Last year they installed a Lely robotic milking system on their Opotiki farm. They have three robots milking their 230 cows and say it's completely changed the way they farm.
"We've got so much information at our fingertips now," Moira says. "It tells you everything that's been going on with the cows, how active they are, when they're coming backwards and forwards from the shed."
The cows all have collars on that hold all their information, Moira explains. "You just have to enter into the computer when they've calved, and from then on the robot will milk that cow every time she comes in. It remembers those co-ordinates."
Installing the robotic system meant a bit of learning, Moira says, but the cows picked things up quickly. "The very first time we put all the cows through the robot we literally had to push every cow into the robotic stall. One of the biggest things for us is that our shed is on top of a hill, so one of the scariest things was whether they'd bring themselves to the shed, having to walk up the hill."
The cows did, though, and now they're a lot happier and quieter. "They're free to move around the farm," Rob says. "They're also free to come and get milked wherever they want. You're teaching them to be more independent."
"They're free to move around the farm. They're also free to come and get milked wherever they want. You're teaching them to be more independent."
- Rob Anstis, Dairy Farmer
They're also healthier. "It's now easy to pick up mastitis, which has been interesting," Rob says. "The cows are getting tested every quarter at every milking. It gives you a handle on what's going on with them."
Generally, Rob and Moira say, the cows are not all in the shed at once. "You have your little mobs and they'll come up in their group. We can have cows in there at 2am, or two in the afternoon. The quietest time is between three in the morning and, say, six. The rest of the time it's pretty busy."
The Lely system is serviced every three months, with the service centre based in Hamilton. "If we have any little breakdowns, Robert can ring Lely and do it over the phone, they can generally guide him through fixing things. We haven't had too many of those, which is pretty good. It helps if you're a little bit tech-savvy - there are a lot of electronics. It would have to be pretty major for them to come and sort it out. Once in two years they've had to come.
"But you do need someone on hand," Moira adds. "The robot will ring you if there's an alarm. They will ring you whenever they like, 24/7. If there's something wrong and it's a critical alarm you do have to go and sort it out." That happens rarely, Moira says, perhaps once or twice a month.
"Sometimes you can put it down to the meal being blocked up so the cows aren't getting their meal in the box. They get fed meals while they're being milked and they get quite used to that. So it's like taking away their lollies and they'll be thumping around or kicking, or backing out of the robot."
Rob had been interested in the Lely system for some time before they installed it. "We looked at it years ago but the company really wasn't ready," Moira says. "There are new machines out now, what they call the A5, 5th generation, a lot more reliable compared to some of their earlier robotic milking machines. So when we approached them they were really keen to get us on board."
Rob and Moira's farm is the only one in the Bay of Plenty using this system. "There are a few in the Waikato, Taranaki, basically everywhere else almost," they say. "A couple in Manawatu, down in Southland, a few going in up north, there's another big one just gone in up there. It's becoming a lot more (common) but it's definitely not for everyone. Your whole mindset changes with robotics. It's hard to let go of controlling the animals."
But they have no regrets. The savings on labour have been quite big - Rob and Moira have gone from one full-time staff member to none - and they've saved themselves three or so hours a day.
"We get to spend a lot more time on grass management and sorting out other stuff, now."
And they don't have to head out to milk at 4.30am anymore. That's a big plus.