Future Proofing with Lely Robots

 

Jerome O’Connor farms in Ardagh, West Limerick with his parents James and Nuala. Thaving milked in a six-unit straight parlour prior to that for 20 years.

Preceding the abolition of the Milk Quota, the O’Connors were milking 30 cows. Post-Quota, this figure doubled to 60 and when the purchasing decision was made to bring in two robots they decided to upscale and are currently milking 130 cows.

A year prior to the installation of the robots, Jerome bought some maiden heifers “to get in calf, to get numbers up quickly but those were my last purchases because since the robots went in, our conception rate has been quite high, so we’ve lost very few cows out of the system and we’re multiplying quite quickly given that all the cows are staying on the farm”.

So, what triggered the O’Connors’ expansion and move to robotic milking? “When I returned home, my parents and I had a good look at our farming system and what we could do to improve it. It ultimately came down to a choice between changing our system by investing heavily or withdrawing entirely given that there was a quite a bit of work that needed doing on-site,” said Jerome.

A “change of heart”

“We ended up developing a greenfield site and building a new shed because our existing facilities were quite old; the cows have grown both in size and numbers, so we knew we needed something bigger. We had looked at robots several years ago, but I wasn’t convinced at the time. I had planning permission for a 20-unit parlour - but at the last minute, I had a change of heart. However, we’d plenty of time to design the shed after that, ultimately, for robotic milking.”

Since the installation of the two Lely Astronauts, both feed yield and overall efficiencies have significantly improved, according to Jerome.

“You’re feeding the cow that’s producing high quality milk, while the cows that are producing less aren’t fed as much and because concentrates are so expensive, we’re very efficient in terms of litres. The data from the collars, between rumination and heat detection, has made insemination a more straightforward process and that all helps when it comes to getting the cow back milking the following year. Her nutrition is taken care of and you can keep an eye on them through the Lely Horizon data that’s provided.”

This data is collected “during every minute of the day” via the cows’ collars, said Jerome. “When it comes to heat detection, when that increases, their probability for heat is much higher. If they’re cycling correctly, it’s all recorded and once they’re in heat, they will be drafted automatically in behind the robot so that she’ll be there for the AI technician to serve her. When it comes to drying off cows, we have the full milk recording for each individual cow for every day of the year. Since the robots were installed, we’ve been using Selective Dry Cow Therapy and on the day I’m drying a cow off, at the flick of a button, I can decide if she’s getting antibiotics or not. This is a huge step forward compared to four or six milk recordings in a year or, in a conventional parlour, every day of the year. The data that’s now at our disposal is so much more accurate and allows me to make decisions that are best suited to each cow.”

Work/Life balance that robotic milking system offers

Time and labour have been the primary savings the O’Connors have benefited from since the arrival of the Lely Astronauts, said Jerome.

“If I’d gone down the more conventional route, I’d probably need to hire someone for a couple of days each week just to give myself a bit of a break. Given that I play sport during my spare time, it’s a lot easier to make time for other things now. I can get my work done earlier and it doesn’t affect the cows – so getting work done at a time that suits myself has been very beneficial.”

“To be able to get up on a Sunday morning and get your jobs done quickly, then be gone for the day, and come back at, say, seven, eight or nine o’clock and do 20 minutes to half an hour’s work, that’s massive. Since the robots and the Grazeway System were installed, it’s also become easier to get help. My parents now have no trouble looking after the system. Last year, I took a holiday in July which could never have been considered previously and this year, my parents are going for two weeks’ holidays.

“Once the breeding is over, it’ll be very easily managed in terms of keeping the show on the road so making the switch, with Lely’s input, has proven hugely beneficial.”

Lely: “Excellent since day one.”

Jerome added: “Lely Center Mitchelstown have been excellent from day one. They’ve brought me through the process with confidence when it came to designing and implementing what we’ve put in place on the farm. During the week in which the robots were installed, there were Lely reps with me throughout that timeframe and any questions or queries I had, they were there to assist. The robots are serviced every four months, a good deal of which is preventative maintenance but if any issue arises, they’re available 24/7, which is very reassuring.”

When asked what advice he would offer to farmers considering a parlour transition similar to his, Jerome replied: “It’s worth talking to farmers who have had the robots installed in recent years. And there’s safety in numbers at this stage given how many farmers are using them. The flexibility the robots offer is second to none. Cows are a full-time job and they need to be looked after all of the time but the robots save you getting t a specific time every morning – you can either do it earlier or later – it won’t bother the cows.”