Three milkings per day for the labour of one with the Lely Astronaut A5

Milking 240 pedigree Holstein Friesian cows, the herd has a forecasted 305-day average of 10,453kg per cow, butterfat of 4.24% and protein of 3.18%. With an average of three milkings per day, the average yield per cow per day is approximately 35kgs, with a milk speed of 2.8kgs per minute, allowing an excellent output of over 8000kg per day across the four Lely Astronauts.

After visiting Lely Center Eglish at Balmoral Show in 2018, Stephen decided to bite the bullet and the first robots were installed after a six-month turn around.

“We spoke to Jim and got a few figures to see what would work. We decided to go for robots and on the 10th of December 2018 the first two robots were in. It was six months from the work started until the robots were running.”

Lely Center Eglish Project Coordinators made the process seamless and hassle-free, making use of existing sheds: “we started two robots away from the parlour so we could get half the herd started in December. It left it that we could fit the other robots and still milk the rest of the cows. The other robots were started in April. Once the cows and heifers were trained, we were impressed with how they took to the new system.”

The automatic milking system has helped Stephen to manage his time more efficiently and completely changed his milking routine for the better, overcoming issues with labour shortages.

“I was struggling to get help for the milking but still wanted to milk the cows three times a day, but it was getting more difficult all the time. Now I get three milkings per day for the time it would have taken to do one milking in the parlour, enabling me to better organise day-to-day work.”

Furthermore, the Astronaut has contributed to a more efficient and targeted feed rate.

Stephen’s decision to pursue Lely robotics was strongly influenced by the after-sales service: “The back-up is as much as the running of the robot as anything. If the robot’s down, it’s not much good if you can’t talk to anyone to get the problem sorted. Whether it’s talking to someone on the phone to walk you through the problem or a call out, they’ll quickly find the answer.”

Another aspect of Lely’s backup is their Farm Management Support service.

Stephen sings Lely Center Eglish’s FMS team’s praises, stating: “FMS gets you more out of your robots. You’re not just milking the cow, you’re streamlining your efficiencies by working with them.”

He continues to say how FMS has given him more confidence working with the robots: “If you’re wary about changing a setting, you can just pick up the phone and they’ll advise what’s best.”

Lely Center Eglish is hosting an Open Day at Stephen Hamilton’s farm on Wednesday 20 March from 11am to 3pm, showcasing robotics such as the Lely Astronaut A5 and Discovery scraper. Speakers include Stephen Hamilton, Lely FMS Project Coordinators, Start Solar, Semex and Stephen Agnew Nuturition. The address for the event is 25 Seaghan Road, Collone, Co. Armagh, BT60 2BH and will be sign posted from all main routes.

Call Lely Center Eglish for more information or to register your interest on 028 37548228.