Robotic milking machines boon to Thunder Bay farmer

Thunder Bay-area dairy farmer Bernie Kamphof says his cows are living more contented lives these days.

Kamphof spent about $1.25 million on a new barn and robotic milking machines. Theyallow cows to move about freelyand get milked at their leisure when they're enticed into a special stall by a tasty pellet.

"The cow walks into the stall. She's identified by a transponder on a neckband, and an arm swings around the cow," Kamphof explained. "First the cows teats are cleaned by a set of rotating brushes, to make sure everything is hygienic."

Kamphof said a laser then determines the cow's position before the milking equipment is hooked up. He said milk production is up; the cows have less stress, and his work day is not quite so hectic.

"It makes for a better life for the cows, and it's also a better life for me," Kamphof said. "I do need to be in the barn quite often to keep an eye on things ... and clean up ... but it's a lot more flexible. I don't need to be in at such rigid times as when we were milking manually."

The more relaxed schedule makes for happier cows, which makes them more productive, he said.

"It's important to me to make sure my cows' well-being is taken care of," Kamphof said. "It's also good for the cows. The more comfortable they are the more they produce."

The equipment runs around the clock. The technology which has been in Europe for about 20 years and in Canada about 10 years helps Kamphof to milk the roughly 100 cows at his farmin Murillo, just outside Thunder Bay. The Kamphof farm and the Trumar farm in Slate River are the first dairy operations in the northwest to use robotic milking.

The milk produced by about 25 dairy operations around Thunder Bay is processed and distributed locally.