UNEXPECTED WAYS. >> STAR CITY, INDIANA.
IT'S A CITY NAMED FOR THE
UNLIKELY HOME TO SOME OF THE
STATE'S MOST FAMOUS RESIDENTS.
EACH YEAR HUNDREDS TREK FROM
AROUND THE COUNTRY TO SEE THEM.
NO, NOT THEM.
THEM.
THEM. THAT'S RIGHT... THE 140 COWS
THAT RESIDE AT THIS FOURTH
GENERATION DAIRY FARM.
>> I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN -- ENJOYED
THE FARMING.
THE FARMING. I REMEMBER WE HAD A TOUR OF SOME
CHILDREN FROM MARSHLAND, FULTON
COUNTY.
COUNTY. I SAID WHEN I WAS A CHILD I USED
TO PLAY IN THE YARD DOWN THERE
IN MY SAND PILE WITH TRACTORS
AND TRUCKS AND THE ONLY THING
THAT'S CHANGED IS THE SIZE OF MY
TOYS.
TOYS. I JUST USE BIGGER TOYS NOW TO DO
THE SAME THING I'VE ALWAYS
WANTED TO DO, AND THAT WAS FARM.
>> FOR SAM, DAIRY FARMING IS IN
HIS BLOOD.
HIS BLOOD. HIS GRANDFATHER STARTED THE FARM
IN 1919, AND IN 1956 HIS FATHER
BUILT THEIR FIRST MILKING
PARLOR.
PARLOR. SO WHEN SAM TOOK OVER, HIS FOCUS
WASN'T ON WHERE THE COWS WERE
MILKED BUT HOW THE COWS WERE
MILKED.
MILKED. >> THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN A
FARM MAGAZINE ABOUT ROBOTS BEING
PUT USE OVER IN EUROPE.
MY WIFE PAM SAID THAT I MADE A
COMMENT THAT, BOY, SOME DAY I
WOULD LIKE TO OWN SOME OF THOSE.
THE THREE TIMES A DAY MILKING
WAS THE MAJOR THING BACK THEN.
IF YOU MILK A COW THREE TIMES A
DAY OVER TWICE A DAY YOU'LL
INCREASE MILK PRODUCTION BY 10
TO 14% WITH NO OTHER FORCES
BEING IMPLEMENTED.
BEING IMPLEMENTED. BUT THE LABOR IS A REAL ISSUE
WITH THAT.
WITH THAT. WITH ROBOTS, THEY DO IT 24 HOURS
A DAY AND IT ELIMINATES THE
LABOR PROBLEM.
LABOR PROBLEM. I DON'T KNOW WHY, IT JUST MADE
SO MUCH SENSE TO ME.
I CALL OURSELVES COWOLOGISTS.
IT'S ABOUT WHAT THE COW IS
THINKING AND WANTING.
THAT SEEMS SILLY BUT IT'S REALLY
WHAT THE COW WANTS TO DO.
IT'S TOTALLY UP TO HER.
>> ROBOTIC MILKERS BECAME
AVAILABLE IN THE NETHERLANDS IN
1992 BUT IT TOOK ANOTHER EIGHT
YEARS FOR THEM TO BE INTRODUCED
IN THE U.S.
WHEN THE JONES INSTALLED THEIR
ROBOTS IN 2003 THEY WERE ONE OF
ONLY 10 ROBOTIC DAIRIES IN THE
NATION.
NATION. >> THEY ACTUALLY INTERVIEWED US
BEFORE THEY SAID WE COULD BUY
THE ROBOTS TO MAKE SURE WE WERE
ROBOT MATERIAL, WE WOULD
UNDERSTAND AND BE ABLE TO LEARN
ALL OF THIS.
AND AFTER THEY DID THAT QUICK
INTERVIEW AND CAME AND VISITED
OUR FACILITY AND SPOKE WITH THEY
SAID YOU WILL WORK WELL.
THEY SAID WE'RE GOING TO TRAIN
THE COWS FIRST AND THEN WE'LL
TREAT YOU.
TREAT YOU. THE COWS LEARNED HOW TO DO THE
ROBOT THING AND WE STOOD BACK
AND WATCHED AND HELPED IN THE
PROCESS.
PROCESS. IT TAKES SOME COWS A LITTLE
LONGER THAN OTHERS.
SOME TOOK OFF AND LEARNED IT
FIRST TIME THROUGH.
AND IT'S STILL THAT WAY.
EVEN WE HAVE A NEW MAMA THAT
JUST KAFD AND WE'RE BRINGING HER
UP FOR THE FIRST TIME AND
INTRODUCING HER TO THE ROBOTS.
IT TAKES A LITTLE WHILE.
IT'S JUST LIKE PERSONALITIES.
>> JUST LIKE A PERSONAL
SIGNATURE, EACH COW PROVIDES
UNIQUE MILK CHARACTERISTICS AT T
THE ROBOTS CAN RECORD AND TRACK.
>> THE COW STEPS ON TO THE ROBOT
AND IT'S IDED AND EACH COW HAS
AN ELECTRONIC ID TAG.
IF SHE IS I IDENTIFIED AND IT
SAYS SHE NEEDS TO BE MILKED, THE
ROBOT ARM WILL PROCEED TO
STIMULATE AND CLEAN HER TEATS
AND THE ROBOT TRACKS COLOR OF
MILK, DOES IT A CONDUCTIVITY
TEST ON THE MILK.
IF MILK IS ABNORMAL DUE TO BEING
IN HEAT OR THE COW IS SICK OR
ALONG THOSE LINES, THE ROBOT
GETS A READING AND ALERTS US TO
CHECK THIS COW FOR WHAT MIGHT BE
WRONG WITH HER.
IT LETS US TREAT OUR COWS BEFORE
THEY -- BEFORE THE INSPECTION
GETS A HOLD OF THE COW.
SO IT TAKES LESS ANTIBIOTICS.
IT JUST GIVES YOU A WEALTH OF
INFORMATION TO MAKE THE ANIMAL
MORE HEALTHY AND HOPEFULLY HELP
OTHER FARMERS, TOO.
>> EACH YEAR THE JONES PROVIDE
HUNDREDS OF TOURS, NOT JUST TO
LOCAL SCHOOL CHILDREN, BUT ALSO
TO SOUTHERN DAIRY FARMERS,
HOPING TO RAISE THE BENEFITS.
>> MY DAD USED TO BE REALLY
HAPPY IF WE WOULD SHIP A MILLION
POUNDS A YEAR.
THIS YEAR WE'RE ON GOAL TO
ALMOST SHIP 3 MILLION POUNDS OF
MILK ON PRETTY MUCH THE SAME
AMOUNT OF LAND FOR THE DAIRY.
THE STRESS ON THE ANIMAL IS SO
MUCH LESS.
MUCH LESS. THERE'S NO WAITING
UNCOMFORTABLE, CAN'T SLEEP,
CAN'T LAY DOWN.
ROBOTS ARE ALWAYS OPEN.
>> THE HAPPY MOOD OF THE HERD
CAUSE AN UNEXPECTED CHANGE.
NO MOOS IN THE HERD.
>> WE DON'T HEAR A LOT OF
MOOING.
MOOING. THE COWS MOOED A LOT WHEN WE
MILKED THE OTHER WAY, WANTING TO
BE FED, BABIES TO LAY DOWN.
WE DIDN'T REALIZE THAT UNTIL WE
GOT THE ROBOTS AND WE HERD NO
MOOING ONE DAY.
WE CALLED A PROFESSOR AT PURDUE
AND ASKED, OUR COWS DON'T MOO
ANYMORE, AND HE SAID, THEY DON'T
WANT FOR ANYTHING.
THEY DO LIKE THE LAID BACK
APPROACH OF LETTING THEM PICK
AND CHOOSE WHEN THEY WANT TO
EAT, LETTING THEM CHOOSE WHEN
THEY WANT TO LIE DOWN.
IF THEY WANT TO STAND OUT IN THE
RAIN THEY CAN, IF THEY WANT TO
STAND OUT IN THE SUNSHINE, THEY
DO.
DO. I HAVE SEEN COWS LICKING ICICLES
OFF THE BARNS.
THEY'RE ALMOST LIKE KIDS.
THAT'S THE PART I ENJOY THE MOST
ABOUT THE COWS, IS ACTUALLY
SEEING THEIR UNIQUE
PERSONALITIES.
PERSONALITIES. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD A CONNECTION
WITH ANIMALS.
WITH ANIMALS. I REALLY HAVE A DEGREE IN
RADIOLOGY, BUT WHEN WE GOT
MARRIED I BECAME A DAIRY FARMER.
THAT WAS 37 YEARS AGO.
I WOULDN'T CHANGE THAT FOR
ANYTHING.