Fullerton's Farm

The Fullerton family has taken a major step towards improving efficiency and cow comfort on their farm by installing a Lely Vector automatic feeding system alongside four Lely A5 robotic milking machines. The combination of these two systems has significantly reduced the time spent on daily routines, giving the family more control and flexibility in managing their herd of 240 cows.

Currently, the cows are averaging between 3.2 and 3.3 voluntary visits per day to the milking robots, producing an impressive 40 to 41 kg of milk per cow, and producing an impressive 9,400 kg across the four robots.

When it came to choosing milking technology, Sean Fullerton explained:

"The decision was between investing in a bigger parlour or going with robots. Labour for a third milking was an issue, so we went for the robots—and we’ve no regrets."

Sean and his wife Margaret work full-time on the farm alongside their son Kevin. Sean’s brother and nephew also lend a hand in the evenings and on weekends after finishing their own work.

Before installing the Vector, Kevin was responsible for all the feeding, a task that took between 3 and 3.5 hours every day of the week. The family reached a point where they either had to hire another person or automate the process—and chose to invest in feeding automation.

Now, Kevin can plan several days ahead, and if the Vector kitchen is fully stocked, the system can feed for up to three days without intervention. This flexibility has been a game changer for the family’s work-life balance.

“We liked the idea of the feed being scanned regularly,” Sean noted. “And having a solid block of silage in the kitchen rather than loose material in hoppers really appealed to us. Since starting in August, we’ve had no issues with silage heating.”

 

The Vector scans the feed every 45 minutes, pushes it up regularly, and mixes fresh feed when required—based on how much the cows have eaten. This dynamic, responsive feeding ensures that cows get exactly what they need, when they need it, with minimal waste.

Kevin added:

“The Vector even adjusts its feeding speed based on the last scan, which has been key in ensuring consistent delivery along the feed fence.”

Feeding Five Rations Daily

The system currently mixes 30 to 38 loads per day, delivering five different rations for milk cows, dry cows, heifers, calves, and beef cattle. Total daily feed volume ranges from 17,000 to 19,000 kg. Because the system adjusts in real-time, feed quantities reflect actual intake, not estimates.

Kevin has noticed a particular benefit in the way beef animals are fed:

“Before, with the diet feeder, if I added too much meal it could start to heat. The Vector feeds little and often, which gives me more flexibility to push the cattle on without risking feed spoilage.”

The biggest change for the Fullertons has been a reduction in labour demands. Time once spent on feeding and milking has been freed up for more strategic herd management and other field work.

“I was more than cautious about putting the Vector in,” Sean admitted. “But as time has gone on, we’re more than happy with it.”