Robots put a spring in Peter’s dairy lifestyle
For the past four years, Peter Joyce had been hesitant to commit to a major upgrade of his Strzelecki dairy farm because he wasn't sure how long he wanted to remain in the industry.
Ironically, taking the leap to install a milking robot has given Peter a new lease of life in dairying. Relentless early mornings were wearing Peter down in an industry he described as a "tough lifestyle."
Now, Peter and his wife Larissa have a more balanced lifestyle, juggling and sharing family commitments with their three children while Larissa also works off farm.
Their Lely Astronaut robotic milking and grazing system is providing greater flexibility, enhanced efficiency, and a better work-life balance. And for the cows, they determine their own daily milking routine.
When Cutting Edge Electrical took over the Lely dealership in Warragul about four years ago, Peter said Greg Cole flagged the idea of installing a Lely robotic milking system.
He admits he didn't jump at the idea because at that stage, he was unsure how long he would continue milking cows.
"Those relentless early mornings was the main reason. I was tired all the time and was getting sore legs walking up and down the pit.
The transition from a 12 aside Herringbone dairy to two milking robots has changed all that.
"We had automatic cup removers in the old dairy so that was the only modern thing. We gutted the whole shed and now the robots sit either side of the old pit," he said.
Peter said the "retro fit" of their existing dairy delivered cost savings and less impact on the cows who have maintained familiarity in their movements through the shed.
Some changes were made to the structure and layout of the yards to enable cows to move through the grazeway before returning to day or night paddocks, with timer set gates changing directions twice a day.
While Peter has adjusted to less labour intensive milking methods, he said watching the transition of cows into the new system had been amazing.
Gone are the days of rounding up the cows on a set routine at 5.30am and 4pm each day.
Milking is now continuous throughout the day, with the robots milking 16 cows an hour. Peter admits in a perfect world, the 140 head herd would trickle through the dairy all day. But in reality, there are still peak periods when there is a queue of cows in the yard waiting to be milked.
Cows continue to be milked twice a day, but milking times are determined by the cows.
"Some cows work it out really easy. The smart ones know that when they come back to the shed they get milked, grain and a fresh paddock.
"They were doing it really well in spring but they aren't flowing through as well now in the heat and a dry summer.
"They say it takes two years for cows, and workers, to adjust," he said.
But, Peter thinks he has adjusted quickly and is relishing his new lifestyle.
"It's definitely easier, the workload is less. Beforehand you'd be tied up milking from 5am to 9am, now I am freed up to go and feed out silage and do other jobs.
Larissa said the decision to move to robots was lifestyle driven as well - enabling them to be more flexible as a family and not being tied to the dairy morning and night.
As well as physical and mental health improvements in himself, Peter said the robotic system delivered significant animal health benefits.
As each cow steps into the robot, the electronic collar around their neck is scanned and Peter can read the computer screen detailing their production and health history. Key information including litres per milking, milking times, cell counts, heat detection and rumination is available at Peter's fingertips.
"Knowing their cell counts is one of the biggest advantages. With daily readings you can treat them quickly for any problems," he said.
Production also has improved, with cows averaging 30 litres per day, up about 2.5 litres per cow per day.
And the computer detects what grain content each cow needs relative to their production. Larissa said this had led to cost savings in grain because there was no wastage.
So eight months on from installing the Lely milking robots - what does Peter love the most.
"Not having to milk," he said laughing, "and the relentless early mornings."
"I didn't know whether I wanted to continue dairying so it was a tough decision. But now I am more than happy with the decision," Peter said.