Robots, lasers used to milk cows at Manitoba farm

Some call it the Holstein Hilton: a dairy farm in Manitoba where cows freely line up to be milked and fed by robots.

It's one of the first voluntary milking systems in the province.

"The funniest is when the old-timers come in here," said John Georgison, who runs the farm with his brother. "They can't believe it when they see the cows actually walk in and milk themselves."

Cows at the farm line up by themselves and enter an automated stall one by one. A laser identifies each cow by a tag on the animal's neck, telling the machine where to place the automated milking equipment.

The robotic system then sets to work, with no need of a stool to rest on.

"It washes the cow's teats, milks the cow then feeds her as well," said Georgison. "That's what really brings her into the robot, is the treat that she gets."

There are more than 170 cows at the farm, located near Stony Mountain, and they produce 4,000 litres of milk each day. Most line up at the machine soon after their morning meal for an extra snack.

"This is what we call rush hour," Georgison told CTV News. "Shortly after breakfast, the cattle have all eaten and now they all want to get milked."

It used to take the Georgison brothers up to 12 hours each day to milk the cows, but the automated system has freed up much of their time.

"We are not tied to that six to six milking schedule," said Georgison. "We have more of a life."

The technology is quickly catching on. Dozens of farmers have bought the technology in Ontario and Quebec over the past two years, although the price is upwards of $200,000.

It also seems to be good for the animals, who line up at the machine at their leisure.

"This is as nice as it gets for cows," said Georgison.