The Flat-Barn Milking System is a way to modify an existing stanchion barn milking system without having to construct a pit parlor. The barn entrance alley remains at its existing elevation, but the exit alley and the platform that the cows stand on are made 8-12 inches higher. The cows walk into the barn, step up onto the raised platform, and are automatically locked into position for milking when they enter the stanchions at the front of the platform. A 32-inch-wide by 24-inch-deep operator's cubicle (with a seat in it) is notched into the platform between every two cows, so the dairyman stays at alley level when milking. The stanchions are opened at the front once the cows are finished being milked, allowing them to move into the exit alley and out of the barn.