6-12 months before start-up

A detailed timeline to start-up or calendar of events helps everyone involved anticipate the challenges and makes the transition from conventional farming to an AMS free from unpleasant ‘surprises’...

Planning related to:	Think about:
People:	Consider family or other factors that may affect the timing of the start-up. If possible, schedule holidays now so no one is due for leave during the months either side of start-up. If you and/or your staff are not familiar with computers, start taking lessons now.
Herd:	Plan the breeding program so you achieve the desired calving spread leading into the commissioning period. You may consider spreading the calving pattern to ease the work load during start-up or to make more efficient use of the milking units in the longer term.
Facilities:	Facilities Plan the construction and/or renovations needed to accommodate the AMS units. Ensure that all required services are available eg: phone line for robots to generate alerts, suitable power supplies - check phase and voltage with manufacturer. Ensure the “old” milk harvesting equipment is maintained properly until its decommissioning.

Other considerations:

It is not worth the heartache of starting the AMS dairy with a high level of mastitis. It is false economy to reduce the frequency of liner changes or cut back on machine maintenance or servicing of the conventional dairy leading up to the AMS commissioning.
It may also be worth developing networks with other AMS users to learn from their experiences.
Your AMS supplier should be able to put you in contact with other farmers that have installed AMS units.

(From Future Dairy www.futuredairy.com.au - Management guidelines for pasture-based AMS farms, 2010.)