New feeding robot on display at Canadian Dairy XPO

Apr 08, 2016

Rover can help dairy farmers feed more efficiently

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

Demonstrations, guest speakers, milk and machinery were all part of 2016’s edition of the Canadian Dairy XPO which wrapped up April 6 in Stratford, Ontario.

Among the equipment dairy farmers were exploring was a new machine from Rovibec Agrisolutions.

“Rover is an automated feeding robot that has a capacity of 120 cu ft.,” said Frank Dagenais, territory manager with Rovibec. “It has four-wheel drive and is a totally automated system.”

The 120 cu ft. capacity means the feeding robot can provide about 1,000 Kg (2,200 Lbs) of ration.

The Rover’s main features include the ability to feed up to 300 animals without human intervention, a dual auger system that allows for top mixing and distribution, and when used with the RV4000 Rovibec software, can measure and distribute recipes per animal group.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.