Dairy unit reboots with robotic revamp

Installing two milking robots has enabled one Shropshire-based family to establish a high-output dairy unit, despite the constraints of 1960's infrastructure. We visited the herd to find out more.

Faced with delays with plans to expand and develop brand-new cow housing and infrastructure on a recently purchased dairy unit, one Shropshire-based dairying family had to reconsider its options. So, while waiting for the green light for the new-build project, the Robinsons decided to utilise the unit’s existing but dated infrastructure to start milking cows. 

Like many producers with children ready to join the family business, Richard Robinson made the decision, in 2017, to expand his family’s existing dairy business and subsequently, in March 2019, acquired an additional dairy unit – Cotton Farm near Market Drayton, in Shropshire. Plans were soon in place to develop a 300-cow enterprise on a greenfield site at the unit, but the family’s project has been plagued with planning permission delays. 

Correcting the feeding curves

“We were pleasantly surprised at how straightforward it was to adapt the existing buildings at Cotton Farm to suit an automated approach,” says Richard. “We had to move feed barriers, replace cubicles, take out the old parlour and install the robots. With sound advice from our builders and Fullwood, everything went smoothly.”

The new unit was stocked with a mix of heifers and second-lactation cows from the existing Lichfield-based herd, and a small number of purchased cows. And while the cows settled in well, there were teething problems when it came to feeding. 

“The default feed settings on the robot were too low, with the dairy nuts feeding out at a rate of just 6g per second,” explains Richard. The cows were unable to eat enough at each milking, so he took advice from ForFarmers’ Roger Marley and Clive Slawson and they tweaked the rate to 12g per second, which works much better.  

“Ensuring the correct feeding curves were in place was also a challenge but, again, Roger and Clive were able to help with this,” adds Richard. The cows are now fed ForFarmers dairy concentrate through the robots, with a TMR comprising home-grown grass silage, maize silage, and a bespoke 27% protein ForFarmers blend fed down the feed barrier. 

“Milk is supplied to Arla, so quality is important. With individual average daily yields as high as 36 litres, we have also included specialist feed buffers in the ration to help maintain high milk quality,” says Roger Marley. Cows are fed 8kg of concentrate through the robot during early lactation and after 100 days in milk move to a base feeding rate of maintenance plus 20 litres, with extra feed allocated according to yield. Ensuring cows leave their cubicles to eat and visit the robots is key to the success of any automated system, so Richard and his sons have put measures in place to keep the cows motivated. 

Fine tuning

They hope the new development at Cotton Farm will get planning permission soon and construction can get underway at the start of 2022. The completed unit will comprise two new cow sheds, housing a total of 300 cows, milked by six robots.

“But, for now, we will continue to operate the current unit and carry on fine-tuning this system,” says Henry. “It is proving to be a success in its own right, but it has also given us the opportunity to learn. The whole robotic approach not only provides a lot of management data, but also gives us more time to spend on cow management. And we have used this extra time to focus on improving cow health and performance."

“As a result, as well as achieving strong yields, mastitis levels have fallen and cow fertility has improved. Average conception rate for first-calved heifers is now 38% and third-lactation cows are at 34%. An automated approach has worked well so far,” concludes Richard. “And we have every confidence that it will continue to deliver the results we want, once our new larger site is up and running.” |