Tasmanian event aims to lift the lid on dairy robots

Primary Employers Tasmania is hosting its latest networking and education event - A Day in the Dairy - next month to help educate farmers and those in the agriculture industry about robotic dairies.

The event will be hosted at the Dornauf's Gala Farm near Deloraine, where robotic milking has been in place for a decade. Gala Farm has more than 600 cows milked each day, which are in and out of the robotic system in about six minutes.

Rebekah Dornauf, one of the farm's owners, said she and her partner Nick were looking forward to showcasing their operation.

"We look forward to welcoming everyone to Gala Farm to see how robotic technology can transform agricultural operations, how we train up to 25 new cows and heifers into the milking robots each day post calving and how this can be achieved remotely via Insight Vision for highly accurate cup attachment," she said.

"Introducing fresh cows to the robot via an iPhone has given us so much more flexibility in the way we manage our dairy operations."

Mrs Dornauf said the cows that lived on the robotic farm were more relaxed and had a longer life span that the cows on the family's conventional dairy farms.

Gala Farm is achieving less than one per cent incomplete rate with cows producing on average 600 kilograms of milk solids each day.

Primary Employers Tasmania chief executive Felicity Richards said the Day at the Dairy event was a follow on from last year's successful Day at the Shed event.

Day at the Shed focused on all things shearing, and gave attendees an insight into the shearing industry.

"This is all about ensuring Tasmanian farmers have access to the latest expertise and technology to enable them to run safe, compliant, efficient and best practice workplaces," she said.

"Nick and Rebekah Dornauf run a world-class operation and we are extremely thankful that they are opening their farm gates to Primary Employers Tasmania to share their knowledge and experience."

A Day in the Dairy will also feature speakers and exhibitors from Safe Farming Tasmania, Dairy Tasmania, the Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia, AgCard, Speak up Stay ChatTY, among others.

The event will be held on February 10 from 10am until 1.30pm at Gala Farm at Quamby Brook, Tas. Any person wishing to attend A Day in the Dairy must RSVP to Primary Employers Tasmania at pet@primaryemployers.com.au by February 4.

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