Our Team Discusses Survey Results on Labor Shortages and Automation in U.S. Dairies

The study examined labor challenges and the adoption of automated milking systems (AMS) in California and Wisconsin–the nation’s two largest dairy-producing states. Results revealed sharp contrasts: California’s large-scale dairies rely heavily on immigrant labor, while Wisconsin’s smaller, family-run operations depend more on household and local workers.
Persistent labor shortages and high turnover rates are driving interest in automation, yet adoption remains limited–only about 5% of farmers expressed that have installed AMS, with 15% considering it.

While AMS can improve efficiency and reduce labor needs, high upfront costs, often exceeding $1 million for mid-sized farms (>250 cows), pose a major barrier. Potential adopters tend to have higher household incomes and larger diversified operations, suggesting that automation is challenging for smaller operations. Reducing reliance on manual labor was the leading
motivation among adopters, followed by productivity gains and modernization before generational transfer. Dr. Peña-Lévano emphasized that semi-automation devices like automatic feeders, cluster removers, and automatic washers are alternative options for dairy operations that prefer not to adopt robotic milking.

Louis Lab thanks C-FARE for the opportunity to share these insights and engage with stakeholders on the future of dairy innovation.

Acknowledgements

The survey was partially funded by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR- SARE) grant.