@conference {41513,
	title = {Remote automatic selection of cows for milking in a pasture-based automatic milking system},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {64},
	year = {2004},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {241-245},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	address = {Hamilton},
	abstract = {New Zealand pastoral dairy farming presents unique challenges for combining automatic milking systems (AMS), including long walking distances, large herds, year round pasturing and a predominately fresh pasture diet. This paper describes a system designed to minimise walking, maximise the efficiency of AMS utilisation and enable control of individual cow milking frequency by remotely selecting cows for milking up to 400 m from the dairy. Cows report to a selection unit (SU) located in the centre of a block of pasture and linked via raceways to the AMS. Entry is via one-way gates and exit via a computer controlled drafting gate, which directs the cow either to the dairy or the paddock depending on time since last milking. A communication cable connects the SU to the AMS server in the dairy. Cows wear an electronic identification device. Water and pasture access act as incentives for cows to enter the SU. Cows readily learned to use the SU and were observed visiting the unit at every hour over 24 hours. Twenty-seven cows were assigned to either a 6h or 12h minimum milking interval (MMI). On average, cows visited the SU 4.5 and 5.5 times/d for the 6h MMI and 12h MMI groups, respectively, and achieved a milking frequency of 1.9 and 1.4 milkings/d, respectively. Results showed that milking frequency can be controlled via a system for remotely selecting cows for milking and that access to fresh pasture is a strong factor in motivating cow traffic through the SU. },
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Jago J and Bright K and Copeman P and Davis K and Jackson A and Ohnstad I and Wieliczko R and Woolford M}
}
@conference {41419,
	title = {Dominance effects on the time budget and milking behaviour of cows managed on pasture and milked in an automated milking system},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {63},
	year = {2003},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {120-123},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	address = {Queenstown},
	abstract = {The influence of social hierarchy on the behaviour of a herd of 41 cows milked in an automated milking system (AMS) was studied under conditions of free or no access to water at pasture. In phase 1 (P1) water was available within a central collection area (CCA) in the centre of the farm from which return to pasture was via the AMS. In phase 2 (P2), water was available at pasture in addition to the CCA. The time budget for activity (grazing, standing, lying or walking) and location (paddock, CCA entrance race, exit race or waiting yard) was determined over 2x24h in each of P1 \& P2. Dominance values (DV) were calculated and cows classified as high, middle or low ranking. In P1 \& P2, DV was positively related to the number of milking visits to the AMS. In P1, 83.4\% of all drinking occurred in the CCA compared with 14.2\% in P2. Social rank had no effect on time budget in P1, however, in P2, DV influenced waiting times with lower ranking cows spending a greater proportion of time waiting before entering the AMS. The results show that social rank affects the number of visits to the AMS and yard waiting times but has little effect on the activity time budget of cows milked in a AMS. },
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Jago J and Jackson A and Woolford M}
}
