In OJSC «Khotily» of Postavy district, the robots have fully paid for themselves and are now helping to build new complexes
It seems that no one will be surprised today by the fact that cows in a number of districts of the Vitebsk region are milked by robots. However, one can often hear the opinion on this matter: they say, it is an expensive pleasure and the invested money will not be returned in the foreseeable future. But in OAO "Khotily" of the Postavy district, the robots have fully paid for themselves and are now helping to build new complexes. But first things first.
And here's another interesting fact: there are fewer cows on the robotic farm than on a conventional one, but a third more milk is processed – an additional 13.5 thousand rubles daily.
The earned money is not only used for salaries but also invested in new production. The joint-stock company is building a modern livestock complex for 960 cows. Equipment is already being installed in the first cowshed. The entire complex will be commissioned by the end of 2020. This will allow for an increase in the herd size and the closure of small, low-productivity farms.
Up to 25 kilograms of milk per day are obtained at the "Kovzany" robotic farm of OJSC "Novoselki-Luchai" in the Postavy district. Together with the farm's chief zootechnician Ivan Kisely, who, by the way, has held this position for 40 years, we observed how 12 robots work here in continuous mode. And not only them. Forage crops, including silage from a film roll, silage, a little straw, and 2 kilograms of concentrates per head of cattle, were distributed by a new feed mixer, twice as productive as the old one. Another machine "adjusted" the feed, collecting surpluses. And the concentrates were dispensed separately by a robot depending on how much milk the cow produced.
The rest conditions for the operators are also noteworthy. There is a changing room, a shower, a washing machine, a separate dining area with a refrigerator, an electric kettle, a microwave oven, and a set of dishes.
The "Volokhi" dairy farm, where 12 robots are installed, was launched in 2009. According to preliminary calculations, they were supposed to pay for themselves in 12 years. In practice, the period was reduced by one and a half times. That is, for two years now they have been working exclusively for the farm. They serve 714 cows. For 11 months, an average of 8486 kilograms of milk was obtained from each cow (plus 588 compared to last year). Extras - 100 percent. Profitability of production - 40 percent.
Anna Shubelko, Deputy Director for Economics, recognized as the person of the year of the Vitebsk region, named several key factors for successful work. The most important is feed. At least 30 centners of feed units per conventional head are harvested from grass, creating a one-and-a-half-year supply. At the same time, attention is paid to their quality. To obtain cheap concentrated feed, a feed mill was built, where granulated compound feeds are produced according to various recipes. It is fully supplied with its own grain fodder, considering that 65.7 centners of grain per hectare were harvested.
The breeding work is at a high level: unproductive cattle are culled, the herd is replenished only with good heifers. Robots are robots, but operators who service them play a far from last role. Since the launch, Inna Khotyanovich and Valentina Tayanovich have been taking care of the smart machines, and Alena Yaroshevich joined the farm not so long ago. Material interest is important. Operators are paid up to 1300 rubles per month.
Ivan KISEL, Chief Zootechnician of OAO "Novoselki-Luchai", at the robotic farm "Kovzany".
Anna Shubelko, Deputy Director for Economics, recognized as the person of the year of the Vitebsk region, named several key factors for successful work. The most important is feed. At least 30 centners of feed units per conventional head are harvested from grass, creating a one-and-a-half-year supply. At the same time, attention is paid to their quality. To obtain cheap concentrated feed, a feed mill was built, where granulated compound feeds are produced according to various recipes. It is fully supplied with its own grain fodder, considering that 65.7 centners of grain per hectare were harvested.
The breeding work is at a high level: unproductive cattle are culled, the herd is replenished only with good heifers. Robots are robots, but operators who service them play a far from last role. Since the launch, Inna Khotyanovich and Valentina Tayanovich have been taking care of the smart machines, and Alena Yaroshevich joined the farm not so long ago. Material interest is important. Operators are paid up to 1300 rubles per month.
Ivan KISEL, Chief Zootechnician of OAO "Novoselki-Luchai", at the robotic farm "Kovzany".
And here's another interesting fact: there are fewer cows on the robotic farm than on a conventional one, but a third more milk is processed – an additional 13.5 thousand rubles daily.
The earned money is not only used for salaries but also invested in new production. The joint-stock company is building a modern livestock complex for 960 cows. Equipment is already being installed in the first cowshed. The entire complex will be commissioned by the end of 2020. This will allow for an increase in the herd size and the closure of small, low-productivity farms.
Up to 25 kilograms of milk per day are obtained at the "Kovzany" robotic farm of OJSC "Novoselki-Luchai" in the Postavy district. Together with the farm's chief zootechnician Ivan Kisely, who, by the way, has held this position for 40 years, we observed how 12 robots work here in continuous mode. And not only them. Forage crops, including silage from a film roll, silage, a little straw, and 2 kilograms of concentrates per head of cattle, were distributed by a new feed mixer, twice as productive as the old one. Another machine "adjusted" the feed, collecting surpluses. And the concentrates were dispensed separately by a robot depending on how much milk the cow produced.
The rest conditions for the operators are also noteworthy. There is a changing room, a shower, a washing machine, a separate dining area with a refrigerator, an electric kettle, a microwave oven, and a set of dishes.