What is a Rotary?

If you’ve been around dairy farms, you may have heard the term ‘rotary’ once of twice. If you were confused by what was meant, you’re in luck, because that is what we’re exploring today. Basically, a rotary is a sort of milking system. It is a round platform that can hold and milk many cows at once, some systems even being able to hold 2,000 cows in one go. The system rotates (hence, why it’s called a rotary) at a slow pace as cows step on and off to get milked. Depending on the system, the farmer either has to place the milking device on the cows, or a robot does so automatically. The rotary takes the time it takes to milk a cow to complete one revolution, meaning the cows only go around once. Some rotaries have a little compartment filled with feed so that the cows can snack while getting milked. Once the revolution is complete, the cows step off and go about their day! Rotaries are very efficient for large farms as they are able to hold a great amount of cows at once, but can also fit in smaller farms. Overall, they are a great invention that has been incredibly helpful to farmers, and now you know what it is!