{"id":22111,"date":"2025-10-18T04:43:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T04:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drlouis.us\/louis-lab\/?p=22111"},"modified":"2025-11-01T14:52:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T14:52:02","slug":"our-team-discusses-survey-results-on-labor-shortages-and-automation-in-u-s-dairies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drlouis.us\/louis-lab\/our-team-discusses-survey-results-on-labor-shortages-and-automation-in-u-s-dairies\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Team Discusses Survey Results on Labor Shortages and Automation in U.S. Dairies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Our Team Discusses Survey Results on Labor Shortages and Automation in U.S. Dairies<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>

November 3, 2025 | Davis, CA<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n

By Jose Brice\u00f1o, Bilingual Communication Specialist<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Dr. Pe\u00f1a-L\u00e9vano and Dr. Burney co-presented their research on labor constraints and automation trends in U.S. dairy farming during a C-FARE webinar on September 5, 2025. The session, titled \u201cLabor Constraints and Automation Trends in California and Wisconsin Dairy Farming,\u201d featured findings from a recent survey conducted in collaboration with co-authors Dr. Luis Garcia-Covarrubias and Jim Salfer.<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The study examined labor challenges and the adoption of automated milking systems (AMS) in California and Wisconsin\u2013the nation\u2019s two largest dairy-producing states. Results revealed sharp contrasts: California\u2019s large-scale dairies rely heavily on immigrant labor, while Wisconsin\u2019s 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\u2013only about 5% of farmers expressed that have installed AMS, with 15% considering it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. Pe\u00f1a-L\u00e9vano 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WATCH THE FULL WEBINAR [<\/strong>CLICK HERE]<\/a><\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Louis Lab thanks C-FARE for the opportunity to share these insights and engage with stakeholders on the future of dairy innovation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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READ MORE AT C-FARE: [CLICK HERE]<\/a><\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Acknowledgements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey was partially funded by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR- SARE) grant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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