the AVA workshop will "discuss" the respective milking systems - with all their strengths and weaknesses - with the AMS expert and thus learn as a veterinary practice how the respective different robot systems are to be classified accordingly in veterinary care.

One of the great advantages of this AVA workshop is that there is no need to "mince words", as this AVA training course is absolutely "neutral" and without "company constraints". Certain company interests or "considerations" therefore take a back seat. Such a company-neutral workshop is unparalleled in the German-speaking world. AMS veterinary training courses are usually "only" carried out by AMS providers and therefore probably correspond to the respective company philosophy.

The Agrar- und Veterinär-Akademie (AVA) is offering this veterinarian AMS workshop on March 5 in Bavaria/Middle Franconia and on March 12, 2025 in Münsterland (NRW).

No system is preferred and no "AMS company" is advertised. This company-neutral AMS workshop should not be missed by livestock veterinarians looking after dairy herds.

"Advanced training doesn't get any better than this," says founder and director of the Agricultural and Veterinary Academy (AVA), specialist veterinarian and agricultural scientist, Ernst-Günther Hellwig.

All further information (including registration) can be found HERE on the AVA website.

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