It’s getting harder to find skilled labor in agriculture. That’s why more and more farmers are turning to robots. Automation is easing the workload in barns—from milking to feeding.
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00:00No humans work in this barn.
00:05170 cattle are looked after around the clock by robots.
00:10The animals are fed four times a day.
00:13AI calculates exactly how much they need.
00:16Feeding systems like these cost around 100,000 euros,
00:20but they pay off quickly.
00:22Farm hands are hard to find, and in the long run, robots are cheaper.
00:26The barn is bedded with straw so the cows can lie down in comfort.
00:32Outside, feed is processed and delivered to the animals fully automatically.
00:41Meanwhile, the farmer is off-duty, controlling and monitoring everything via an app on his smartphone.
00:49I've got different rations for different animals.
00:53Cows, heifers, dry cows, bulls, young stock, transition feed, seven feeding plants.
01:00And the system handles all of it.
01:02If you did that with a manual mixer, you'd need someone working three hours a day.
01:09There are no employees left in this cattle barn.
01:12The farmer runs it entirely on his own.
01:15Thanks to full automation, he's been able to expand his herd by 30 animals.
01:20His most important tool, a smartphone with specialized AI software.
01:27Each animal wears a collar with a sensor connected to the app.
01:33It constantly provides data on each individual cow.
01:37The collar tells you how much the cow is eating, how long it's been lying down, feeding times, resting times, rumination activity, which is a great indicator of health.
01:48If there's a deviation, you get an alert.
01:51And then, you can check.
01:53Is it eating less?
01:54Is something wrong?
01:56The milking robot makes life easier.
01:59No extra staff needed.
02:01The cows quickly learn to line up on their own, heading to the station at least four times a day.
02:08Sensors guide the milking unit into place.
02:12It's just the kind of repetitive work younger farmers want to avoid.
02:18This farmer says he would have had to quit long ago without automation.
02:27Without the tech this farm wouldn't survive.
02:29The workload would be too much.
02:31You'd need extra help every day, even on weekends.
02:36At some point you start wondering, what's the point?
02:40You want a life too.
02:43And as long as the tech works and it's still fun, it's great.
02:49His robotic systems come from this Austrian company.
02:53Worldwide, demand for automation in agriculture is growing fast.
02:58These machines are shipped to Brazil, the Middle East and Australia.
03:04This office is the global operations hub.
03:08We can access any device anywhere in the world, if the internet connection is stable.
03:14We can see exactly what each circuit board is doing, or not doing.
03:19Modern farms are highly specialized.
03:23This one in northern Germany houses 750 calves.
03:27While the farmer is out working the fields,
03:30he can still keep an eye on his calves via an online platform.
03:34His smartphone provides 24-7 updates.
03:38Especially important because calves are vulnerable to illness and need close monitoring.
03:48Right now he's getting an alert.
03:50Calf number 101 isn't drinking enough milk.
03:54The data comes from a sensor on the calf's ear.
03:59The animal doesn't seem sick.
04:03It bolts at first sight.
04:05The farmer guides it to the feeding station.
04:09Is it sick or just not hungry?
04:12This calf just isn't hungry right now and doesn't feel like drinking.
04:20Otherwise it seems healthy.
04:23I'll check back in two hours and keep an eye on it to see if it drinks the rest of its milk.
04:30The calves are fed by an automated dispenser filled with milk powder.
04:35If a calf doesn't drink enough, the system flags it right away.
04:40The dispenser is equipped with sensors that measure how much and how fast a calf drinks.
04:46The data is analyzed by AI, allowing the farmer to monitor each calf's health and detail.
04:53This machine lets us improve animal welfare in the barn.
05:04It gives the calf 24-hour access to milk, so its routine mimics natural behavior.
05:13It can choose when and how often it feeds.
05:16Many small meals or a few bigger ones.
05:20These milk dispensers are made here.
05:29The company exports to over 70 countries.
05:32Demand is growing, especially in Eastern Europe.
05:36In the US, the market is uncertain due to proposed tariffs.
05:41There's also strong interest from South America, where a planned trade deal could boost sales.
05:50The software is designed to work in a range of climates.
05:54AI helps process the massive amounts of data that the machines generate.
05:59We're seeing a huge boost.
06:03AI is giving us real momentum in automation.
06:08Without it, this kind of barn automation wouldn't be nearly as affordable.
06:13More and more farms are handing over their heavy routine work to robots.
06:22The goal is to keep farming sustainable and appealing for the next generation.
06:27And the animals?
06:29They don't seem to mind.
06:34We can't give up theody to the factory without paying Suite $100 management.
06:35Theseattlemen .
06:36They don't seem to have much better enough
06:43트�agpentаты but the market has,...
06:46They don't seem to have very convenient...
06:49They don't seem to be successful.
06:50They don't seem to have fast food, but they aren't going to join this movie yet.
06:53They weren't so fastest.
06:54They were able to achieve the amount of talent.
06:55They were given an users ofivi trails.