Bruce Dinnington is one of a number of Kiwi farmers embracing technology on farm and the impact has been profound.
Bruce is the third generation to farm the 210 hectare farm in Dacre, near Invercargill.
Originally a small sheep and dairy farm, Bruce’s father converted to full dairy in the 1970s with a traditional herringbone set up. A pioneer at the time, Alan was one of the first farmers in the region to milk 100-plus cows. Over the years, the Dinnington family (led by Alan and Bruce) bought neighbouring land, built a 50-bale rotary, and increased stock levels to the current 580.
While the traditional set up was effective, Bruce was eager to look at options that would future-proof the farm and ease the load on the aging workforce. The first step was to introduce automatic calf feeders to the farm.
“It all started from here really,” says Bruce.
After looking at different options, Bruce settled on the Lely Calm automatic calf feeder, which automated the feeding and weaning process for his calves. Data is collected throughout the process with farmers able to monitor calf growth, feeding patterns, and health.
The success of the automatic calf feeder led the Dinningtons to look at other automated systems for the farm. In 2018 they installed the Lely Astronaut automatic milking system in a freestall barn with a grazing system incorporated with it – another first for the region. Lely reported it was the first time it had installed a ‘hybrid’ system with all three facets under one roof.
“We sold a portion of the farm to offset costs and were able to install a new winter shed and the automatic system with six milking robots. We were impressed with how quickly we saw the benefits of switching. We milk 350 cows through the robotic system. To be honest, the cows adapted to the system faster than we did,” Bruce says.
“We couldn’t get over how quiet the cows were. They were different animals. They could go quietly into the shed themselves – there is no pushing and shoving that you get with the herringbone set up. They are very calm and content animals and this has had huge benefits for production and overall wellbeing.”
Bruce says the farm has seen its milk solids production increase from 560kg/ milk solids per cow to 750kg, pasture quality has improved across the farm, and lactation days have risen to just over 300 (up from 270).
Meanwhile, stress levels across the board have decreased dramatically.
“Under the traditional structure, everything is tied up with milking. Regardless of what is going on in your life, you have to be back on farm in time for milking. With the AMS, you’re not tied to the farm. You can take your time and focus on getting things right – both on farm and off. Our staff are more efficient and everyone is generally happier,” Bruce says.
So why are more farmers not adopting robotic farming?
“Farmers are a pretty institutionalised bunch,” says Bruce.
“To be fair, when the early models came out there were a lot of issues and hiccups. The systems were expensive and not as user friendly as they are now. This has put a lot of farmers off. But the advances over the past five years alone have been astronomical. Cameras pin-point exactly where the cow is in the stall and attaches the teats to suit the position. The data captured at milking is incredible – volume, fat, protein, cell count reading of each individual quarter, temperature, heat detection, rumination. It’s all there for us.
“The new top-line herringbone/rotary sheds are full of tech now so it’s actually not a big step-up for farmers to install robotics. You can also install robotics in existing sheds, so there’s not the major set-up costs. It’s a bit of a gamechanger.”
How the system works
Automatic milking allows cows to voluntarily go in for milking – this can be anytime over a 24 hour period.
Each cow has an identification collar on her neck. The cow enters the milking barn from the paddock through Texas gates, and into a pre-milk area where it has access to baleage and water. The cow then enters the milking stall where its tag is automatically scanned and the software determines whether the cow is due for milking, in which case the teats are cleaned and teat cups are automatically attached one at a time. While milking, the cow can feed on a concentrate of meal, grain and molasses. If the cow is not due for milking at the time, the front gates automatically open and the cow is released.
The amount of feed provided is controlled by the software, with each cow given a tailored amount of feed that corresponds with their output (i.e. cows that produce 40 litres a day are given more feed than those producing 30 a day).
Data collected by the automatic milking and feeding systems provide farmers with vital information for animal wellbeing, breeding, and on farm reporting.