Less Time Milking, More Time Living
The installation of a Lely Astronaut A4 milking robot in the autumn of 2017 has delivered life-changing benefits for a very satisfied West Cork farming couple.
John and Eilish O’Callaghan, who milk their 65 cow Mountfarna herd of Holstein Friesians on their 100-acre farm just outside Bandon, had multiple factors to consider when opting for the robotic approach.
‘I’m a nurse manager in colposcopy in Cork City,’ said Eilish. ‘John is a primary school teacher in Bandon as well. We’ve three kids – Jack (11), Molly (10) and Charlie (7) – it’s a busy household and one that hasn’t been without its challenges. At the turn of 2015, Molly had open heart surgery at 6 days old and, thankfully, all went well, but while we were dealing with that, we were having serious conversations about the future, including whether were we going to step away from farming or, instead of that, consider robotic milking.’
John expanded: ‘We gave it a lot of thought and did a lot of research, visiting several farmers who had installed robots to see how they’d integrated the system and we were very impressed with what we saw. To us, it felt like the way to go. So having considered all the different brands, we chose Lely’
The Astronaut milks, feeds and monitors the health of cows while also examining the quantity and quality of the milk each cow produces.
It was the first milking robot to feature the I-flow, a walkthrough concept which allows the cow to walk straight in and out of the box, free of obstacles.
This box has led to greater interaction with the rest of the herd, and, just as significantly, a less-stressed cow.
John and Timmy O'Callaghan, Farnivane, Newcestown, Co Cork.
‘We borrowed every cent to buy it,’ said John of the Astronaut. ‘We took out a 10-year loan at €1500 a month and we’ll have that paid off within the next two years. Would we get someone in to milk the cows for €1500 a month? I don’t think so. The Astronaut has been a great investment – it’s an exceptional machine.’
He added: ‘While affordability was a factor, the key element for us was the level of service we could access from Lely Center Mitchelstown if and when we needed it. If there’s any issue with the robot, we know we’ll have someone from Lely in our yard within an hour. That’s an incredible service to have at our disposal.’
Given their year-round milking operation (in addition to breeding 15 to 20 bulls annually), the Lely Astronaut milking robot made for a logical, practical and productive development for the O’Callaghans. ‘The robot means the cows can be milked three to four times daily and produce up to 60 litres a day, something that just wasn’t possible prior to going robotic,’ John added.
‘Heifers will milk away twice or maybe two and a half times a day on average during their first lactation whereas second calvers, which are more accustomed to the robot, will be in at least three times a day.’
While the O’Callaghans have always had a high yielding herd, their first hundred-tonne cow was recorded in the wake of the robots installation.
‘Since September 2017, we’ve had 11-hundred-ton cows,’ said John.
‘Since we went robotic, the cows have truly found their own feet. If they want to get milked, they go in on their own time, when it suits them. That means we now have more contented animals. The cows operate at their own pace when it comes to the robot and they certainly have a lot less lameness and other foot-related problems now than what they had previously. Within 48 hours of installing it, we had no kicking and inside a fortnight, all the cows were walking freely in and out of the robot.
‘Every day, their milk is tested for fat, protein and cell count – there’s no waiting around for a milk report every month or every two months – and that was a huge step forward for us.’
‘During the summer, I change two fences in the morning and one in the evening, all of which means I’ve gone from spending five hours out on the farm all the way down to an hour and a half,’ said John. ‘And thanks to the Lely Horizon app on my phone (which analyses herd health and behaviour, along with weight and reproductive status), then I don’t need to go near the farm.’
Eilish stated: ‘The flexibility the Astronaut A4 provides has definitely changed life for the better. John can now walk the kids out to the school bus in the mornings. The kids arrive home off the bus around 3:30pm and we all have our dinner together, which is great. John can now stay around after dinner and helps the kids with their homework before he’s back out on the farm. That just wasn’t possible before the robot. It’s added a huge level of flexibility to both of our lives and to family life in general.’
John commented: ‘Look, I still have my jobs to do but, barring emergencies, I now choose when I want to get that work done when it best suits me so that’s been a huge step forward.’
Recommending the Lely system, Eilish said: ‘It has definitely changed our lives for the better. We are far more flexible now in terms of our time and we’ve developed a good work/life and farm balance.’
Summing up, John O’Callaghan concluded: ‘When I’m on my deathbed, I certainly won't be thinking ‘I wished I milked more cows’ or that ‘I wish I’d worked longer hours’. Thanks to going robotic, we’re spending more time together as a family and I know, looking down the line, that this is something Eilish and I won’t regret.’
To learn how Lely can help you to balance farm life with family life, while helping your herd to reach it’s potential, then call Lely Center Mitchelstown on 025 – 41665
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