Chart - Main differences between conventional and automatic systems

	Conventional farm	AMS farm
Cow movement	Whole herd moved to dairy for milking	Individual cows move to dairy for milking
Milking time	Set by farmer and dependent on farm labour	Cows can access the milking unit at any time. Labour not required to be present
Milking frequency	Usually twice a day	Cows can be allowed to be milked more or less frequently to meet the production targets and match stage of lactation
Labour - key milking tasks	Labour needed for moving cows to dairy, teat preparation, cups on, cups off, teat spraying, drafting	Labour needed to fetch the odd 'no show' cow - usually combined with other paddock jobs ie changing fences
Labour - cleaning and maintenance	Labour needed for cleaning machines, vats, yards plus regular machine maintenance	Labour needed for yard cleaning, plus regular machine maintenance
Labour - breakdowns	Potential for breakdowns twice/day	Potential for breakdown anytime
Labour - pasture management	Calculate feed requirements, assess pasture quality, allocate pasture/move fences, maintain feed pad	Calculate feed requirements, assess pasture quality, allocate pasture/move fences, maintain feed pad
Labour - computer work	May be limited if only paper records are kept	Check alerts, set visitation rights, review daily performance

(Source: FutureDairy www.futuredairy.com.au, 2010. )

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