Project Overview
As U.S.
dairy production continues to consolidate, the viability of many small-scale
dairies is rapidly diminishing. Leveling the playing field for all dairies
across different scales of operation is an urgent issue that requires
innovative solutions. AMS is relatively novel in U.S. dairy production, and the
transition to AMS involves a series of changes in management that demands
continuous learning. It is crucial to support producers considering or adopting
AMS who may be at informational disadvantage due to their geography,
technological adeptness, and financial resources.
This
project developed a producer-community resource app (https://commoonity.umn.edu/) for current and prospective
adopters of automatic milking systems (AMS) technology. The app is designed to
facilitate peer to peer information exchange for problems. App users are matched
with dairy producers with similar operation characteristics and with
discussions that are deemed most useful to them. Because of this, small-scale
producers can form large virtual peer groups and share knowledge across larger
geographical areas and without traveling. We also developed a national survey
that was distributed electronically to promote the app and gather information
that will help producers considering robotic milking systems.
Number of Participants: 225
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
There are no promotional materials available for this project.
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
There are no educational materials available for this project.
REPORTS & EVALUATIONS
There are no reports or evaluations available for this project.