On June 18, 2004, Heritage Christian Services opened the Riedman Robotic Milking Center at Springdale Farm. The center is a working dairy that showcases the future of dairy farming, a robotic milking machine that milks cows without the farmer’s help!
Springdale is the first public demonstration farm in the Northeast to install this cutting-edge technology. A nearby dairy farm, Colby Homestead Farms, Inc., manages the robotic milking center, and the milk produced by the dairy is collected and distributed by Upstate Farms, a local dairy cooperative.
About the Dairy Barn
The Riedman Robotic Milking Center is an airy free-stall barn with room for 60 cows, plus four calf pens and box stalls for cows that are giving birth. The barn has a lower observation area and an upper observation deck from which visitors can see all the cows and calves. Attached to the barn is a milk house that includes a reception lobby, the robotic milking parlor, viewing area and a milk storage tank.
About the Technology
The milking parlor features the Astronaut System of robotic milking, developed by Lely USA, Inc. The system includes a self-cleaning, laser-guided robot plus an automatic feeder, all managed by the Xpert software program. The robot identifies the cows by their collar transponders, and the accompanying software keeps track of data regarding the cow’s health, reproductive history, milk production and milk quality. It also allows the cows to be milked whenever they want, without the farmer needing to be there. This gives farmers more free time to concentrate on other parts of their business or spend more time with their families.
Dairy Tours
Since the Riedman Robotic Milking Center is a working dairy, visitors must be accompanied by a Springdale Farm tour guide.
Tours are available Monday through Saturday at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm. Cost is $3 for Adults (ages 12-62), $2 for Youth (ages 3-11) and Seniors (age 63+) and free for Kids (ages 2 and under).
To register for a tour for a group of 15 people or more, please call (585) 349-2090 ext. 4505. For groups of less than 15 people, pre-registration is not necessary. You may sign up and pay for your tour in the gift shop, located in the Visitor Education Center.