Robots reignite a passion for dairying at family farm

South Derbyshire dairy farmer Rob Goodwin has swapped his parlour for four Lely Astronauts — cutting labour, boosting flexibility, and rediscovering his passion for the job.

“I was getting to the stage where I had lost enjoyment with farming because we were always chasing our tails. But it has given me back that spark.”

Farm facts:

• Milking 200 cows; 230 in herd
• Yielding 12,000 litres at 4% butterfat and 3.4% protein
• Milk supplied to Arla on a 360/Starbucks contract
• Farming 480 acres; owned and rented
• Growing 200 acres of maize, 130 acres of temporary grass, 50 acres of winter wheat and the rest permanent pasture.
• 4 x Lely A5 Astronaut's
• 2 x Lely C2 Collector's
• 1 x Lely Hoof Bath

Third-generation dairy farmer Rob Goodwin and his herdsperson Dane Jones swore blind they would never milk through robots, fearing they would lose touch with the cows.

But six months ago, they installed four Lely A5 Astronauts to milk the 230-cow pedigree Holstein herd at Longlands Farm, Linton, South Derbyshire. 

They claim the technology has not only transformed the way they farm but brought them closer to the cows.

Why robots

One of the primary reasons they decided to install the robots was to address mounting labour challenges. 

Rob, who farms in partnership with his wife, Shanette, and mother, Judith, had been an early adopter of three-times-a-day milking, making the switch 12 years ago.

However, night milking became a chore. Staff were becoming harder to find and Rob was increasingly tied to the farm in the evenings. 

“When we first started milking three times a day, we would always find milkers but the last few years it became harder and harder,” reflects Rob.

With three young children, Eleanor, 11, Alice, 8, and Hattie, 5, they wanted greater flexibility. 

About the installation

The four Lely Astronaut robots were retrofitted into the existing collecting yard inside one of the three cubicle sheds.

While work was underway, the collecting yard was moved outside so cows could still be milked through the existing 20:20 herringbone parlour. 

Rob and Dane opted for a ‘check-out’ design with the four robots placed in a line. Cows exit the robots into an outdoor loafing area and return via a segregation gate so they can be separated for AI or vet visits.

A Lely Hoof Bath sits at the end of the race, footbathing cows in a solution containing 2% formalin twice daily. The footbath automatically empties and refills after 75 cows.

“We wanted to make use of what we had. We didn’t want to spend money putting up a new shed,” explains Rob, who improved existing milking facilities six years ago with the addition of sand cubicles, fans and widened cubicle passageways. 

The robot installation, including shed alterations, cost £350,000, with about 40% of the equipment value funded by the Improving Farming Productivity Grant and Farming Equipment and Technology fund. 

Staff numbers have been reduced from five fulltime to 2.5 with nine hours per day saved milking in total. Rob says the labour savings are covering the finance payments. 

Making the transition

To keep things simple, cows are run as one group across three cubicle sheds, walking a maximum of 100m to the robots. 

Cows were not fed in the parlour previously, so the Total Mixed Ration (TMR) was lowered to produce 30 litres of milk, with up to 12kg of a 17% protein blend now fed in the robots to top up yields.  

Four days before start-up, cows were fed through the robots in training mode.

“We rubbed underneath them with a feather duster so they would get used to the arm and the pulsator came on,” explains Dane.

They then spent five days pushing cows through the robots to be milked.

“By the third milking on the third day cows were starting to go to the robot by themselves. They took to it quickly,” explains Rob.

Milk has held at 40kg with days in milk currently sitting at 200, although they hope yields will increase as more cows calve onto the system.

Benefits

The biggest benefit is increased flexibility, says Rob.

“When we were milking three times daily, I was always clock-watching,” says Rob. “Through the summer, Eleanor plays cricket, and I have been able to take her instead of milking.” 

Milking, feeding and scraping become repetitive, mundane tasks but Rob says the robots have reignited their passion for dairy farming. 

“I was getting to the stage where I had lost enjoyment with farming because we were always chasing our tails. But it has given me back that spark. The robots are allowing us to get jobs done that we couldn’t do before.”

Dane agrees: “I thought I would spend less time with the cows, but I don’t. You see them in their natural environment which is better – they are happier and more relaxed.”

The duo now has more time in the day to catch up with jobs such as drying cows off, foot-trimming and fieldwork.

Lely’s Horizon software is providing a deeper insight into cow health compared to their old system.

“Our previous system did intakes, rumination and heats but we can now monitor cell counts and milk at an individual quarter level. Bactoscans have dropped from 15 to 6,” says Dane.

In January, they installed two Lely C2 Collectors – the first sand-compatible units to be fitted by Lely Center Midlands. The C2 model has a sand-flushing system to prevent sediment building inside the machine. 

The robots complete six routes each in 24 hours, which has saved four hours daily scraping.

“The sand flush is working well. It washes all the sediment out of the tank,” notes Rob, who adds the floors are now cleaner. 

Looking ahead

They would like to increase milking numbers to 230 in the not-too-distant future to ensure the robots are at full capacity. 

Rob and Shanette now plan on diversifying by selling pasteurised milk direct from the farmgate through a vending machine. 

“For 200-300-cow, family-run farms I think robots are the way forward. There’s more chance the next generation will want to milk cows with robots,” says Rob.