Embracing new technology has improved herd management for Co. Kilkenny-based dairy producer Sean Meehan, who found his investment in robotic milking and collars has boosted herd performance and provided him with more time to manage the herd.

Milking through two GEA DairyRobot R9500s has taken the pressure off labour and enabled Sean to be more efficient in managing his spring calving herd of Feleckvieh and Friesian cows. 

Sean, who is second-generation at Meehan Partnership, said: “We chose automatic milking as our existing shed lent itself to a conversion complemented by an additional building to house the robots. 

"GEA was chosen based on a number of key features, with the pit being the deciding factor as we can get up close to the cows for management purposes and the manual attachment is especially helpful with the heifers.”

Farmers can view the GEA DairyRobot R9500 in action at Sean's farm at Bamford, Kells, Co. Kilkenny (Eircode: R95 X002), from 10:00a.m. to 2:00p.m. on Thursday, June 26 at an open day hosted by GEA Ireland and FTS Dairy Services.

The open day will provide insight into the operating system and the opportunity to discuss robotic milking systems and herd management with the GEA and FTS Dairy Services team.

Sean's 100-cow herd is housed indoors during the winter and grazed on an ABC system during the summer. 

All replacements are bred using artifical insemination (AI) with sexed semen to produce higher-yielding cows. 

The separation area set-up works efficiently when cows are in training - which takes two to three days - and if Sean needs to separate any cows that need attention.

“We worked closely with our local dealer FTS Dairy Services, who helped plan the design of the barn and robot layout," Sean added. 

"The orientation works well and we have since increased the cubicles in the separation area from 8 to 12.”

The cows are free to enter the robot at any time, but only animals meeting time or yield-based criteria are then milked and fed.

Free access to the robot is a cost-effective configuration that was not complicated for FTS to install, which makes it easier for Sean to manage the cows and handle them with the pit, especially for manual attachment on any difficult cows. 

Current milkings per day are 2.46 with a milk per day yield of 3,017kg.

The Everything In-Liner technology within the robot has seen a seven-day average attachment time for the herd at 38 seconds, and box-staying time of 6:12 minutes.

The automatic robotic milking system optimises milking efficiency by enabling quarter individual milking. 

This advanced approach allows each quarter of the udder to be milked separately, ensuring maximum yield and thorough milking.

It performs every step of the milking process - pre-dipping; teat cleaning; stimulation; milking; and post dipping - in a single attachment.

In a previous life, Sean milked cows and sorted them based on observation by tail painting. 

Today, his herd management decisions are based on data from CowScout. 

The cow collars work 24/7 to monitor cow activity by identifying neck movements, such as sniffing and chin resting that indicate if a cow is in heat.

With this real-time data, cows in heat can be properly identified, so that Sean always has the latest information about his cows‘ fertility.

This allows for improved insemination results, higher pregnancy rates, shorter calving intervals and reduced insemination costs. 

Data is also provided on specific movement patterns related to forage intake, recording the time individual cows spend eating. It also records when the animal is regurgitating food and resting peacefully to measure her rumination time.

Sean said: “With an internet connection, I receive up-to-date insights into individual cows' and overall herd data from my computer. 

"The information is especially useful to indicate any health problems so I can pick that cow out and treat her,”

The convenience of the robots and the relaxed milking process have given Sean the confidence to increase his herd size in the future to maximise robot milking capacity.

“Technology is revolutionising the dairy industry and investing in robots was definitely the right decision. The speed of attachment, milking efficiencies and a pit to focus on individual cow management have proved invaluable," Sean said. 

“Learnings from the investment that I share with other farmers considering a robotic milking system, is to keep things simple and don’t overlook the pit. 

"We have an efficient system which has made a huge difference to our working schedule and life,” the Co. Kilkenny farmer said.

To RSVP for or to get more information on the GEA Open Day, contact Eugene Jordan on 086 0125518 or email him at [email protected]