• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.703-715
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• 2015

One of the challenges to increase milk production in a large pasture-based herd with an automatic milking system (AMS) is to grow forages within a 1- km radius, as increases in walking distance increases milking interval and reduces yield. The main objective of this study was to explore sustainable forage option technologies that can supply high amount of grazeable forages for AMS herds using the Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM) model. Three different basic simulation scenarios (with irrigation) were carried out using forage crops (namely maize, soybean and sorghum) for the spring-summer period. Subsequent crops in the three scenarios were forage rape over-sown with ryegrass. Each individual simulation was run using actual climatic records for the period from 1900 to 2010. Simulated highest forage yields in maize, soybean and sorghum- (each followed by forage rape-ryegrass) based rotations were 28.2, 22.9, and 19.3 t dry matter/ha, respectively. The simulations suggested that the irrigation requirement could increase by up to 18%, 16%, and 17% respectively in those rotations in El-Nino years compared to neutral years. On the other hand, irrigation requirement could increase by up to 25%, 23%, and 32% in maize, soybean and sorghum based rotations in El-Nino years compared to La-Nina years. However, irrigation requirement could decrease by up to 8%, 7%, and 13% in maize, soybean and sorghum based rotations in La-Nina years compared to neutral years. The major implication of this study is that APSIM models have potentials in devising preferred forage options to maximise grazeable forage yield which may create the opportunity to grow more forage in small areas around the AMS which in turn will minimise walking distance and milking interval and thus increase milk production. Our analyses also suggest that simulation analysis may provide decision support during climatic uncertainty.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.179-186
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was kinematics analysis of the multi-joint robot manipulator for an automatic milking system. The multi-joint robot manipulator was consisted of one perpendicular link and four revolution links to attach simultaneously four teat cups to four teats of a milking cow. The local coordinates of each joints on the robot manipulator was given for kinematics analysis. The transformation of manipulator was able to be given by kinematics using Denavit-Hatenberg parameters. The value of inverse kinematics which was solved by two geometric solution methods. The kinematics solutions was verified by AutoCAD, MATLAB, simulation program was developed using Visual C++.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.97-104
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• 2014

This study was conducted to examine the effect of different types of milking instrument and season on milk composition (fat, protein, non-fat milk solids, milk urea nitrogen and somatic cell count) on Holstein-Friesian lactating cows. Raw milk samples were collected from 20 automatic milking system (AMS) installed dairy farms and 85 conventional milking system (CMS) installed dairy farms. Milk fat, protein, NFMS and MUN contents did not changed between AMS and CMS and different seasons. On the other hand, the average SCC in AMS was $239{\times}10^3cells/mL$ which was lower than in CMS ($373{\times}10^3cells/mL$, (p<0.05). In conclusion, present results indicated that SCC in milk might be influenced by AMS. However, this area needed more study to confirm the reason of reducing SCC content from AMS.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1044-1052
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• 2015

The aim of this modelling study was to investigate the effect of large herd size (and land areas) on walking distances and milking interval (MI), and their impact on milk yield and economic penalties when 50% of the total diets were provided from home grown feed either as pasture or grazeable complementary forage rotation (CFR) in an automatic milking system (AMS). Twelve scenarios consisting of 3 AMS herds (400, 600, 800 cows), 2 levels of pasture utilisation (current AMS utilisation of 15.0 t dry matter [DM]/ha, termed as 'moderate'; optimum pasture utilisation of 19.7 t DM/ha, termed as 'high') and 2 rates of incorporation of grazeable complementary forage system (CFS: 0, 30%; CFS = 65% farm is CFR and 35% of farm is pasture) were investigated. Walking distances, energy loss due to walking, MI, reduction in milk yield and income loss were calculated for each treatment based on information available in the literature. With moderate pasture utilisation and 0% CFR, increasing the herd size from 400 to 800 cows resulted in an increase in total walking distances between the parlour and the paddock from 3.5 to 6.3 km. Consequently, MI increased from 15.2 to 16.4 h with increased herd size from 400 to 800 cows. High pasture utilisation (allowing for an increased stocking density) reduced the total walking distances up to 1 km, thus reduced the MI by up to 0.5 h compared to the moderate pasture, 800 cow herd combination. The high pasture utilisation combined with 30% of the farm in CFR in the farm reduced the total walking distances by up to 1.7 km and MI by up to 0.8 h compared to the moderate pasture and 800 cow herd combination. For moderate pasture utilisation, increasing the herd size from 400 to 800 cows resulted in more dramatic milk yield penalty as yield increasing from c.f. 2.6 and 5.1 kg/cow/d respectively, which incurred a loss of up to $AU 1.9/cow/d. Milk yield losses of 0.61 kg and 0.25 kg for every km increase in total walking distance (voluntary return trip from parlour to paddock) and every one hour increase in MI, respectively. The high pasture utilisation combined with 30% of the farm in CFR in the farm increased milk yield by up to 1.5 kg/cow/d, thereby reducing loss by up to $0.5/cow/d (c.f. the moderate pasture and 800 cow herd scenario). Thus, it was concluded that the successful integration of grazeable CFS with pasture has the potential to improve financial performance compared to the pasture only, large herd, AMS.

• Journal of Agricultural Extension & Community Development
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.799-831
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• 2012

This study was accomplished to support farmers who want to introduce Automatic Milking System. The methods of analysis is considered on it as investment analysis that NPV, ROV and FROV. As a classical investment analysis technique, NPV showed 142 thousand won on the every senarioes. On the other hands, The Real Option Analysis showed 153,826, 154,937 and 152,858 on the normal, optimistic and pessimistic senarioes respectively. it is considered as a investment analysis technique for strategic decision-making. But, it may have problem to evaluate present value of expected cash flows and expected costs by a single number. To solve those problems, this paper tried to evaluate Fuzzy Real Option Model which were jointed with a real option model and Fuzzy set model. The result of analysis showed, on respective senarioes, 153,515 to 161,489, 154,612 to 162,970, and 152,573 to 159,835 on the interval estimation. Thereby It is a more realistic in many cases.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.244-257
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• 2023

The study aimed to investigate the effect of low-frequency oscillations on the cow udder, milk parameters, and animal welfare during the automated milking process. The study's objective was to investigate the impact of low-frequency oscillations on the udder and teats' blood circulation by creating a mathematical model of mammary glands, using milkers and vibrators to analyze the theoretical dynamics of oscillations. The mechanical vibration device developed and tested in the study was mounted on a DeLaval automatic milking machine, which excited the udder with low-frequency oscillations, allowing the analysis of input parameters (temperature, oscillation amplitude) and using feedback data, changing the device parameters such as vibration frequency and duration. The experimental study was performed using an artificial cow's udder model with and without milk and a DeLaval milking machine, exciting the model with low-frequency harmonic oscillations (frequency range 15-60 Hz, vibration amplitude 2-5 mm). The investigation in vitro applying low-frequency of the vibration system's first-order frequencies in lateral (X) direction showed the low-frequency values of 23.5-26.5 Hz (effective frequency of the simulation analysis was 25.0 Hz). The tested values of the first-order frequency of the vibration system in the vertical (Y) direction were 37.5-41.5 Hz (effective frequency of the simulation analysis was 41.0 Hz), with higher amplitude and lower vibration damping. During in vivo experiments, while milking, the vibrator was inducing mechanical milking-similar vibrations in the udder. The vibrations were spreading to the entire udder and caused physiotherapeutic effects such as activated physiological processes and increased udder base temperature by 0.57℃ (p < 0.001), thus increasing blood flow in the udder. Used low-frequency vibrations did not significantly affect milk yield, milk composition, milk quality indicators, and animal welfare. The investigation results showed that applying low-frequency vibration on a cow udder during automatic milking is a non-invasive, efficient method to stimulate blood circulation in the udder and improve teat and udder health without changing milk quality and production. Further studies will be carried out in the following research phase on clinical and subclinical mastitis cows.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.422-430
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• 2014

Pasture-based automatic milking systems (AMS) require cow traffic to enable cows to be milked. The interval between milkings can be manipulated by strategically allocating pasture. The current experiment investigated the effect of replacing an allocation of grazed pasture with grazed soybean (Glycine max) with the hypothesis that incorporating soybean would increase voluntary cow traffic and milk production. One hundred and eighty mixed age, primiparous and multiparous Holstein-Friesian/Illawarra cows were randomly assigned to two treatment groups (n = 90/group) with a $2{\times}2$ Latin square design. Each group was either offered treatments of kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum Hoach ex Chiov.) pasture (pasture) or soybean from 0900 h to 1500 h during the experimental period which consisted of 2 periods of 3 days following 5 days of training and adaptation in each period with groups crossing over treatments after the first period. The number of cows trafficking to each treatment was similar together with milk yield (mean ${\approx}18$ L/cow/d) in this experiment. For the cows that arrived at soybean or pasture there were significant differences in their behaviour and consequently the number of cows exiting each treatment paddock. There was greater cow traffic (more cows and sooner) exiting pasture allocations. Cows that arrived at soybean stayed on the allocation for 25% more time and ate more forage (8.5 kg/cow/d/allocation) relative to pasture (4.7 kg/cow/d/allocation). Pasture cows predominantly replaced eating time with rumination. These findings suggest that replacing pasture with alternative grazeable forages provides no additional incentive to increase voluntary cow traffic to an allocation of feed in AMS. This work highlights the opportunity to increase forage intakes in AMS through the incorporation of alternative forages.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.209-214
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• 2015

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of different milking systems (AMS, automatic milking system and CMS, conventional milking system) and of supplemental fat feeding on milk composition and milk fat characteristics. The composition, MFG (milk fat globule) size, fatty acids (FAs), and free fatty acids (FFAs) of the milk from 4 AMS and 4 CMS dairy farms were analyzed on the basis of the milking system and feeding of protected fat. The milking system did not affect milk composition, MFG size, and milk FAs, but FFA content of AMS milk were significantly higher than that of CMS milk. Feeding of protected fat resulted in the production of milk much higher in LCFAs (long chain FAs); however, the milk composition was not affected by fat supplementation. Cows administered protected fat supplements produced milk containing MFGs with a large average diameter.

• Journal of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers
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• v.51 no.9
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• pp.238-247
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• 2014

The milking robot system is very important to detect correctly the teats position in the moving condition of cow. Also, the robot manipulator must control tracking the teat cup to the detected teat position. The presented milking robot is designed using the one point laser sensor for teat position detection. The teats of cow are detected by the laser scanning unit and the manipulator has the function of 3 axes moving control unit. The presented teat detection method and the electrical driving manipulator have the advantages of a simple, low cost and very quiet. The designed manipulator is realized by the totally electrical motor and servo poison control algorithm with velocity PID compensation. The presented robot is realized using the teat detection unit, 4 teat cups, 3 axes robot arm, 6 servo motors and automatic milking control line. The designed robot is experimented in the cow farm and is satisfied with the designed performance specification for milking robot manipulator.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.140-143
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• 1996

In this paper the development of an automatic body temperature measuring system which can be attached to the milking machine has been studied. Since the disease is highly related to the body temperature of the cattle, early detection of the abnormal temperature would prevent the severe problems which may occur in dairy farms. The electronic component AD590 is used as a temperature sensor for the system. The device is highly robust against the noise since the output signal is the current. So it can be applied to the long distance sensing. The resolution of the signal is $0.1{\circ}C$ and the current is 10 mV. Also the A/D converter is designed for interfacing the sensor with a computer. A temperature measuring experiment using the developed system has been done for measuring the temperature of human beings and the system was proven to be useful for measuring the body temperature of the dairy cattle properly.