Thunder Bay, Ontario, Great White North | Sorry for the delayed reply - got stuck at US customs today for 4 hours bringing in a self propelled chopper to your fine country but that is a story for another day...
I would put in the robots again, absolutely. The computer part is second nature to me, that is the easy part. I will admit to one thing though - at times I miss milking cows in the parlor - the rhythm when things are going well, hands on working with the cows. But I don't miss it enough to toss the robots or go get myself a job relief milking at my neighbor's haha.
About labor on a robot dairy - my main guy - in non crop season - starts at 8 or 8:30am, done most days 4:30 or 5. No Saturday or Sunday work unless I'm out of town. He is available if I need him on weekends but that isn't very often. Gets to work with cows and the latest technology at the same time. If I weren't already the boss I'd take his job in a heartbeat, but of course I'm a little biased.
I did visit one farm in Wisconsin where his night cow/robot checker was a 15 year old highschool student. Said she was more than capable and loved the job. Beats flipping burgers I guess.
Best of luck in your decision - if you want any more or more detailed info on my barn setup - my email is good.
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