In Farming, Small is Beautiful, But Can It Also Be Profitable?

Jam the cow has decided she feels like getting milked. A handsome Jersey, a breed prized for its high-quality milk, easy calving and all-around smarts, she strolls into a spotless room, about 10 feet by 15 feet.

Here, at Judy Gifford’s dairy farm in Kennedyville, MD, gone are the days of the traditional milking barn with cows in rows, laboriously hooked up by the farmer to milking machinery.

The metallic arm of the Lely Astronaut robotic milker glides beneath Jam, washing and air drying her udder as an array of lasers and sensors align “intelligent” suctions to her four teats. The robot extrac...