History and Adaptation of Robotic Milking - with guest Jim Salfer

Okay.

And Jim, so in 2009, so it was sort of, um, a bit of a sort of 10 year lag almost from the first robots going into Europe.

So I believe, um, in Holland when maybe, you know, I think 1997 around that sort of time.

So why do you think it was took longer to get to the States?

I think the, you know, I think a lot about this and I think the main reason at that time.

And you can correct me if I'm wrong, Gareth.

I'm talking about the Europe.

They had a quota system on milk production.

And so I think that European producers were much more interested in improving lifestyle because they couldn't increase milk production.

I mean, they had a quota.

It's a little bit like Canada now with their quota.

So you say, well, why don't I try to invest in technologies that increase milk production? I think in the U.S., We didn't have a cap on milk production.

So if there was spare capital laying around on farms, they just purchased more cows.

They just added on their barns and kept adding cows.

So I think it was kind of an economic decision in a way.

So highly profitable farms in Europe, I think, thought, I'm going to invest in things that improve my lifestyle.

I think the highly profitable farms in the U.S. said, I'm going to add cows.

That also fits with the acceptance in Canada, a similar situation, because I think they were ahead of the U.S. and they're also the quota system was a factor.

I'm wondering, you mentioned a thousand people at that first open house.

I think talk a little bit about what drew a thousand people.

What were they looking for? How many of them were skeptics kicking the tires and how many were actually thinking this is something I might do on my farm?

You know, I think initially when they left home that morning to go to this, they were like, this isn't going to work.

So it was a curiosity thing, right? I'd seen a two-headed man at the state fair or something.

You know, I'm just going to kind of go, I'm going to go try and figure out what this is about because this isn't going to work.

I think a percentage, and I didn't know what percentage it was, and that's why I got all the questions.

Okay.

And Jim, so in 2009, so it was sort of, um, a bit of a sort of 10 year lag almost from the first robots going into Europe.

So I believe, um, in Holland when maybe, you know, I think 1997 around that sort of time.

So why do you think it was took longer to get to the States?

I think the, you know, I think a lot about this and I think the main reason at that time.

And you can correct me if I'm wrong, Gareth.

I'm talking about the Europe.

They had a quota system on milk production.

And so I think that European producers were much more interested in improving lifestyle because they couldn't increase milk production.

I mean, they had a quota.

It's a little bit like Canada now with their quota.

So you say, well, why don't I try to invest in technologies that increase milk production? I think in the U.S., We didn't have a cap on milk production.

So if there was spare capital laying around on farms, they just purchased more cows.

They just added on their barns and kept adding cows.

So I think it was kind of an economic decision in a way.

So highly profitable farms in Europe, I think, thought, I'm going to invest in things that improve my lifestyle.

I think the highly profitable farms in the U.S. said, I'm going to add cows.

That also fits with the acceptance in Canada, a similar situation, because I think they were ahead of the U.S. and they're also the quota system was a factor.

I'm wondering, you mentioned a thousand people at that first open house.

I think talk a little bit about what drew a thousand people.

What were they looking for? How many of them were skeptics kicking the tires and how many were actually thinking this is something I might do on my farm?

You know, I think initially when they left home that morning to go to this, they were like, this isn't going to work.

So it was a curiosity thing, right? I'd seen a two-headed man at the state fair or something.

You know, I'm just going to kind of go, I'm going to go try and figure out what this is about because this isn't going to work.

I think a percentage, and I didn't know what percentage it was, and that's why I got all the questions.