Devin Cain, along with his father Larry, cares for about 80 Holstein cows and 300 acres of crops and pasture on their farm in Belmont County, Ohio. Technology plays an important role on their farm, helping them operate efficiently while providing the best care for their cows.

How do you manage the workload on your dairy farm?

My dad and I are the only employees on the farm. We decided to invest in technology to help take care of the routine work, like milking, so we could have more time to do other things on the farm. We currently have two Lely A5 milking robots, a Vector feeding robot, two Discovery manure robots, a Gazeway and a Cosmix computerized feeder.

The cows basically milk themselves with the robotic milking systems. Feeding cows and cleaning the barn is automated, too. The feeding system mixes and delivers fresh feed throughout the day, and the manure robots keep the barn cleaned up, kind of like a giant Roomba. This technology is what’s allowed our farm to keep going and hopefully pass down to the next generation someday. 

Tell us more about how technology has impacted you and your family.

Technology has made a huge difference for our family. Without all the robotic technology we have on the farm, I wouldn’t have time to take my kids to school, pick them up or get to their after-school activities.

Before, our days were nonstop. I’m still on call 24 hours a day—the robots will call me if something goes wrong—but I’m not tied to the barn every minute. At the end of the day, the technology gives us balance. It lets me be both a dairy farmer and an involved dad, and that’s something I don’t take for granted.

People hear a lot about sustainability in agriculture. What does that actually look like on your farm?

Just like we’ve invested in new technology to keep the farm viable for the next generation, we also have to invest in the land. Being good stewards of our soil, water and air is a big part of keeping the farm going. If we don’t take care of those resources, they won’t be there in the future.

We do that in a few practical ways. We raise our own crops here on the farm to feed the cattle, and we plant cover crops in the winter to help protect the soil and reduce erosion. We also spread our cows’ manure back onto the fields as a natural fertilizer, returning nutrients to the soil and reducing our reliance on commercial fertilizers in the spring. It’s a system that makes sense for our farm and helps us take care of the land long-term.

How do you keep track of cow health on the farm?

One of the biggest perks of the technology on the farm is that now we get real time information – the cows are monitored 24 hours a day and that’s something we just couldn’t do before. If a cow is acting unusual, the computer might recognize it before we do and alerts us so we can go check on her right away. If we need to, I’ll call my wife Allie, who’s a large animal veterinarian, for more assistance. We’re always trying to make sure the cows are as healthy and happy as they can be.

Learn more about the technology on Devin’s farm or meet more Ohio and West Virginia dairy farmers.