cows on a dairy farm on Jeju Island are being milked and cared for by robots around the clock. (Image courtesy of Jeju Province)
JEJU, Sept. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – In a sign of agriculture’s digital future, cows on a dairy farm on Jeju Island are being milked and cared for by robots around the clock.
Dawon Farm, located in Jeju City’s Jocheon-eup district, has embraced automation with the introduction of eight digital robotic milking machines. These tireless devices operate 24 hours a day, milking each cow an average of three times daily without human intervention.
The farm spent three months training its Jersey cows to become accustomed to the robotic system, creating an environment where the animals can be milked automatically without human assistance.
But the farm’s foray into agricultural technology doesn’t stop at milking. Four robotic manure cleaners continuously patrol the barn floors, while automated calf feeders dispense precise amounts of milk replacer to the farm’s youngest residents.
“We believe this ICT-based automated dairy system will help us reduce labor costs and improve animal welfare while producing high-quality dairy products,” said Kim Jung-ok, the farm’s owner.
Kim has also called on the Jeju provincial government to support and cooperate with local livestock farmers in adopting digital farming systems.
The farm has gone a step further in its environmental considerations by introducing cows that produce less methane and manure, and feeding them a low-methane diet.
This high-tech approach to dairy farming is part of a broader push by Jeju Island’s government to expand the use of information and communications technology (ICT) across its primary industries.
The province is actively seeking out and promoting cases of farms successfully leveraging ICT, aiming to modernize its agricultural sector.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
