Locko Lane Farm: More Milk, More Time, Better Balance

Locko Lane Farm: More Milk, More Time, Better Balance

At Locko Lane Farm, Jonathan Hayes farms alongside his family on a 200-acre dairy unit, milking 110 cows and managing 15 dry cows and 85 youngstock. Supplying milk to Arla, the family's goal has always been clear: to run a sustainable and profitable family farm while maximising the potential of their herd through a grass silage-based system.

In February 2024, the family took a significant step towards that goal by installing two Lely Astronaut A5 milking robots and a Lely Discovery 120 Collector automatic scraper.

"It wasn't hard to convince Dad that robots were the right decision for us. We are a small dairy farm, but we've increased our milk output without having to put extra cows on."

The transition to robotic milking was smoother than expected. During the first 24 hours after installation, two people remained in the shed constantly to help guide cows through the robots. By just day eight, all the selection gates were down, and the cows were confidently visiting the robots on their own, with no prompting required.

Today, the herd averages 3.3 visits per cow per day, and milk yield has increased since moving away from the parlour system.

One of the biggest benefits has been the extra time available to focus on forage quality. Rather than being tied to milking routines, Jonathan can spend more time managing the farm's multi-cut grass silage system.

"Since installing the robots, we're able to focus on producing better quality forage because we have more time available."

The family has also seen the full potential of their breeding programme emerge. Using World Wide Sires and a structured mating programme, Jonathan believes the genetics within the herd are now performing at a level that wasn't fully visible in the parlour.

"The genetics we have invested in are now showing their true potential. We didn't want to move to three-times-a-day milking just to achieve that."

As milk production increased, so did the amount of manure being produced. Scraping passageways more frequently by hand became difficult, leading the family to install a Lely C1 automatic scraper.

"We looked at both the C1 and the Joz scraper but chose the C1 because of its compact size. It causes less disturbance to the cows and is less of a hindrance within the building."

The farm's two Lely Astronaut’s, and Lely Discovery Collector are powered in part by solar panels, helping to reduce electricity costs and improve overall sustainability.

Jonathan also makes extensive use of the Horizon app, which helps him manage the herd whether he's in the shed or away from the farm.

"I use Horizon a lot on my phone and find it very easy to use. The fact that Horizon and Uniform Agri communicate with each other means there's no need to duplicate data entry."

By using their existing Allflex collars with the robots, the family was also able to reduce the initial installation costs.

Reflecting on the project, Jonathan credits both the planning process and the support network around him. Before moving ahead, he discussed his plans with the Arla benchmarking group, sharing drawings and gathering feedback from fellow dairy farmers.

"I'd encourage anyone considering robots to speak to as many farmers as possible and visit robotic systems. You'll gain ideas that can help make a retrofit work within your own shed."

The ongoing support from Lely Center Midland's has also been a key part of the farm's success.

"We've been very happy with the support from Farm Management Support from startup through to today. The service team are great at talking us through any small niggles that come up."

Perhaps the most valuable change has been one that can't be measured in litres or efficiency.

"I have a much better work-life balance now than before. With two young children, I'm able to be far more involved in their lives than I was when we were milking in a parlour."

For Locko Lane Farm, robotic milking has delivered more than increased production. It has helped create a more efficient, sustainable business while giving the family greater flexibility and a better quality of life.