Assessment of Cumulative Energy Needs for Chosen Technologies of Cattle Feeding in Barns with Conventional (CFS) and Automated Feeding Systems (AFS)

Witold Jan Wardal, Kamila Ewelina Mazur, Kamil Roman, Michał Roman and Marcin Majchrzak
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Witold Jan Wardal: Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Warsaw, 166 Nowoursynowska St., 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Kamila Ewelina Mazur: Department of Rural Technical Infrastructure Systems, Institute of Technology and Life Sciences, Rakowiecka 32 Street, 02-532 Warsaw, Poland
Kamil Roman: Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Warsaw, 166 Nowoursynowska St., 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Michał Roman: Institute of Economics and Finance, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska Street 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Marcin Majchrzak: Independent Researcher, 02-495 Warsaw, Poland

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-15

Abstract: The increasing popularity of automated systems and the increased market share of producers of robotic feeding equipment for cows causes the need for a deeper study of energy demand in such technologies. This article provides an analysis of the inputs of energy accumulated in conventional (CFS) and automated feeding systems (AFS) for cattle. The aim of this is to determine the impact of robotic technologies for the preparation and feeding of fodder on the cumulative energy inputs. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of machinery and the equipment applied to the cumulative energy intensity in cattle farming facilities. The cumulative energy consumption for four technologies of automated cattle feeding (AFS) was tested and compared to the energy consumption for six technologies with a conventional feeding system (CFS). The research involved nine cow barn facilities for dairy cows and one for beef cattle. An evaluation has been made for cattle farming structures (milk and meat production) with various mixing and feeding systems for feeds of various concentrations, and keeping system (tied system and free-stall). The cow barns differed in feed mixing, feeding machinery, and equipment. Measurements of live labor inputs and the consumption of electric and mechanical energy carriers were carried out, and the mass of various types of machines and devices with software was taken into account, which became the basis for calculating cumulative energy consumption for individual technologies. The obtained average of electric and mechanical energy inputs for robotic technologies of feeding fodder (AFS) was 0.60025 kWh∙day −1 ∙LU −1 (where LU means Large Animal Unit 500 kg), and it was 39.3% lower than for conventional technologies (CFS) where it was 0.989052 kWh∙day −1 ∙LU −1 . However, taking into account all components of cumulative energy consumption, the average for the group of robotic technologies (AFS) was higher by 35.18% than for conventional technologies (CFS).

Keywords: cattle; feeding; AFS; automated feeding systems; conventional feeding systems; CFS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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