McCOSHEN, SCOTT ROSS.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> IN AGRICULTURE NEWS, A SMALL BUT GROWING NUMBER OF WISCONSIN DAIRY FARMERS ARE EMBRACING ROBOTIC MILKERS AMID DIFFICULTIES MAIN TAKING A WORKFORCE, ONGOING MARKET SWINGS AND UNCERTAINTIES OVER AN UPDATED FARM BILL.

"HERE AND NOW" REPORTER ADITI DEBNATH HAS MORE ON WHAT THIS TECHNOLOGY MEANS FOR THE FUTURE OF WISCONSIN DAIRY FARMS.

>> IT HAS BEEN LIFE-CHANGING EVER SINCE.

>> THIS DECEMBER MARKED FIVE YEARS SINCE THE HINCHLEY FAMILY MOVED THEIR HERD OF NEARLY 300 COWS TO A NEW BARN WITH ROBOTIC MILKING MACHINES.

>> SO IT'S BEEN LIFE-CHANGING BECAUSE BEING ABLE TO GO IN AND JUST CHECK ON WHAT COWS WE NEED TO FOCUS ON AND NOT HAVE TO FOCUS ON EVERY SINGLE COW HAS BEEN SO BENEFICIAL TO MY PHYSICAL HEALTH, BUT ALSO MY MENTAL HEALTH.

>> IN ADDITION TO A FEW PART-TIME STUDENT EMPLOYEES, THE HINCHLEYS HAVE JUST ONE FULL-TIME STAFFER SINCE AUTOMATING PROCESSES LIKE MILKING AND FEEDING.

>> TYPICALLY, WE END UP WITH HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE STUDENTS BECAUSE WE ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO MADISON, BUT THERE HAS BEEN TIMES WHEN IT'S BEEN DIFFICULT.

>> HOPEFULLY, SHE'S GOING TO BE AN AMAZING MILK GIRL.

>> NO LONGER TIED TO MILKING COWS TWICE A DAY HERSELF, BOTH SHE AND HER COWS ARE HAPPIER WITH THE ROBOTIC MILKERS OPERATING 24 HOURS A DAY.

>> IT'S NOT NECESSARILY SOMETHING YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO STAY IN THE DAIRY BUSINESS.

>> MADISON PROFE SSOR OF ANIMAL AND DAIRY SCIENCES, CHUCK NICHOLSON, SAYS ONLY ABOUT 8% OF WISCONSIN'S DAIRY FARMERS HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE NEW TECHNOLOGY.

TYPICALLY FAMILY FARMS THAT WANT TO SAVE ON LABOR COSTS.

>> THE LABOR SHORTAGE IS DEFINITELY A KEY MOTIVATING FACTOR.

>> THE HIGH TECH COLLARS FITTED TO EACH COW SEND ABOUT 130 DIFFERENT DATA POINTS ABOUT EACH ANIMAL DIRECTLY TO HINCHLEY'S SMART PHONE.

>> THERE ARE OTHER BENEFITS THAT FARMS GET FROM ADOPTING THESE ROBOTIC MILKING SYSTEMS, BETTER MILK PRODUCTION, BETTER ANIMAL HEALTH, IMPROVED MILK QUALITY.

>> Reporter: WHILE MANY WISCONSIN FARMERS ARE CONSIDERING THE IMPACT A.I.

MAY HAVE ON THEIR DAIRY PRODUCTION, NICHOLSON SAYS 75% OF WISCONSIN FARMERS SAID THEY HAVE NOT AND WILL NOT IMPLEMENT ROBOTICS ON THEIR FARM.

>> I TOLD THE PEOPLE THAT WERE DESIGNING IT AND STUFF THAT I DON'T WANT ANY MOVING PARTS.

YOU'RE ALWAYS HERE THIS TIME OF YEAR.

YOU KNOW THAT?

>> Reporter: JOHN ROSENOW MANAGES A 600-COW HERD.

>> IT'S OUR KITCHEN WINDOW.

WHEN WE WERE HIRING PEOPLE, I HAD TO SEE THE PARKING LOT, AND SEE WHO WOULDN'T SHOW UP AND THEN I HAD TO COVER FOR HIM.

>> HE HIRED HIS FIRST IMMIGRANT EMPLOYEE NEARLY 25 YEARS AGO.

>> SINCE WE'VE HIRED MEXICANS, I NEVER HAVE TO DO THAT ANYMORE.

I COULD LIVE IN TOWN, BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS COME ON TIME AND THEY'RE HERE ON TIME.

>> Reporter: ROSENOW FOUNDED THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION PUENTES WHICH BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN FARMERS AND THEIR IMMIGRANT EMPLOYEES BY SENDING THEM BOTH TO MEET THE EMPLOYEES' FAMILIES IN MEXICO.

HE SAYS HE'S NEVER CONSIDERED ROBOTICS BECAUSE OF HIS COMMITMENT TO HIS HUMAN RESOURCES.

>> I LIKE SEEING -- IN MEXICO, THE DIFFERENT HOMES AND STUFF THAT THEY'VE BUILT AND THEY'VE EDUCATED THEIR CHILDREN, THEY'RE GETTING HEALTHCARE, THINGS THAT THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO GET BEFORE.

WHEN I LOOK AT BOTH SIDES, THE BUSINESS SIDE AND THE HUMANITARIAN SIDE, IT LEANS REAL STRONGLY TO THE HUMAN SIDE OF IT.

>> Reporter: ROSENOW T HAT SAYS THE SALESMAN THAT HAVE PITCHED HIM THEIR TECHNOLOGY ARE CLEVER.

THEY CAPITALIZE ON OLD FARMERS AND CONVINCE THEM THAT THEY'RE OUT OF TOUCH.

>> A LOT OF IT IS, WHEN THIS FIRST STARTED, I WOULD FEEL BAD, AM I AN OLD FUDDY DUDDY?

YOU QUESTION YOURSELF.

>> Reporter: ROSENOW'S HERD WOULD REQUIRE ABOUT EIGHT AUTOMATED MILKERS AT ABOUT A HALF MILLION DOLLARS A PIECE AS WELL AS A NEW BARN.

HE SAYS MODERN FARM EQUIPMENT ALSO REQUIRES MORE EXPENSIVE AND SPECIALIZED LABOR TO DO THE REPAIRS.

>> DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S NEW OR OLD OR WHATEVER.

IT'S GOING TO BREAK.

>> Reporter: AND WITH THE VOLATILE NATURE OF THE DAIRY ECONOMY, HE SAYS OLD EQUIPMENT THAT YOU CAN FIX IS BETTER THAN NEW EQUIPMENT YOU CAN'T, LIKE THIS FRONT END LOADER.

>> IT ONLY COST YOU ARE $25,000 40 YEARS AGO AND SIMILAR TO THAT NOW, I'D BE LOOKING AT 200,000 AND THEN WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FIX IT.

WE'D HAVE TO HAVE THE DEALER FIX IT.

>> NICHOLSON SAYS THAT FOR THE PAST NINE MONTHS IN PARTICULAR, ALL DAIRY FARMERS HAVE BEEN LOSING MONEY.

>> THE CIRCUMSTANCES WE'RE IN ARE REALLY UNUSUAL RIGHT NOW.

>> Reporter: THAT'S BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 20 YEARS, THE U.S.D.A.

IS HEARING PROPOSALS TO AMEND THE SYSTEM THAT DETERMINES HOW MILK IS PRICED.

NICHOLSON SAYS THE SYSTEM, CALLED THE FEDERAL MILK MARKETING ORDERS, DOESN'T HAVE A MECHANISM TO ADAPT TO ECONOMIC OR TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGES OVER TIME.

>> THERE IS A LENGTHY AND SOMETIMES EXCRUCIATING PROCESS TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

>> Reporter: ON WISCONSIN FARMS, HOWEVER, PRODUCERS CAN'T AFFORD TO FOLLOW THE LENGTHY DISCUSSIONS TAKING PLACE IN WASHINGTON.

>> WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO GET.

WE HAVE NO IDEA WITH COMMODITIES THAT WE ARE PRODUCING, WE'RE IN A GLOBAL SCALE.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH CHINA UNTIL IT HAPPENS.

WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH BRAZIL IS PRODUCING.

ALL OF THAT AFFECTS OUR BOTTOM LINE.

>> Reporter: AND SO WHETHER BY MACHINE OR BY HAND, WISCONSIN FARMERS PRESS ON MILKING THEIR HERDS.

HERDS.