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MQmarrac “Whi ol Amana KitchenAid’ ition PenFonmuanee FOR THE WAY IT’S MADE? OMESTEAD FURNITURE & APPLIANCES 1918 Scugog Street, Port Perry (across from Vos’) 905-985-2451 www.FurnitureAndAppliances.ca 42 FOCUS - OCTOBER 2014 The Smith family in front of the barn, from left, Holly, Graham ind their son Brynn, Wilma and Ted. Continued from page 41 chips on the cows. It’s so high tech, that if you hook it up to your phone system, “the robot” will call Graham, anytime day or night, to alert him that there is a prob- lem, such as a kink in the hose or a hydro outage. Cows used to be milked twice a day, morning and night, in the traditional milking parlour. Graham explained that one important advantage of milking more often using the robotic method is the increase in the output of product. Now, the cows are milked an average of 2.7 times daily instead of twice in 24 hours. More frequent milking is easier on the cows’ udders and there is less incidence of mastitis, Holly pointed out. She added that now if they ‘moo’ it’s just because they are hungry, not because they are uncomfortable while waiting for the next scheduled milking time. Ted described the cows as “calmer now.” Each robot can accommodate 60 cows, so with the herd numbering about 95 at the present time, two robots were needed. Now there’s room to grow, Ted pointed out. Referred to by their location in the barn, the robots have come to be known as “East” and “West.” Robot barns have existed in Ontario for 15 years, added Ted, “and they kept refining and improving them. Now they are more reliable.” Another fascinating modern piece of equipment at Teledale Farms is the automatic calf feeder. Now working in the fields doesn’t have to be inter- rupted to feed the calves or milk the girls anymore. The Smiths own 300 acres and rent 25 acres, to grow 100 acres of hay, 80 acres of corn silage, 45 acres of wheat and 35 acres of barley. The foursome agree that it was a good decision to invest $400,000. to purchase the robotic milking system. “We are all glad we did it,” Wilma commented. Surely the late Leslie and Ruth Smith would have been proud. By Lynn Campbell Focus on Scugog