When converting beef housing to a brand new dairy unit, Robert Patton carried out a lot of research to find the technology and equipment suitable for his needs.
The 56-year-old farmer has just commenced milking cows at his new dairy unit, Old Mill Dairies at Ballycarry in Northern Ireland, which has been under construction for the past two years with an investment of over £1 million.
When planning the new unit Robert wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for the cows, and also build a unit that was easy to operate using minimal labour resources.
With that in mind he set about constructing a new high-tech dairy unit from the ground up, utilising the slurry tanks from the old beef housing.
Converting to dairy
The cows are all Holstein and were purchased in one lot from a local dairy farmer who was exiting the industry.
As the cows were used to parlour milking and the move created its own unique logistical challenges getting them used to robotic milking in the new barn.
Robert said: “I grew up on the farm which traditionally kept beef, sheep and horses. After leaving school I came home and started our Old Mill Saddlery business on the farm, supplying everything horse owners need.
“Now I have a son doing his final school exams, who is also interested in farming. As it was becoming increasingly difficult to make money from suckler cow beef production, we took the decision to start the dairy unit.”
Old Mill Dairies extends to 190ac, with a further 20ac taken as conacre. Currently, there are 90 cows milking, but that will extend to 130 cows once more have calved.
Robert said: “The goal is to consistently milk around 110 cows with 20 dried off. The herd I purchased has been a totally closed herd with all breeding done internally, and no cattle bought in.
“They were not robot trained which is another reason I wanted a dairy unit that kept animal welfare to the fore, imposing no extra stress to the animals.”
Buildings Focus
Robert’s new open plan dairy unit measures 145ft long by 100ft (44m x 30m) wide and contains 126 cubicle spaces for cows.
He choose the Cowcoon-Flex cubicles supplied by Wilson Agriculture, who also supplied the comfort mattresses.
Two Lely Astronaut A5 robotic units take care of milking the cows which are currently averaging 3.7 milkings each per day.
Robert also added a robotic feeding system, with associated ingredients kitchen, an out of parlour feeder, and a barn cleaner.
Two silos 130ft long by 35ft (39m x 10m) wide store the silage required to feed the cows that are kept indoors all year round.
A slurry bubbler system to reduce gas build up in the tanks was also fitted as an extra safety precaution.
All the main construction work was carried out by McKinty Construction from nearby Larne.
“I took my time over the past three to four years to research everything required to build the dairy,” Robert said.
“Everything had to be right, even the slats are special grooved ones to give the cows better grip when walking. The feed locking gates are the French-made Jourdain brand supplied by Teemore Engineering at Derrylin.
“I wanted to create a barn environment as close to nature as possible, therefore using the transparent roof sheeting to allow more light in was a no brainer,” he said.
Research has shown cows behave much better in terms of fertility and eating in a well-lit environment provided via the transparent sheeting. Heat stress is also reduced, which should also increase yields and animal welfare.
Robert added: “The extra light in our shed has played a major role in how quick the cows have settled into their new home.
“Some of those cows are five years old and really settled onto the robot milking units within four days. The changeover was very easy indeed.”
Milk supplier
Robert sells his milk to Aurivo based in the Republic of Ireland. The cows are averaging 35kg of milk per day.
He employs one member of staff to look after the dairy herd and is using artificial insemination (AI) bulls to breed more heifers.
For now he will continue to use Holstein genetics but is keen on crossbreeding in the future.
“I’d like to keep the herd closed without bringing in any outside animals, therefore maintaining our excellent health status,” Robert concluded.
