• Adoption reality: Robots are spreading, yet many farms are re-evaluating fit. Large herds often lean toward automated rotaries (pre- and post-sprays) for sheer throughput; small to mid-size herds may benefit most from box robots—especially when barn flow and labor fit the model.
• Repair costs that pencil: Plan for $10–12k per robot per year once out of warranty, with $500–$1,000 annual increases as units age. Under warranty is lower; 24/7 equipment inevitably costs more to maintain.
• Troubleshooting visits: Dips from ~2.7–2.9 milkings/day to ~2.2–2.3 crush production and are hard to diagnose (cow behavior, nutrition, traffic, hardware hiccups).
• Feeding in robots: Trend has shifted from “all pellets through the robot” to less robot feed overall. Pellets remain reliable; meals can work but often require hardware tweaks (vibrators/lines) and some herds struggle with consistency. Multiple feeds can help target fresh cows but isn’t mandatory.
• Used robots are viable: Dealer-refreshed, recent-model used units can be half (or less) the cost of new. Expect less warranty and potentially higher repairs, but they’re a solid on-ramp for younger or capital-tight producers.
• Rotaries & partial automation: Pre/post sprayers are getting better and can deliver impressive efficiency. Full robotic attachment on rotaries remains complex due to eye-hand coordination challenges, but incremental automation keeps improving labor per hundred cows.
• Batch milking with box robots: A compelling middle path for pasture-based or capital-limited farms—bring cows up 2–3× daily, run them through multiple boxes, and send them back. You won’t maximize 24/7 robot utilization, but you may optimize labor and cash while managing cows like a traditional system.
• Capital strategy matters: Highly automated, all-robot barns can tie up capital and slow growth; retrofitting modest parlors can free cash to grow cow numbers. Match the system to your growth goals.
• Crystal ball: Expect three lanes to coexist—(1) retrofit parallels, (2) large new rotaries (increasingly automated), and (3) robots for small/mid herds—plus combo herds (rotary + a robot barn for elite “robot cows”).

Chapter markers

• 00:00 – Cold open, guest intro & breed banter (Red Angus; black-and-white Holsteins)
• 03:21 – Why talk robots now? Installs vs. removals and what that means
• 04:56 – Large-herd calculus: automated rotaries vs. box robots
• 06:22 – The visit-rate problem: when milkings/day drop and why it’s tricky
• 07:48 – Real repair numbers and how they climb after warranty
• 09:38 – Feeding through the robot: pellets, meals, and what’s working now
• 12:47 – Should you buy used robots? Costs, warranties, dealer refreshes
• 16:13 – Robotic rotaries, parlor automation, and what’s practical today
• 20:08 – Labor reality: making jobs people actually want to do
• 21:33 – “All-automated” dairies, cash flow, and growth constraints
• 23:55 – Jim’s outlook: three lanes + hybrid herds
• 26:00 – Batch milking with boxes: where it shines (esp. pasture herds)
• 28:13 – Tradeoffs: robot idle time vs. labor/capital fit
• 30:02 – The cost elephant: margins, risk, and decision discipline
• 31:41 – Wrap and contact info