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The Caseys installed two Lely Astronaut milking units on their 52ha farm approximately three years ago.
At this point, the farm was carrying a herd of 64 milking cows and relief milking was becoming a concern as Donal works outside of the farm in construction, so the majority of the farm work falls on Mary.
When the decision was made to go down the robotic route, another decision also had to be made – to stick with current numbers or to expand. This decision had a large bearing on the future of the farm, as the real question being asked was do the Caseys install one robot or two, as each robot can handle approximately 65 cows.
The decision was taken to install two robots, which has allowed the herd to expand to 100 cows, and for Donal to continue his construction work off-farm. It also allows scope for future expansion, if desired.
Robots
When contemplating choosing a robotic milking machine, a lot of farmers are concerned that cows will be unable to adapt.
“The cows got used to it a lot quicker than I did. It takes a while to actually trust the robot,” said Mary. Even the older, more stubborn cows got used to it very quickly, according to Mary.
Grassland management became vital on the farm, but it is not something that you get right overnight. The farm started off using an A-B grazing system where there were two main grazing blocks. However, Mary soon found that there were issues with a lot of bunches remaining after cows left the paddocks. The decision was made to change to an A-B-C system. This has led to much better clean-out of paddocks.
It also means that the top cows will go to paddocks A, B and C, whereas lower yielders such as older cows and heifers, that will not come in to be milked as often, will skip B and go straight from A to C. This provides them with the highest quality grass when they enter a new paddock.
Also speaking on the day was Patrick Gowing from Teagasc’s dairy expansion service. “The main reason for choosing robots is the labour saving potential that exists. For conventional dairy farmers, milking accounts for 30% of the workload,” according to Patrick. What the farmer does with this extra time is up to them.
However, a much greater focus must then go to grassland management, according to Patrick. When operating an A-B-C grazing system, the farmer will have to manage three different grass wedges for each block, which can present its own difficulties. The capital investment required to install a robotic milking machine is substantial said Patrick.
“It is a dearer way to produce milk but it gives you more time. The big question then is how do you use it.”
Picture one
The two Lely Astronauts were fitted into an existing cubicle shed and while the shed did require some adjustments, it helped reduce the overall cost of the project. With over 300 Lely Astronauts in Ireland, they are becoming a realistic option for many farmers. However, this does not mean they are for everyone.
The price for a single robot starts from €125,000, with the price for two robots stating at €215,000. As with every milking parlour, there are other associated costs too. The service contract for the robots is €2,000/robot/year. Other costs include detergents, which are €1,200/year, electricity which is €300/month and consumables such as liners, brushes and socks which work out at approximately €500/year.
Another issue raised by Lely representatives is that banks will only provide finance for robots over 10 years, whereas with a traditional parlour farmers can get finance up to 15 years. However, a shorter loan may align better with the depreciation of the machine and could be seen as an advantage.
Picture two
One of the most important pieces of a robotic farm is the drafting gate. Lely’s version is known as the Grazeway. This is a gate that drafts the cow automatically with her route linked to either block A, B or C on the grazing platform or returns her to the Lely Astronaut if she is due to be milked. Which block the cows go to is completely dependent on the time of the day.
On the Casey’s farm, cows will go to block A between 6pm and 2am, they will go to block B from 2am to 10am and they will be directed to block C between 10am and 6pm. Cows will get used to the times that the gate changes very quickly, and one of the worst things that farmers can do is to change the times that the gates change. It is also important to think about slurry storage at the Grazeway as all cows will go through it at least four times a day and maybe more so having enough slurry storage will help improve hygiene.
Picture three
One issue that concerned Mary about the robotic milking machines was that cows would no longer be going through a parlour. This would make having to treat cows that get mastitis or drying off cows more difficult. And while the existing parlour could be used to treat older cows, if necessary, this was not a realistic long-term option as younger cows would not have experience of a parlour, and could be difficult to handle.
Mary also did not like the idea of trying to treat a cow in a conventional crush as you are very vulnerable to being kicked. So she and her husband Donal designed an elevated crush which would allow cows to be safely tubed without placing them at risk.
Pictures four and five
If cows are being handled for any reason other than being treated for mastitis or being dried off, the crush will look like it does in picture 4. When set up in this way, the cows can walk to the head gate and there is a walkway beside the crush for the operator. If Mary needs to get at the udder, then the cow is restrained in the head gate with a bar put behind her. The timber walkway beside the crush is then removed and the metal floor slid in to allow safe access to the udder of the cow.
No matter how you have a cow restrained, whether that is in a parlour, a conventional crush or an elevated crush such as this one, there is always a risk of a cow kicking out. However, when a parlour is not viable then this option has worked very well for Mary, providing a safe way of treating cows.
Pictures six, seven and eight
First the timbers are removed. Then the metal base is pushed back to allow Mary access to the udder of the cow. This crush is used for all purposes such as injecting cows and inseminating cows also. It is a very simple idea which could work on many different farms and not just robotic farms.
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