Fleurieu Peninsula farm welcomes Lely robots

Transitioning from the old dairy

Before transitioning to robotic milking, Sam and Rudy operated a 16 a-side double-up herringbone dairy. While it was still a well-functioning setup, it was said that the system demanded strict routines and did not offer the freedom they were looking for.  

Calving, silage season and peak workload periods often meant being tied to the dairy at set times every day. Therefore, the biggest goal was clear from the outset: improving work-life balance while maintaining strong production without being locked into fixed milking times.

“In the future, they did not want to be tied to the dairy at morning and afternoon milking times, especially in busy periods such as calving and silage seasons” explains a Lely Farm Management Support (FMS) team member who worked closely with the family on the project. “With young families and limited staff, flexibility was an important goal.”

With these challenges, robotic milking offered a different future where time could be managed more flexibly, without compromising cow care or production.

A Smart ‘Brownfield’ Build

The project combined a retrofit with a new shed. Rather than starting from scratch, the team and the family decided to utilise existing infrastructure wherever possible.

A new shed was built over the existing dairy yard, with the four Astronaut A5 robots installed underneath, reusing the original yard concrete. Meanwhile, the milk vat room, dairy office, feed system and effluent system from the old dairy were all retained and integrated into the new setup.

This was a smart, practical approach that has become popular with many Australian farmers - building a future-ready system while keeping the features that already worked well.

Curious how other farms have taken a similar retrofit path? Read more farmer stories here.

Preparing the Farm and the Cows

In the lead-up to the startup, the Lely FMS team worked closely with the family to prepare both the farm and the system. This included helping design a grazing layout suited to ABC grazing to ensure smooth cow flow and efficient pasture utilisation once the robots started running.

Preparation also focused heavily on data and system setup. Cow data was imported directly from Easy Dairy into Horizon, Lely’s herd management system, which significantly helped the team streamline hours of manual data entry and reduce pressure during startup.

“We wanted everything ready to go before the cows walked in,” explains the FMS team member. “That way the focus could stay on the cows and help them learn the system.”

The team was also on site throughout the first week of start-up, helping fine-tune settings, support cow training and assist the Martins as they adjusted to their new daily routines.

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A Positive Start and a Flexible Future

As a result, the startup week ran smoothly and even had a relaxed, family feel. Sam and Rudy hosted a barbecue to thank everyone involved, and feedback from the family was positive.

“They said it was easier than they expected while the herd also adapted quickly to the robots” the FMS staff recalls.

The new robotic shed has been designed with the future in mind, allowing space to expand by two additional robots as the business grows. More importantly, Sam and Rudy can now have greater flexibility to balance farm work with family life.

For the family, this transition represents more than a technology upgrade. It’s a long-term investment in time, flexibility and family, ensuring their dairy farm remains productive, enjoyable and sustainable for years to come.